Earthquake in Seattle?? I woke up at 5:45am this morning with my alarm. Turned on the morning news to a bulletin - "breaking news, Earthquake in Seattle area." 4.5 magnitude at 5:25am. Umm..I slept through it. You know how they say that animals feel earthquakes before they happen? Yeah, apparently not my two cats. When I saw this news and I looked to the end of the bed, where my two cats were sleeping. Along with my husband next to me. I woke him up and told him about the quake...he didn't believe me. He's from Peru where they've had quite a few earthquakes and he's been through a lot of them. He asked the magnitude and I said 4.5 and he said we should have felt it because that's pretty big. Here's hoping that all the earthquakes while I live here are like this...the land is not supposed to shake in my mind.
Whenever I think about earthquakes, I think of that episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air when he goes through his first earthquake and gets trapped in the basement with his girlfriend at the time. Since he was from Philadelphia, he felt the same way - the ground should not shake! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHhqNCdRjpw
January 30, 2009
January 27, 2009
Yikes...another reason to stay away from processed foods...
Corn syrup laced with mercury! High fructose corn syrup strikes again:
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/38430359.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/38430359.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
January 22, 2009
Ok, I've been MIA for a bit. Not a whole lot has been happening. Other than the inauguration (yay Obama!), work, and life in general.
My husband is skiiing this weekend in Whistler. He left this morning. So I'm at work at the crack of dawn because it didn't make sense to go back home after dropping him off at 6am. No one else comes into work for another 1.5 hours. But surprisingly I'm getting a bunch of mundane tasks done.
Because he is gone, I have some time to myself this weekend. Not sure what I'll do with myself though. My younger brother is moving out here next weekend and will be staying with us until he finds a place, so I still have to get the place, his bathroom, etc. ready for him. We're also having a party on February 7th for National Pisco Sour Day. The Pisco Sour is the national drink of Peru (Pisco, a brandy-like liquor made from Muscat grapes being from Peru) where my husband is from, so we're having a party to celebrate. And also celebrate the fact that we have found Pisco at liquor stores here in Seattle! So I am searching for appetizer recipes and will make some grocery runs. I also think I'll be making a trip to Ikea, a place my husband loathes because it's so big. The secret is to go super early or after work...so I'm heading down tomorrow after work. Got to get some organizational items (magazine holders) and some plants. And maybe a new coffee table. :)
My brother in law and sister in law are coming to visit us in mid-March. We're super excited and can't wait to see them, show them around Seattle and maybe head up to Vancouver or Victoria, BC. Hopefully the weather won't be so crappy then...and the sun will come out occasionally? Here's hoping!
My husband is skiiing this weekend in Whistler. He left this morning. So I'm at work at the crack of dawn because it didn't make sense to go back home after dropping him off at 6am. No one else comes into work for another 1.5 hours. But surprisingly I'm getting a bunch of mundane tasks done.
Because he is gone, I have some time to myself this weekend. Not sure what I'll do with myself though. My younger brother is moving out here next weekend and will be staying with us until he finds a place, so I still have to get the place, his bathroom, etc. ready for him. We're also having a party on February 7th for National Pisco Sour Day. The Pisco Sour is the national drink of Peru (Pisco, a brandy-like liquor made from Muscat grapes being from Peru) where my husband is from, so we're having a party to celebrate. And also celebrate the fact that we have found Pisco at liquor stores here in Seattle! So I am searching for appetizer recipes and will make some grocery runs. I also think I'll be making a trip to Ikea, a place my husband loathes because it's so big. The secret is to go super early or after work...so I'm heading down tomorrow after work. Got to get some organizational items (magazine holders) and some plants. And maybe a new coffee table. :)
My brother in law and sister in law are coming to visit us in mid-March. We're super excited and can't wait to see them, show them around Seattle and maybe head up to Vancouver or Victoria, BC. Hopefully the weather won't be so crappy then...and the sun will come out occasionally? Here's hoping!
Ooh baby, baby...Obama babies...
Obama Babies: Will There Be Post-Inauguration Baby Boom?
The inauguration is set to follow the same trend as election night, creating an atmosphere of hope, euphoria, and love. The reports the Daily Mail hypothesizes this mood could lead to Obama baby boom:
Consider that the mood sweeping America is a potent combination of hope and optimism for the future and you have an almost certain increase in pregnancies. Combine this with the fact that U.S. voters under the age of 30 - the prime child-bearing age - voted for Mr Obama by a margin of two to one and you have the makings of a once in a generation social phenomenon. They go on to point out something Huffington Post noticed back in November: Barack Obama was born August 6th, 1961...almost exactly nine months after John F. Kennedy was elected on November 8th, 1960.
