First – NEVER EVER ATTEMPT IMPROMPTU EAR SURGERY ON YOUR CHILDREN, OR ANYONE ELSE’S. EARS ARE VERY DELICATE AND FRAGILE AND UNLESS YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE DOCTORS, YOU ARE STUPID TO TRY IT.
Second – That being said, here’s some tips:
1. Get good lighting – a maglight with fresh batteries works great.
2. Get a good view of the obstruction – before you begin any work, make sure you see the problem and identify it correctly. Be at least 90% sure you actually see the problem. It helps to have a reference ear to look at. Books are nice, but rarely resemble the real thing. If you can look in a different child’s ear to see what its SUPPOSED to look like, that’s good.
3. A Leatherman tool is too big.
4. The hook on a nail file (from toenail clippers) doesn’t work – it doesn’t hook enough.
5. Two small flat-head screw drivers are the right size, but the handles are too big and I only have two hands.
6. Good old fashioned tweezers work well and are easy to handle.
7. Having other children hold the patient’s ear doesn’t work well because they get distracted easy.
8. Make sure you take away the Leatherman from the other children – they might try to pinch your patient causing them to jump.
9. If you can’t get a good grip on the obstruction, first pour water in the ear to soften the obstruction and help it expand outwards – making it easier to grab.
10. You have to be good at holding the ear at the right angle and the maglight in the right place at the same time (with the same hand) - practice makes perfect.
11. Make sure you get everything out.
Third - NEVER EVER ATTEMPT IMPROMPTU EAR SURGERY ON YOUR CHILDREN, OR ANYONE ELSE’S. EARS ARE VERY DELICATE AND FRAGILE AND UNLESS YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE DOCTORS, YOU ARE STUPID TO TRY IT.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Mini- Vacation
Mini-Vacation
We just got back from a mini-vacation! It was without a doubt one of the best mini-vacations we've had. It all started with a thought to go down to Savannah this weekend and just have fun. Then, we found out that there was a World Wide Flash Mob going on at the park and so the mini-vacation began to revolve around that!
Our plan for the trip to Savannah really only had two missions: 1. Go to the WWFM and 2. Have fun. We succeeded.
After school and dinner we drove down Friday night to Savannah, looked for a place to stay, saw one that was too expensive and then one that wasn't expensive enough and eventually ventured back out of the city a few miles and grabbed a nice middle-of-the-road hotel. The kids love hotels - I have no idea why. We went to bed.
While at the hotel, we discovered that there were three geocaches in the immediate vicinity that would be a great start for our geo-cation (geocaching + vacation) the next day. We planned them in.
We woke up at 0800 and had some breakfast at the hotel and then checked out at 0930. We picked up three geocaches in Pooler and headed into Savannah. First we crossed over the big bridge and headed out for an off-road cache that was by far the most off-road terrain we've been in since we left Colorado. It had dirt, trees, mud, sand, hills and spiders. And it was the first time the Jeep had expereinced soft deep sand - which it handled with no problem, and at the end, was even playing in it!
We damned near drove up to the cache, dogged some spiders and headed back out. The spiders were big and sneaky, having put up webs between trees and just waiting for some hapless person to wander into them. I doubt they could have eaten one of us, but just in case, we left the kids in the Jeep.
On the way out, we played with the Jeep in the mud and the sand and then took off. We must have caught some rocks or something in the brake because it squealed on and off the rest of the day.
After getting the Jeep all dirty we drove into Savannah and parked by the big, famous cemetary. There is a cache nearby, so we grabbed it and then began our walk to the WWFM. The mob event went off without a hitch and we even won a container to place our own cache! When the event was over, we walked around Savannah and gathered up some more caches and historical sites.
My girls are all Girl Scouts, so we went and saw the first Girl Scout Headquarters and the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low (the Girl Scout founder). Then we hopped back in the Jeep and headed out to Tybee Island.
On the island, we found even more caches and played on the beach and in the Atlantic Ocean (for the record, its our second ocean visit of the year - the first was the Pacific off the California coast).
It was dark when we found our last cache (and the skull of some dead animal nearby) near a swamp. It would have been very hard to find any more in the dark, so we headed back to Savannah and picked up two Virtual Caches (caches without a physical container - just a place). When all was said and done, we had finished 16 more caches! Whoo hoo! A new one day record for us!
We drove home safe and sound and everyone is now fast asleep - for the most part. A great mini-vacation!
We just got back from a mini-vacation! It was without a doubt one of the best mini-vacations we've had. It all started with a thought to go down to Savannah this weekend and just have fun. Then, we found out that there was a World Wide Flash Mob going on at the park and so the mini-vacation began to revolve around that!
