February 12, 2009

Stop doing that, skeet!

I’ve had several small injuries lately - stubbed toes, minor cuts and bruises. This morning was a bit more serious. I tripped over something and fell down the front lanai steps onto the blacktop carport surface. My arm was full of grit and gravel, so I took the shower from hell to flush it out. I’ve got the wound coated with ointment and covered now. I don’t think the skin broke on my back, but I can’t really see it well. I think it’s just scraped and bruised from contact with the stair rail as I was going down. Happy thought of the day: the lanai is only three steps above the carport. It could have been worse. The fall winded me so I just lay there for a minute or so chanting “No broken bones, please. Please, please, please no broken bones.” I’m pretty sure my request was granted, but my back and arm still hurt like the devil. If they make greeting cards for this, maybe some of y’all could send me a little good will because I could sure use all of that that I can get these days! I found a whole folder full of greeting cards in my rolltop desk when I was cleaning it out. Most of them are from when I was in the hospital after my gut rupture. I spent a pleasant hour going through them and remembering all of the wonderful people who were so supportive at that time. I had just moved here from California when I got sick, so most of the cards were from church family in San Francisco, folks I was very involved with at that time but now haven’t seen in almost fifteen years. That’s the nice thing about greeting cards - the email ones get buried or deleted after a while, but the snail mail cards can be saved forever and revisited whenever you want to reminisce.

I think the accident happened because I’m very tired and it’s made me careless. I’m also a bit stressed. My realtor will be coming by Tuesday to take some showcase pictures of the house and things are still a mess, with boxes and plastic sheeting, tools and paint underfoot. I need to make the sheers for the living and dining room windows, but am afraid to get the delicate fabric out while there’s sanding and painting and such going on. The movers are getting in a bidding war over my contract (good for me!) and I should have the final “This is as low as I can go” offer later this morning. As soon as that’s in I’ll be booking the move and my flight, probably about ten to twelve days from now. If everything if not finished by then I’ll just have to let things go and live with the outcome. I think everything will be done by then … maybe.

[tags]falls, greeting cards, injuries, home remodel, selling a home, stupidity[/tags]

December 11, 2008

Have I found the Fountain of Youth?

Fifteen years of living in the beautiful tropics has brutalized my skin. Small price to pay for the benefits of life in paradise, but one that I would have foregone if I could have. My Polynesian neighbors have the advantage of skin tones that offer them a measure of protection agianst the harsh damage I’ve suffered from the sun. I’m as dark as many of them now, but my skin color comes from baking, not from natural properties. I like the tan, but the cumulative effects of sun exposure and the natural aging process have added years to my face. I slather on an SPF fifteen moisturizer every morning, but still my facial skin has taken on the appearance of the stuff we skim off the top of the gravy before we serve it the second time. Vanity is not one of my faults, but I wouldn’t mind having skin that looks a little less like leather. Toward that goal, I’ve started a trial with Dermalastyl, an anti-aging skin care product that some are calling the Fountain of Youth. Dermalasyl contains Elastatropin, which was first used on battlefields to promote faster healing for soldiers and minimize their scars. Dermalastyl’s Elastatropin (human Tropoelastin) contains over six hundred amino acids to stimulate collagen production. What all of that means is that Dermalastyl has the ability to reduce my wrinkles and minimize the formation of new wrinkles.

Will it work for me? The makers of Dermalastyl are so confident that they offer a moneyback guarantee that their product will bring about a noticable difference within thirty days. That’s my “before” picture at the top of this post. As you can see, I have wrinkles and lines all around my eyes and mouth. The skin above and below my eyes is saggy and baggy, and my brow is deeply furrowed with “worry lines.” Watch this space to see if Dermalastyl reverses my loose skin and wrinkles, and helps keep them away by increasing collagen production. Check it out for yourself while you wait for my results - their moneyback guarantee means you’ve got nothing to lose and you might just gain a whole new face to show the world!

