website
Home at last
08/12/08 08:45 Filed in: Family &
Friends
Our place is still in disarray and the computer isn't
quite set up yet, so we haven't gotten a chance to
download all the photos off the camera (there are
quite a few). Here is a shot I quickly snapped when I
went for the initial walk-through (post-call, I
remember). It's of our new front door and stairs to
the main bedrooms from the perspective of someone
standing in the living room. If I haven't said it
enough, moving stinks. But I love our new home and
can't wait until we are finally settled (seeing as
how I start one of the toughest ward months of my
intern year on Monday, that could be quite a while).
Not yet (sigh)
08/08/08 12:08 Filed in: Family &
Friends
Still not online
08/05/08 02:10 Filed in: Family &
Friends
So, not only do we not have phone or internet at our
new place, but for some reason it temporarily stopped
at our old place as well (yes, we are still renting
the old place since the lease isn't up for a few more
weeks). I cannot wait to be rid of the whole
renting thing again - this last experience was a
memorable one, and not necessarily in the best way
either. I realize that renting a home is a business
transaction, but I often wish that the seedy landlord
stereotype was much less common than it is.
In any case, good old Comcast hasn't yet gotten their act together to get us online, so we're thinking about switching to another provider. We used to have them as our phone, cable, and internet provider but now we are thinking about switching to AT&T for phone and internet, and not having cable (at least for a little while). Part of this is to pare down our budget a little bit (did I mention that finances were going to be tight for a while), but in reality, we really don't watch very much television at all. Maybe a total of 10 hours a month between the four of us, if that. It will be kind of a bummer for those rare times that we do want to watch something, but in the long run, I don't think we'll be affected much at all.
In any case, I still have to head back to our old place to log onto the internet and do work, which is what I am (supposed to be) doing right now. I hate to think that we are so dependent on the internet that we can't get by for two weeks without it, but considering that all of our major correspondence with work is via email, it is rather difficult. All of my readings for my current rotation are posted online not to mention all the directions to the various sites I have to go to. In any case, we'll hopefully be up and running at the new place soon.
Here's a recent photo of the kids watching some model trains.
In any case, good old Comcast hasn't yet gotten their act together to get us online, so we're thinking about switching to another provider. We used to have them as our phone, cable, and internet provider but now we are thinking about switching to AT&T for phone and internet, and not having cable (at least for a little while). Part of this is to pare down our budget a little bit (did I mention that finances were going to be tight for a while), but in reality, we really don't watch very much television at all. Maybe a total of 10 hours a month between the four of us, if that. It will be kind of a bummer for those rare times that we do want to watch something, but in the long run, I don't think we'll be affected much at all.
In any case, I still have to head back to our old place to log onto the internet and do work, which is what I am (supposed to be) doing right now. I hate to think that we are so dependent on the internet that we can't get by for two weeks without it, but considering that all of our major correspondence with work is via email, it is rather difficult. All of my readings for my current rotation are posted online not to mention all the directions to the various sites I have to go to. In any case, we'll hopefully be up and running at the new place soon.
Here's a recent photo of the kids watching some model trains.
Still not online
07/31/08 08:17 Filed in: Family &
Friends
We're still not online at home yet, which is making
it quite difficult to post, especially now that the
service at our old apartment is not working for some
reason. We have arranged for transfer of service but
since the complex is so new, there needs to be some
sort of additional wiring from the street to the
buildings (which are already pre-wired), and that is
taking some time. It is supposed to take between 5-7
business days, after which they are supposed to call
us to arrange an appointment to set up service. Of
course, this whole process is sort of messed up,
since we already got the call and had an appointment
set up for yesterday afternoon (a four hour window!),
and they came over, only to tell us that the
additional wiring had not yet been done. So, as is
often the case with customer service when it comes to
these sorts of things, the right hand doesn't talk to
the left hand, and we are left with no service. We
are still renting our old apartment for the next few
weeks since our lease wasn't up yet (I had been using
it as my "office" for the last few days, since it had
phone and internet) but now that's not working
either. I hope it works soon, since it's quite
inconvenient to not have a home phone (for
dictations) or internet service (for checking email,
address changes, looking up my schedule for work,
updating this website, etc.).
No internet yet
07/29/08 02:44 Filed in: Family &
Friends
We haven't gotten internet access (nor phone service)
up and running yet, which is why I haven't had a
chance to post. I've written a few posts (as
you'll see by the timestamps) but I haven't been able
to upload them until now (just picking up a few
things from our old place). Hopefully, we'll have
access soon (it's hard to remember life before the
internet now, even though it wasn't that long ago),
so I can order some diapers
and other essentials,
and post some photos (we've got quite a few new
ones).
Total chaos unleashed
05/30/08 11:32 Filed in: Family &
Friends | Medical
Sorry I've been so slow to post lately. I have just
been incredibly busy trying to get things squared
away before starting intern year in just a few weeks.
Plus, there's that small matter of graduation, which
I have barely thought about and is just around the
corner. Frankly, I'm not much for ceremonies, and
I've got so many things going on right now that it is
at the bottom of my list of things to worry about.
Although I guess I should figure out the whole
gown/rehearsal/schedule stuff before I forget.