Our plan for the trip to Savannah really only had two missions: 1. Go to the WWFM and 2. Have fun. We succeeded.
After school and dinner we drove down Friday night to Savannah, looked for a place to stay, saw one that was too expensive and then one that wasn't expensive enough and eventually ventured back out of the city a few miles and grabbed a nice middle-of-the-road hotel. The kids love hotels - I have no idea why. We went to bed.
While at the hotel, we discovered that there were three geocaches in the immediate vicinity that would be a great start for our geo-cation (geocaching + vacation) the next day. We planned them in.
We woke up at 0800 and had some breakfast at the hotel and then checked out at 0930. We picked up three geocaches in Pooler and headed into Savannah. First we crossed over the big bridge and headed out for an off-road cache that was by far the most off-road terrain we've been in since we left Colorado. It had dirt, trees, mud, sand, hills and spiders. And it was the first time the Jeep had expereinced soft deep sand - which it handled with no problem, and at the end, was even playing in it!
We damned near drove up to the cache, dogged some spiders and headed back out. The spiders were big and sneaky, having put up webs between trees and just waiting for some hapless person to wander into them. I doubt they could have eaten one of us, but just in case, we left the kids in the Jeep.
On the way out, we played with the Jeep in the mud and the sand and then took off. We must have caught some rocks or something in the brake because it squealed on and off the rest of the day.
After getting the Jeep all dirty we drove into Savannah and parked by the big, famous cemetary. There is a cache nearby, so we grabbed it and then began our walk to the WWFM. The mob event went off without a hitch and we even won a container to place our own cache! When the event was over, we walked around Savannah and gathered up some more caches and historical sites.
My girls are all Girl Scouts, so we went and saw the first Girl Scout Headquarters and the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low (the Girl Scout founder). Then we hopped back in the Jeep and headed out to Tybee Island.
On the island, we found even more caches and played on the beach and in the Atlantic Ocean (for the record, its our second ocean visit of the year - the first was the Pacific off the California coast).
It was dark when we found our last cache (and the skull of some dead animal nearby) near a swamp. It would have been very hard to find any more in the dark, so we headed back to Savannah and picked up two Virtual Caches (caches without a physical container - just a place). When all was said and done, we had finished 16 more caches! Whoo hoo! A new one day record for us!
We drove home safe and sound and everyone is now fast asleep - for the most part. A great mini-vacation!
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Waiting to grow up
When I was a young kid, before I was eight, my father was the biggest, bestest person in the world. He was my hero, everything I looked up to and wanted to be - he was a man. Then, tragically, he died in a car accident. It was, of course, very hard on me. But, moving on from the saddness, I've noticed some things.
Even though I got older, grew up and learned more about life and all that, my dad never did get any older, he was frozen in time - by my perception - and for me, he was that "ideal" person and he will be, forever. Is that good or bad, I think it can be both. A lot of people grow up and realize that their parents aren't the superheros who can do anything and who know everything - my dad still is. I never had a falling out or anything like that - every memory I have is a positive one (even the time I got spanked, because I knew I had done wrong). So, even as I grow up and get older and, theoretically, wiser, my dad is always better, he is near perfect - someone I strive to be. I know I can never achieve an ideal that exists only in a 7 year old's perception, but I can try.
Would my dad be proud of all I've done up til now? No, probably not, just like I'm not. But would he understand? Absolutely. He's been there and done that. Would he have told me not to do thing because he knew they would be bad for me? Probably. And I probably still would have done them. Its hard to learn from other's mistakes because we always think it'll be different for us. Usually its not. I think that is part of the frustration that parents have as their kids grow up, knowing that the kid will eventually regret what they are doing, but being unable to convince them of the fact and probably even being shunned because of it. Most people usually need to learn things for themselves, the hard way.
But, back to my point. Recently, I've run into a paradox with my dad. He will always be older and wiser; however, back in September of this year, I became older than him. So now, I have lived longer, experienced more (theoretically), but he is still older and wiser (in my mind). It's a strange feeling to be older than your parent.