[tags]aging skin, anti-aging skin care, Dermalastyl, skin care[/tags]

November 30, 2008

Lance gets dental care

I told you a week or so ago that Lance was having some dental problems. On Wednesday I took him to Ewa Beach Animal House for an appointment with James. James is not a member of the Animal House staff. He free lances his services as a dental technician through several veterinary clinics and grooming parlors. The vet I usually go to had been telling me for ages that nothing could be done about Lance’s teeth because he has a heart murmer and cannot have anesthesia. Neither she nor any of her staff were willing to do a dental cleaning without anesthesia, so poor Lance’s teeth were in terrible shape. When I discussed it with her two weeks ago I was pretty much coming unhinged. Lance had quit eating. After lengthy discussion I told the vet we had two choices: find a way to take care of Lances teeth or put him down, as I would not stand by and let him starve to death. Only then did my vet mention James’s service. I can only assume that, like many professionals, she did not want to be seen as endorsing “alternative services.” I quickly called Animal House and made an appointment. Dr. Hatt and the staff there are wonderful. The doc examined Lance and agreed that dental problems were the likely source of Lance’s avoidance of food. Her staff made an appointment with James for us and that brings us to last Wednesday.

James met me in the lobby of the clinic shortly after he arrived. He sat and talked with me for about ten or fifteen minutes, all the while petting Lance and talking soothingly to him. They were old pals when it was time for them to go to the treatment room. I fretted and paced for a while, then went outside to walk off my nervousness. I hadn’t heard any pitiful beagle-sounds coming from the back and no one was sounding the alarm about a dog in cardiac arrest, so I was pretty sure things were going well, but was still on edge. I headed for the bathroom down the hall after coming back inside. It was then that I discovered that the treatment room half-door was open and I could peek in. I was amazed to see Lance lying calmly on his back with his head on James’s lap. The soothing talk continued as the nasty coating was scraped way from Lance’s teeth. James apprently has some “dog whisperer” talents and had convinced Lance that tooth care is a good thing. I didn’t want to break the spell with the sound of my voice, so I watched for a moment, then crept away. I had been told that the cleaning might take about two hours, but less than an hour later the work was done. In addition to the cleaning, James had pulled a loose tooth that was apparently the source of Lance’s pain. Lance was even wagging his tail, so painless was the process! Some follow-up care will be needed. There’s only so much that can be done in a single visit, so James left deep pocket cleaning for a future date.

Lance is still not eating well. I think he associates food with pain now. I’ve offered him hard and soft foods, but he mostly just sniffs at it. I’m assuming he’ll get hungry enough sometime soon to risk chewing, at which time he’ll discover that eating no longer hurts. He ate three bites of toast this morning, so I’m hopeful that he might be good and hungry tonight and willing to try something a little more substantial. His spirits are good and he’s playing his little beagle games - chasing cats up onto the fence and playing fetch with me several times a day - so I know he’ll be his old self again soon. I’ll add some diet supplements to his intake if need be, but I think he’ll probably be fine without that.

If you live on Oahu and are searching for veterinary services or would like to set up an appointment for no-anesthesia dental care, call Ewa Beach Animal House. Everyone there was courteous and professional in their dealings with me and concerned and gentle with Lancie. If I were staying in Hawaii I’d be switching to them for Lance’s routine care in addition to ongoing dental care.

[tags]beagle, canine dental cleaning, dog tooth cleaning, Lance, no-anesthesia canine dental care[/tags]

November 21, 2008

Beagle doings

A few weeks ago I mentioned that Lance had been feeling poorly. His habit had always been to scarf down his food as if he were vying for an eating competition title, but suddenly he was turning up his nose at everything I offered.

Lance is almost eight years old and has never had his teeth cleaned. He was born with a heart murmer, so he can’t have the anesthesia that is required for a tooth-cleaning. He has terrible tartar build-up and awful breath. When he quit eating I surmised that dental pain was the source of the problem. The vet concurred but offered no solution. Yesterday I spoke to a different vet in the same clinic. She mentioned a man who does dog and cat dental cleanings without anesthesia. He’s a free-lancer and offers his service at vet offices and grooming salons around the island. I wasted no time in contacting the nearest clinic he frequents. Lance has an appointment to see a vet at that clinic this afternoon. If the doc is in agreement with my own vet, Lance will have his teeth cleaned next week! He will probably have to have a valium to relax him for the procedure. Because of his heart condition, this is being treated with as much caution as major surgery would warrant in a healthy animal. A vet will be standing by in case even the mild effect of a single dose of valium interfers with his heart rhythm. I’m pushing all of that from my mind right now. The hopeful outcome is that Lance will get the gunk cleaned from his teeth, his gums will be allowed to heal up and his appetite will soon be back to normal. I won’t even have to put him on Propadrol to bulk him up.