The inauguration is set to follow the same trend as election night, creating an atmosphere of hope, euphoria, and love. The reports the Daily Mail hypothesizes this mood could lead to Obama baby boom:
Consider that the mood sweeping America is a potent combination of hope and optimism for the future and you have an almost certain increase in pregnancies. Combine this with the fact that U.S. voters under the age of 30 - the prime child-bearing age - voted for Mr Obama by a margin of two to one and you have the makings of a once in a generation social phenomenon. They go on to point out something Huffington Post noticed back in November: Barack Obama was born August 6th, 1961...almost exactly nine months after John F. Kennedy was elected on November 8th, 1960.
January 9, 2009
I smell something burning...
Last night, while I was happily looking through my new Self magazine on the couch, one of my cats jumped on the arm of the couch in an attempt to cuddle with me. I looked back at the table between our two sofas where we had three mini candles burning. She leaned down to smell them but not too closely. I looked back at her and said "Careful..."
Well, not two minutes later, I look back and my cat is facing me and I smell something. I look at her tail which is hanging over the three candles and singeing the hair on it! I grab her and she just hops out of my arms...I finally catch up to her and run my hand over her tail and a bunch of burned hair comes off in my hand. It's not near the skin at all, just the ends, but now she's got a few burned parts of hair that's missing and a little shorter than any others. Stupid cat!
And let me tell you, nothing smells worse than singed hair! Our whole house smelled and I had to open up the doors to air it out, and then she still smelled about 5 hours later!
Well, not two minutes later, I look back and my cat is facing me and I smell something. I look at her tail which is hanging over the three candles and singeing the hair on it! I grab her and she just hops out of my arms...I finally catch up to her and run my hand over her tail and a bunch of burned hair comes off in my hand. It's not near the skin at all, just the ends, but now she's got a few burned parts of hair that's missing and a little shorter than any others. Stupid cat!
And let me tell you, nothing smells worse than singed hair! Our whole house smelled and I had to open up the doors to air it out, and then she still smelled about 5 hours later!
January 7, 2009
Ah, the Seattle bus...
As some people have told me, I have the best bus stories. Probably because I ride it every dang day for a minimum of 45 mins. Usually something happens to keep me entertained for part of the ride. This morning didn't disappoint.
7:40am - go out to bus stop in front of my complex to wait for the bus to take me the 1/2 mile down the street to my second bus stop.
7:55am - no bus still, it's late and I think I'm going to miss my other bus
8:00am - look up, bus is coming. Kind of fast. Really fast. I wave, which usually breaks me out of my "invisible" state and allows the bus drivers to see me (the fact that I'm invisible is the only explanation, because apparently I can't be seen standing at a bus stop in a black jacket carrying a big pink umbrella)
8:01am - bus FLIES past me. I keep waiting, thinking it'll stop a few feet away. It doesn't. I start running to the light where it's stopped. See the bus stop for a second, then when I get held up at a light, it moves on.
8:15am - get to the end of the street after walking/running the 1/2 mile to catch bus #2.
8:25am - next bus comes (10 minutes late.) Get on this crowded bus and sit in the middle while a young teenage couple, OBVIOUSLY on some sort of drugs proceeds to sit down near me. I now have a front row seat to a lesson in taking drugs on the bus (just prescription pills, but I became suspicious when the already intoxicated couple started crushing up the pills...)
8:30am - Teenage boy discovers someone (his mom? Sister? Caregiver?) has taken one of his pills. He calls her and curses her out for taking his meds. She tells him (I hear this all as he put the phone on speaker) that she's keeping the pills and will give them to him as needed because she doesn't want him to get high off of them. Nice.
8:35am - Teenage boy and teenage girl start cursing this woman out after they hang up the phone.
8:40am - still cursing her out, man from front of bus gets up and tells them that he would "appreciate it if they watched their language." He goes to sit back down.
8:41am - couple proceeds to curse out the guy. Telling him he's not the bus driver, daring him to get them kicked off the bus. This is said in slurred speech with eyes almost rolling back in their heads because they are so messed up. Man gets up to confront them, then heads to tell the bus driver...
8:43am - I have to get off the bus! Still don't know what happened, but it made the mins between bus stops pass quickly!
The rest of my ride goes quickly and is uneventful. I love Seattle and the bus system. :)
7:40am - go out to bus stop in front of my complex to wait for the bus to take me the 1/2 mile down the street to my second bus stop.
7:55am - no bus still, it's late and I think I'm going to miss my other bus
8:00am - look up, bus is coming. Kind of fast. Really fast. I wave, which usually breaks me out of my "invisible" state and allows the bus drivers to see me (the fact that I'm invisible is the only explanation, because apparently I can't be seen standing at a bus stop in a black jacket carrying a big pink umbrella)
8:01am - bus FLIES past me. I keep waiting, thinking it'll stop a few feet away. It doesn't. I start running to the light where it's stopped. See the bus stop for a second, then when I get held up at a light, it moves on.
8:15am - get to the end of the street after walking/running the 1/2 mile to catch bus #2.