And now, looking back, I KNOW that my dad was a man when he was my age - it was without question and I'd laugh if anyone said that he might not feel the same way. But, here I am, older than he and I wonder sometimes whether or not I've grown up. All the evidence would point to my indeed having become a man at some point in the past 30 years: I have 5 kids, a decent job, a college education, I've been to combat, been shot at, and someone has tried to blow me up a couple of times, and all my bosses say I do a great job. So, I think the evidence would point to my having become a man at some point in there. I just don't feel it. I feel like a kid still - waiting to grow up. And, like a kid, I blame my dad. =)
Even though I got older, grew up and learned more about life and all that, my dad never did get any older, he was frozen in time - by my perception - and for me, he was that "ideal" person and he will be, forever. Is that good or bad, I think it can be both. A lot of people grow up and realize that their parents aren't the superheros who can do anything and who know everything - my dad still is. I never had a falling out or anything like that - every memory I have is a positive one (even the time I got spanked, because I knew I had done wrong). So, even as I grow up and get older and, theoretically, wiser, my dad is always better, he is near perfect - someone I strive to be. I know I can never achieve an ideal that exists only in a 7 year old's perception, but I can try.
Would my dad be proud of all I've done up til now? No, probably not, just like I'm not. But would he understand? Absolutely. He's been there and done that. Would he have told me not to do thing because he knew they would be bad for me? Probably. And I probably still would have done them. Its hard to learn from other's mistakes because we always think it'll be different for us. Usually its not. I think that is part of the frustration that parents have as their kids grow up, knowing that the kid will eventually regret what they are doing, but being unable to convince them of the fact and probably even being shunned because of it. Most people usually need to learn things for themselves, the hard way.
But, back to my point. Recently, I've run into a paradox with my dad. He will always be older and wiser; however, back in September of this year, I became older than him. So now, I have lived longer, experienced more (theoretically), but he is still older and wiser (in my mind). It's a strange feeling to be older than your parent.
And now, looking back, I KNOW that my dad was a man when he was my age - it was without question and I'd laugh if anyone said that he might not feel the same way. But, here I am, older than he and I wonder sometimes whether or not I've grown up. All the evidence would point to my indeed having become a man at some point in the past 30 years: I have 5 kids, a decent job, a college education, I've been to combat, been shot at, and someone has tried to blow me up a couple of times, and all my bosses say I do a great job. So, I think the evidence would point to my having become a man at some point in there. I just don't feel it. I feel like a kid still - waiting to grow up. And, like a kid, I blame my dad. =)
Growing older
Its hard for me to admit that I may, indeed, be growing older. Its crazy, I know, but apparently time has not stopped for me. I can't really be growing older, because I'm still waiting to feel like an adult. When exactly does that happen I wonder?
Anyway, the first inkling of growing older for me was not too long ago - I was running, as usual, when I developed a severe pain in my left calf. It hurt like hell, but I sucked it up and finished what I had planned to run, thinking the pain would go away. It didn't and I limped the last 1/4 mile. After that, it took about two weeks of resting and babying it for it to get better and only recently (within the last week) did it stop hurting all-together. That was the first sign of old. The second came just this last Friday (yesterday) when I was playing football. I was doing great, feeling good, jumping around, running, shucking, jiving and all that good stuff. But, near the end of the game, while I was returning a punt, I zigged this way and zagged that way, but when I zagged, I also tried to accellerate and pushed off hard on my left leg. I felt like something snapped in my upper left hamstring, and luckily someone was there to tag me so I didn't look like I hurt something - but I couldn't run at all. There were only a couple of seconds left on the clock, so I took the snap off the shotgun and pretended not to hurt (so the guy wouldn't rush in right away). I threw the ball deep into the in-zone and thankfully the receiver caught the ball. So, we won the game - thats the important part. The not so important, but much longer lasting, part is the fact that I limped off the field. I had never felt pain like it before, it was very unsettling, but I was sure it would go away - it always does.
Now, I sit here typing and my leg still hurts! I can't flex it much one way or the other before it hurts. I hope it too will go away (the pain, not the leg) once I rest it some more and take it easy. But, two relatively serious muscle injuries in a two week period isn't good. And I think its happening because I'm getting old. My poor body is breaking down and isn't recovering as fast as it once did.
I just found out another thing today that makes me feel older - someone I knew in high school (a teacher), just passed away. She was a great person who I could actually credit with first encouraging the questioning of what some people consider to be facts, when they are really beliefs. I'm sure she didn't know it, but our discussion way back then about an apparent flaw in the whole science/religion thing has always stuck with me and given me the keyhole to look through religion and to see what is behind the curtain. I'm pretty sure she'd be dissapointed in how that turned out, because it wasn't what she believed. But, I hope she could take some credit for allowing me to question the belief and to hold it up to some scrutiny without simply putting it down, thereby encouring myself and others to seek the truth and to not settle for what is fed to us.
I hope Ms. Hazelbaker has found what she was looking for and may she rest in peace.