See how important teeth are? This simple procedure could buy Lance many more years of happy and comfortable life. We tend to think of dental health as separate from other health issues, but it’s all really part of the same package. Bad teeth can have as big an impact as a heart murmer or a broken bone, so I’m really, really pleased that Lance’s teeth are finally getting the attention they need.

[tags]beagle, canine dental health, dogs[/tags]

September 13, 2008

Virtually me - or you!

Y’all wanna have some fun? I’ve been playing around at My Virtual Model and that’s me over there at the left. Okay, it’s not a perfect replica, but it was created based on my size, shape and coloring. I selected the hairstyle that’s closest to how I actually wear mine, and then each wardrobe item, right down to the slippahs (flip flops) that I wear more than any other shoes. There are no eyeglasses on the site. You’ve never seen me without my glasses (and probably never will,) so just pretend, okay? While no one would mistake my model for the real me, she’s close enough to use for some virtual fitting and shopping. I can dress her in different styles and see how each would look on my body type, a real help when you’re buying clothes online and can’t try them on.

I’ve apparently been to the site before today. I had an identity there that I don’t remember signing up for, so I guess it’s been a while since I visited. I went there today at the prompting of Two Shrinking Sisters, a new blog that just kicked off yesterday. Penny and Tina have decided to unite in sisterhood and weight loss. They’ll chart their progress with weekly weigh-ins and occasional photos. Tina is also using before, progressive and after (goal) virtual models to get her motivation up. Penny will have a noticable weight loss soon - she’s going to be a mom in about a month. She and her sis will share their diet and exercise routines as well as some of what motivates and inspires them. I really admire their determination and their willingness to put themselves out there. They’d appreciate some support and encouragment on their journey, so why don’t you go on over there now and give them each an “Atta girl!”

[tags]blogs, diet, health, weight loss[/tags]

September 5, 2008

Creating a comfortable work environment

I told y’all two days ago that using my new laptop has already caused a bad flare of the tendonitis in my hands and wrists. I’ve been gripping tools and using them to bang on the structures I inspect for almost thirty years now. That led to a condition called DeQuerveins, a repetitive motion injury to the thumb. Trying to accommodate the DeQuerveins caused me to grip things awkwardly and I developed carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow. I then tried to work left-handed for a while & the result is that I have all three conditions on both the left and right sides. I work carefully these days and my hands and arms haven’t been giving me trouble until this week. Right now my new laptop is sitting on my desk. I don’t have a wireless setup yet, so I’ve had to place it where I can plug into my cable modem. The top of the desk is too high for keyboard placement, so my hands are giving me fits once again. I bought a wireless mouse and a slant board/cooling fan yesterday, hoping they would help. They haven’t. I need to get myself set up with some truely ergonomic computer accessories that will allow me to return to proper posture and hand positioning. Going wireless will help - I’ll be able to use my laptop at a more comfortable level - but what I’m most concerned with is supporting my wrists and positioning all of my equipment in a way that will reduce risk of injury. I’ve found several solutions at iShopErgonomics.com. That’s the Bakker Elkhuizen Ergo-Q 330 up there at the top of my post. It will pack up and go wherever I take my laptop so I can always have a wrist-friendly ergonomic workstation, no matter where I use my computer. It’s a thing of beauty. I like it. I want it.

You may not have any repetitive motion injuries that require special accomodations. Good for you. Now you need to do something to insure that you stay injury-free and pain-free. Check out iShopErgonomics for all the accessories you need, for your home or office work station and for portable comfort when you’re on the go. It’s the smart thing to do.