8:25am - next bus comes (10 minutes late.) Get on this crowded bus and sit in the middle while a young teenage couple, OBVIOUSLY on some sort of drugs proceeds to sit down near me. I now have a front row seat to a lesson in taking drugs on the bus (just prescription pills, but I became suspicious when the already intoxicated couple started crushing up the pills...)
8:30am - Teenage boy discovers someone (his mom? Sister? Caregiver?) has taken one of his pills. He calls her and curses her out for taking his meds. She tells him (I hear this all as he put the phone on speaker) that she's keeping the pills and will give them to him as needed because she doesn't want him to get high off of them. Nice.
8:35am - Teenage boy and teenage girl start cursing this woman out after they hang up the phone.
8:40am - still cursing her out, man from front of bus gets up and tells them that he would "appreciate it if they watched their language." He goes to sit back down.
8:41am - couple proceeds to curse out the guy. Telling him he's not the bus driver, daring him to get them kicked off the bus. This is said in slurred speech with eyes almost rolling back in their heads because they are so messed up. Man gets up to confront them, then heads to tell the bus driver...
8:43am - I have to get off the bus! Still don't know what happened, but it made the mins between bus stops pass quickly!
The rest of my ride goes quickly and is uneventful. I love Seattle and the bus system. :)
January 3, 2009
Very sad news...
John Travolta and Kelly Preston's son Jett died today in the Bahamas after reportedly suffering a seizure. Some of you may know that Jett had Kawasaki Disease when he was two years old and his parents, being the Scientologists that they are, basically used a "detoxification" program from their church to treat their son for the illness rather than medical intervention, as Scientology does not support medical intervention except in extreme cases. The Kawasaki Disease Foundation, which I work with, has attempted to talk to them in the past and get them to be spokepeople about the disease, but as they believe that their son became ill with KD from chemicals used to clean their carpets (a theory that was long ago shot down as being a cause for the virus) they never wanted anything to do with the foundation, and instead chose to educate others about not using chemicals to clean with (a valid cause, however it worked against the mission of the foundation in some ways.)
The reports are saying that he died of a head injury after hitting his head in the bathtub when having a seizure. I have heard many reports since he had KD that he had many other health issues and that was the reason that the family essentially kept him hidden away from the media (they have often appeared with their daughter, but rarely with their son once he was older.)
Because he had KD when he was younger, some news reports are already choosing to try and draw a link between his seizure and KD. There is, of course the chance that since he never received medical treatment for his KD and instead his family chose to use a "detoxification" program, that he had heart issues and he actually died from a heart attack. However, right now they are saying it was a seizure. No matter what, this is a very sad situation. For a parent to have to lose their child so young, must be unbearable. USA Today called and the Foundation put out a statement. This article appeared in the paper today:
The reports are saying that he died of a head injury after hitting his head in the bathtub when having a seizure. I have heard many reports since he had KD that he had many other health issues and that was the reason that the family essentially kept him hidden away from the media (they have often appeared with their daughter, but rarely with their son once he was older.)
Because he had KD when he was younger, some news reports are already choosing to try and draw a link between his seizure and KD. There is, of course the chance that since he never received medical treatment for his KD and instead his family chose to use a "detoxification" program, that he had heart issues and he actually died from a heart attack. However, right now they are saying it was a seizure. No matter what, this is a very sad situation. For a parent to have to lose their child so young, must be unbearable. USA Today called and the Foundation put out a statement. This article appeared in the paper today:
Travolta's son's death and Kawasaki Disease
Like this story? Share it with Yahoo! Buzz
As the news spreads that actor John Travolta's 16-year-old son Jett died today at the family's vacation home in the Bahamas, there was early speculation that it was linked to Kawasaki Disease
. According to some reports, Travolta has said in the past that Jett suffered from the condition. Later reports suggest that a head injury and seizure were involved.
The Kawasaki Disease connection to his death may be a leap.
It is unlikely that Kawasaki is connected with the death if a seizure was involved, says Nathan Litman, chief of infectious disease and director of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in The Bronx, N.Y. "You'd have to go some distance to explain a connection to Kawasaki Disease," he says.
Kawasaki Disease, sometimes called Kawasaki Syndrome, is rare and typically affects children under the age of 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hallmarks of the illness include fever, a rash on the belly and back and genitals, and swelling of the hands and feet. Swollen glands and irritation around the mouth and lips are also indications of the illness, and more serious complications can include heart problems.
If the teenager had suffered a heart attack, that more likely would be related to an earlier case of Kawasaki, because Kawasaki can leave some children with abnormalities in the arteries of the heart, says Litman.
Litman says if a teenager suffers a seizure and dies, potential reasons can include any number of health issues such as previously undiagnosed epilepsy, injury or head trauma, infection, a tumor or low blood sugar. "A seizure can be secondary to many other conditions I haven't even mentioned," he says.
The Kawasaki Disease Foundation provides additional info.
Photo by Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY: John Travolta and Kelly Preston attended the 80th annual Academy Awards together.
--By Mary Brophy Marcus, USA TODAY
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)