Anyway, the first inkling of growing older for me was not too long ago - I was running, as usual, when I developed a severe pain in my left calf. It hurt like hell, but I sucked it up and finished what I had planned to run, thinking the pain would go away. It didn't and I limped the last 1/4 mile. After that, it took about two weeks of resting and babying it for it to get better and only recently (within the last week) did it stop hurting all-together. That was the first sign of old. The second came just this last Friday (yesterday) when I was playing football. I was doing great, feeling good, jumping around, running, shucking, jiving and all that good stuff. But, near the end of the game, while I was returning a punt, I zigged this way and zagged that way, but when I zagged, I also tried to accellerate and pushed off hard on my left leg. I felt like something snapped in my upper left hamstring, and luckily someone was there to tag me so I didn't look like I hurt something - but I couldn't run at all. There were only a couple of seconds left on the clock, so I took the snap off the shotgun and pretended not to hurt (so the guy wouldn't rush in right away). I threw the ball deep into the in-zone and thankfully the receiver caught the ball. So, we won the game - thats the important part. The not so important, but much longer lasting, part is the fact that I limped off the field. I had never felt pain like it before, it was very unsettling, but I was sure it would go away - it always does.
Now, I sit here typing and my leg still hurts! I can't flex it much one way or the other before it hurts. I hope it too will go away (the pain, not the leg) once I rest it some more and take it easy. But, two relatively serious muscle injuries in a two week period isn't good. And I think its happening because I'm getting old. My poor body is breaking down and isn't recovering as fast as it once did.
I just found out another thing today that makes me feel older - someone I knew in high school (a teacher), just passed away. She was a great person who I could actually credit with first encouraging the questioning of what some people consider to be facts, when they are really beliefs. I'm sure she didn't know it, but our discussion way back then about an apparent flaw in the whole science/religion thing has always stuck with me and given me the keyhole to look through religion and to see what is behind the curtain. I'm pretty sure she'd be dissapointed in how that turned out, because it wasn't what she believed. But, I hope she could take some credit for allowing me to question the belief and to hold it up to some scrutiny without simply putting it down, thereby encouring myself and others to seek the truth and to not settle for what is fed to us.
I hope Ms. Hazelbaker has found what she was looking for and may she rest in peace.
Took the GRE
On Thursday I went in to schedule my appointment to take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination). On Friday morning I was in the quiet little enclosed room, looking at a computer monitor as it asked me questions about trains leaving Detroit and how the views of women's research has changed in the past 100 years.
Before I get deeper into the thing, let me tell you how I came to need to take the test. When I was in Iraq, about a 1 3/4 years ago, I filled out a little form that said I wanted to be part of the Army Advanced Civil Schooling program. If I was accepted to the program, the Army would allow me to go to a University and get a Master's degree in virtually whatever I wanted. How could I not jump on the chance? Well, soon after I got back home, I discovered that I had been accepted into the ACS program and was eligible to go to ACS in FY2009 (October 2008 or later). That was great news, and I put it on the back burner because it was far away. I knew I had to take the GRE, but I had a long time to study, so why worry about it.
After that we moved to Georgia for the Career Course. Once I saw what crappy assignments were coming out of here, I talked to my Branch Manager and got my ACS slot moved up to the FY2008 - so I can go straight to school from SCCC. I applied to some schools and then I needed to take the GRE. My "preparation" for the GRE was to get a GRE book from the library and make sure it held the coffee table down for a couple of weeks. Then I took a practice test and half-assed it while I watched some TV. I did alright, so I wasn't too worried about it.
The only thing that concerned me was that this test pretty much decided the next four years of where we would go. If I did good, we could go where we wanted, if I didn't, there was the chance I wouldnt get into grad school and would be stuck with some crappy assignment the Army wanted me for - probably Iraq or Korea.
But, in order to prepare the day before, I made sure I studied some vocab words and got a good amount of sleep. The day of the test, I went and did PT - played some football - and came home and got ready for the test. I think that was what helped me stay relaxed, PT and rest. And relaxation is the key to doing the best you can.
The first part of the test was two essays or writings about some random topic they give you. After that I had two math sections and one vocab (verbal) section.
The best part was after I finished the test. Once I finished I had the choice of seeing my results, or canceling the test. The computer makes sure to tell you that if you see your results - YOU CAN'T CANCEL after that. It's almost like they want you to think you did bad. Regardless of how I did, I had to have the results, so I clicked the submit button.
My Verbal GRE score was 670 and my Quantitative (Math) was 710. After looking around to see what "good" was, I guess I can say I did "good." My verbal seems to be higher than most and my "quantitative" is at least average. I shouldn't have any problem getting into a school.