[tags]computer comfort, computers, ergonomics, ergonomic work accessories[/tags]

August 26, 2008

Lance needs to clean up his act

Y’all know Lance is the light of my life. He’s always been a friendly and fun companion, but more so since our old Buddy died. I can’t imagine how much tougher that would have been if I hadn’t had Lance to help me get through it. He’s become much more outgoing since he adjusted to the loss of his companion, too. You’d need an animal behaviorist to explain it, but my take on it is that he feels like it’s okay to monopolize my time and space now that there’s not another dog around to share me with. I live a pretty solitary life. There’s no one else around to share a laugh or a cuddle with, so Lance is pretty good company to have. Well, most of the time. There’s one thing he does, though, that makes me crazy. I’ve told you about it before, but … wait for it …

And there it is. I managed to dodge just in time on that occasion, but Lance is a face-kisser and manages to plant one on my mouth from time to time. Shall we talk about dog bad breath now? Yes, let’s! Lance was born with a heart condition and can’t go under anesthesia, so he’s never had his teeth professionally cleaned. I do what I can, but the beagle has a major case of halitosis going on. He’s also got that bad doggie habit we don’t like to talk about. If I don’t run outside & grab the pooper-scooper the minute he goes, he cleans it up himself. Yeah, that habit. Then he dares to try to kiss Mom on the mouth? Not happening!

Like I said, I do what I can. I have doggie toothpaste and one of those little doggie toothbrushes, but you’d think I was torturing Lance if you heard him squeal every time I use them. He wiggles and squirms so much that most of the toothpaste ends up on me or on his face instead of in his mouth. I keep trying, though, because he’s got some really ugly plaque build-up and the nastiest mouth odor you can imagine. I picked up his Science Diet today at the pet warehouse place. I cruised the dog care aisle, as usual, looking for something I haven’t tried yet that will help with his nasty breath. Those green chews that everyone loves? They’ve been known to choke dogs to death, so I threw the last batch out and won’t try those again. I did see a new brand of doggie toothpaste, but it’s $19.99 for a small tube. That seemed pretty steep, so I passed on it. When I got home I went online and started looking for something more affordable. Wouldn’t you know that I found my answer at the same place I told you about a couple of months ago when I found my own favorite dental health products at discounted prices. Yep, the very same SmileWarehouse.com that carries my Oral-B toothbrushes for half what the drug store charges also has dog plaque remover for Lance. I feel a “Duh!” moment coming on! I shopped there several times and never noticed that they carry oral care products for pets. It turns out they have a product called Triple Pet Plaque Off that will help eliminate plaque and tarter build-up when I add it to Lance’s drinking water. I’m not saying that I’m going to start letting Lance kiss me on the mouth any time soon, but I think maybe our “in your face” games are going to become a lot more pleasant in the future. Smilewarehouse.com has a whole line of pet oral care products in addition to the stuff we all use for ourselves. You should check them out before the next time you re-stock your toothpaste and tootbrushes, and check out the pet care products while you’re there. Just sayin’.

[tags]dental care products, dog dental care, doggie bad breath, oral care, pet oral care[/tags]

August 20, 2008

Support the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk

On September 7, 2008 people from around the island of Oahu will gather in Honolulu for the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk. They are generating funds to support the Alzheimer’s Association’s efforts to provide Alzheimer care, support and research and to help educate people about this devastating disease. They’re walking to help provide support for their own loved ones or for strangers. They’re walking in hope of a cure. Somewhere in a town or city near you others will be doing the same. They need help and would love to have you join them.

The Memory Walk is an easy one - usually two to three miles - and will be happening in over six hundred towns and communities across the US. If there’s not one near you, you can be the driving force to get one going. There’s probably already one planned, though, so all you have to do is sign up, show up, stimulate folks to pledge and … walk! You can help support this worthy effort by joining an existing team or forming your own team of walkers. Team captains are especially needed. It’s not a difficult task because the website provides you with all of the tools you’ll need to organize a team and generate pledges. If you can’t walk, make a pledge to support someone who can. You can also help by publicizing the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk on your blog. Help get the word out! Alzheimer’s will be conquered. Don’t you want to be a part of that?

[tags]Alzheimer’s, Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s Memory Walk, Alzheimer’s support, charities, charity walks[/tags]

August 3, 2008

A pair and a spare - of eyeglasses

Mrs. Stevenson was my second grade teacher. She had the most amazing silver hair, which she tinted pink or green or blue to help us celebrate holidays throughout the school year. She was also quite perceptive and had a genuine concern for each of the students entrusted to her care. She was the first to notice that I was not seeing well. She moved me to a front-row desk and sent a note home to my folks saying that I needed a vison check. Sure enough, I was nearsighted, and I’ve never been without glasses since then. Figuring a new pair every other year, that means I’ve been though about twenty-five pair of eyeglasses in my life, give or take a spare pair or two. You see my picture every Sunday. You know I’m never without them. The only time I don’t wear them is when I’m in the shower (Trust me - you don’t want to go there with me!) or when I’m swimming (I wear corrective lenses in my dive mask.) I don’t lose glasses like some folks, because they are either on my bedside table or on my face. The only pair I ever lost are probably still endlessly circling in a permanent eddy in the Brazos River. They got ripped from my face when my tube tipped over and I had a miserable, blind ride home with friends that afternoon. That was when I learned that it’s a good idea to always have a spare pair. It’s been my habit since then to keep my last pair each time I get new ones. I didn’t get to do that when I got my current pair, though, because my old ones had a badly scratched lens (darn termites - or maybe the tools I was using to look for them - jumped out and scraped my lens during an inspection.) I find myself, for the first time in years, with a spare pair that is two corrections old instead of one. That’s kind of scary when you’re as dependent on your glasses as I am. I paid over $300 for these glasses at my favorite warehouse/big box store optical center and they didn’t offer a significant discount for a second pair, so I had to pass on that. It’s always possible I could get attacked by termites again, so I need to have a spare pair of eyeglasses with my current prescription that I can carry around with me, just in case. That’s why I was so glad to find out about Zenni Optical and their very reasonable prices. Their glasses start as low as $8.00, and the progressive lenses I need start at only $37.00. They have a huge selection of frames which they sell direct to the consumer, so there’s no middle-man markup (which was probably the biggest part of the price I paid last time.) Zenni Optical has a pair which is almost identical to the ones I’m wearing. They’re $19.00, and that includes the Polarized Magnetic Snap-on Sunlens that I paid $30.00 extra for last time. Anti-Scratch coating, UV protection and Lens edge polishing and beveling? Always free with Zenni Optical, and Shipping and Handling is always just $4.95, no matter how many pair I order. Zenni Optical was recommended by Clark Howard on his nationally syndicated consumer advocate program, The Clark Howard Show, so maybe you already knew that you could get eyeglasses at a fraction of what I’ve been paying. It’s news to me though, and news that I’m glad to have heard. I need my glasses in order to see well enough to drive. I wouldn’t even attempt it without them. It would be disasterous if I broke my glasses while I was all the way across island and couldn’t get home. I’m feeling pretty good about knowing I can get a spare pair to keep handy, just in case. You should check them out, too. You never know when termites might attack!

[tags]eyeglasses, glasses, Zenni Optical[/tags]

July 22, 2008

Putting LESS money where my mouth is

If you’ve been reading my blog for very long you know that I have an obsession with dental products. I insist on just the right teeth whitening products, just the right toothbrush, just the right everything. I’m very, very particular about what I put in my mouth. I’ve spent a small fortune on products to help with my dry mouth syndrome and super-sensitive teeth. Can you imagine how I felt when I found out that there’s a place that offers all of my favorite products at warehouse prices, and that I’ve been paying way too much for my oral health care? I’m kicking myself right now because I’ve just found out that Smile Warehouse carries my favorite whitening toothpaste for almost exactly half of what I’ve been paying. My financial situation being a bit wobbly right now, I can’t believe that I never thought to shop for my dental care products online. What can I say? I’m of an earlier generation than most of you and I tend to think of going to the store instead of going to my computer when I need something. Lesson learned! I’ve been paying almost six bucks for my Oral-B Sensitive Advantage toothbrushes when I could have gotten them for $2.95 - half price! I’ve been using a dry-mouth toothpaste for months and it’s helped some, but I’ve only just found out that I can get GC Dry Mouth Gel from Smile Warehouse (for a very reasonable price) and re-moisten my mouth throughout the day. Well, duh! Your favorite dental products are probably there, too, because Smile Warehouse stocks all of the top products at discounted prices - way more than enough to offset shipping costs. On top of that, if you find your product somewhere else for a lower price, they’ll take 5% off of that price so you can still save with them. You have a mouth, right? You spend money keeping it healthy? Get on over to Smile Warehouse and do it for less!

[tags]dental care, dental products, discount dental products, discount oral health care, Smile Warehouse[/tags]