So, our next stop should be college!
Before I get deeper into the thing, let me tell you how I came to need to take the test. When I was in Iraq, about a 1 3/4 years ago, I filled out a little form that said I wanted to be part of the Army Advanced Civil Schooling program. If I was accepted to the program, the Army would allow me to go to a University and get a Master's degree in virtually whatever I wanted. How could I not jump on the chance? Well, soon after I got back home, I discovered that I had been accepted into the ACS program and was eligible to go to ACS in FY2009 (October 2008 or later). That was great news, and I put it on the back burner because it was far away. I knew I had to take the GRE, but I had a long time to study, so why worry about it.
After that we moved to Georgia for the Career Course. Once I saw what crappy assignments were coming out of here, I talked to my Branch Manager and got my ACS slot moved up to the FY2008 - so I can go straight to school from SCCC. I applied to some schools and then I needed to take the GRE. My "preparation" for the GRE was to get a GRE book from the library and make sure it held the coffee table down for a couple of weeks. Then I took a practice test and half-assed it while I watched some TV. I did alright, so I wasn't too worried about it.
The only thing that concerned me was that this test pretty much decided the next four years of where we would go. If I did good, we could go where we wanted, if I didn't, there was the chance I wouldnt get into grad school and would be stuck with some crappy assignment the Army wanted me for - probably Iraq or Korea.
But, in order to prepare the day before, I made sure I studied some vocab words and got a good amount of sleep. The day of the test, I went and did PT - played some football - and came home and got ready for the test. I think that was what helped me stay relaxed, PT and rest. And relaxation is the key to doing the best you can.
The first part of the test was two essays or writings about some random topic they give you. After that I had two math sections and one vocab (verbal) section.
The best part was after I finished the test. Once I finished I had the choice of seeing my results, or canceling the test. The computer makes sure to tell you that if you see your results - YOU CAN'T CANCEL after that. It's almost like they want you to think you did bad. Regardless of how I did, I had to have the results, so I clicked the submit button.
My Verbal GRE score was 670 and my Quantitative (Math) was 710. After looking around to see what "good" was, I guess I can say I did "good." My verbal seems to be higher than most and my "quantitative" is at least average. I shouldn't have any problem getting into a school.
So, our next stop should be college!
Happy New Year!
New Year, at least for the planet. The world is now resting in peace. A new beginning awaits around the corner. Its a New Year.
In light of it being a new year and a time of fresh beginnings, I have decided to start fresh as well. I have relieved the children of the punishments they suffered so hard under this past year and let them start fresh. I'm sure they will be back in the hole within a few weeks - its a good thing the new year comes around once a year.
Someone once asked why November first is the New Year...
Short story - Nov 1 is the New Year because Oct 31st is the last day of the year!
Longer story, but not too long - Back in the olden days before religions began to take over the world and change calendars and to set things up the way they are - with arbitrary dates signifying not much of anything - the year was thought to begin at about this time of year - our early November - because that is the time when the earth is no longer living (not necessarily dead - just not really living, kinda like sleeping); the trees are losing their leaves, the ground doesn't produce crops - the planet slumbers. Some took the time between Nov 1 and Yule as a "time out of time" where the year ended at Samhain (Oct 31) and the year didn't begin until Yule. The time in between those times was thought to be magical and "a time out of time." But, I think that that "time out of time" is really more of a hibernation, the time when the world rests and prepares for the next year, where it will produce and live and gather itself together until it goes back to sleep.
In light of it being a new year and a time of fresh beginnings, I have decided to start fresh as well. I have relieved the children of the punishments they suffered so hard under this past year and let them start fresh. I'm sure they will be back in the hole within a few weeks - its a good thing the new year comes around once a year.
Someone once asked why November first is the New Year...
Short story - Nov 1 is the New Year because Oct 31st is the last day of the year!
Longer story, but not too long - Back in the olden days before religions began to take over the world and change calendars and to set things up the way they are - with arbitrary dates signifying not much of anything - the year was thought to begin at about this time of year - our early November - because that is the time when the earth is no longer living (not necessarily dead - just not really living, kinda like sleeping); the trees are losing their leaves, the ground doesn't produce crops - the planet slumbers. Some took the time between Nov 1 and Yule as a "time out of time" where the year ended at Samhain (Oct 31) and the year didn't begin until Yule. The time in between those times was thought to be magical and "a time out of time." But, I think that that "time out of time" is really more of a hibernation, the time when the world rests and prepares for the next year, where it will produce and live and gather itself together until it goes back to sleep.
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