To make things even more complicated (and what has really been tying up all my time) is that we are now thinking about buying a home. Despite all the media about home prices plummeting, it's a fantastic time for us to consider buying. Around here, homes usually get dozens of bids (and most get more than asking price) but now, there are fewer bidders for the same number of homes, so we have a chance at a reasonable price. And interestingly, home prices have not decreased in this part of California (they just haven't been increasing as much as they usually do). Prices around here are crazy, really crazy. Imagine "crazy" and then at least double that price, maybe triple that price. That's how much you'd pay for an old, dinky house around here. We can't afford a detached, single-family house (and if we don't get in the market soon, we may never be able to), so we are looking at townhomes and condominiums. Is it worth living here? Who knows, but we're at least stuck here for a few more years and it's not smart for us to keep throwing away money into renting (especially if we can try to buy), not to mention take advantage of the tax shelter we'd be getting.
With my older son starting kindergarten next year (we think), we're trying to figure out which school district we'd like to live in so we won't have to move too much and he can make longtime friends. The problem is that the school systems are very complex (not to mention oversubscribed and underfunded) and for the first time, we are actually considering private school as an option (which is totally not something we ever thought we'd do). But I can totally see why people send their kids to private school now. And I'll write more later about all this. I've literally gone from zero to at least 80% in terms of researching homes, schools, and the tax code in the last week. My brains hurts from all the number crunching and decision-making, but I think it'll be worth it. It might be a whirlwind in the next few months, but nothing we're not used to by now. Thank goodness I have these few weeks to work this out.
So between trying to make decisions about schools and whether or not to purchase (we've never owned a property before), there's that other little matter regarding financing. Apparently it is quite difficult to get a loan nowadays (there are unique loans for physicians that we are looking into, but they of course have higher rates), and of course we don't have much equity or fluid assets at the moment. But at least we can probably qualify for a physician loan. Otherwise, how do you tell a bank Um, we don't have much for a down, and we don't have any assets - in fact, we have hundreds of thousands of dollars of school loans, but please loan us several hundreds of thousands of dollars. With this physician loan (low/no down, no PMI, up to $1 million), we will have massive monthly payments for the first little while, but once we build up some equity, we can refinance and bring that down. And if we sit tight and don't move for a few years (which I'd love - student life has resulted in five moves in the last five years, four with at least one child), we'll have a nice springboard to purchase the next home (which would otherwise be impossible).
It's all very crazy right now, and it's going to be even crazier once I start (I'll be sure to post about moving in the middle of my intern year). Nothing has been set in stone yet, but I am chin deep in the middle of the chaos right now and will be sure to update once it's a bit less crazy.
To make things even more complicated (and what has really been tying up all my time) is that we are now thinking about buying a home. Despite all the media about home prices plummeting, it's a fantastic time for us to consider buying. Around here, homes usually get dozens of bids (and most get more than asking price) but now, there are fewer bidders for the same number of homes, so we have a chance at a reasonable price. And interestingly, home prices have not decreased in this part of California (they just haven't been increasing as much as they usually do). Prices around here are crazy, really crazy. Imagine "crazy" and then at least double that price, maybe triple that price. That's how much you'd pay for an old, dinky house around here. We can't afford a detached, single-family house (and if we don't get in the market soon, we may never be able to), so we are looking at townhomes and condominiums. Is it worth living here? Who knows, but we're at least stuck here for a few more years and it's not smart for us to keep throwing away money into renting (especially if we can try to buy), not to mention take advantage of the tax shelter we'd be getting.
With my older son starting kindergarten next year (we think), we're trying to figure out which school district we'd like to live in so we won't have to move too much and he can make longtime friends. The problem is that the school systems are very complex (not to mention oversubscribed and underfunded) and for the first time, we are actually considering private school as an option (which is totally not something we ever thought we'd do). But I can totally see why people send their kids to private school now. And I'll write more later about all this. I've literally gone from zero to at least 80% in terms of researching homes, schools, and the tax code in the last week. My brains hurts from all the number crunching and decision-making, but I think it'll be worth it. It might be a whirlwind in the next few months, but nothing we're not used to by now. Thank goodness I have these few weeks to work this out.
So between trying to make decisions about schools and whether or not to purchase (we've never owned a property before), there's that other little matter regarding financing. Apparently it is quite difficult to get a loan nowadays (there are unique loans for physicians that we are looking into, but they of course have higher rates), and of course we don't have much equity or fluid assets at the moment. But at least we can probably qualify for a physician loan. Otherwise, how do you tell a bank Um, we don't have much for a down, and we don't have any assets - in fact, we have hundreds of thousands of dollars of school loans, but please loan us several hundreds of thousands of dollars. With this physician loan (low/no down, no PMI, up to $1 million), we will have massive monthly payments for the first little while, but once we build up some equity, we can refinance and bring that down. And if we sit tight and don't move for a few years (which I'd love - student life has resulted in five moves in the last five years, four with at least one child), we'll have a nice springboard to purchase the next home (which would otherwise be impossible).
It's all very crazy right now, and it's going to be even crazier once I start (I'll be sure to post about moving in the middle of my intern year). Nothing has been set in stone yet, but I am chin deep in the middle of the chaos right now and will be sure to update once it's a bit less crazy.
Every little bit helps
05/22/08 15:57 Filed in: Family &
Friends
Every little bit helps. That's what I tell myself
when I am feeling particularly helpless when it comes
to all the worldwide suffering we hear about.
Sometimes it's just downright overwhelming because
there are so many people who are in need of help. I
started this post a while ago, but have just now
gotten around to finishing it. Partly because I have
been so busy, and partly because I've been avoiding
writing about such a sad topic. The recent natural
disasters in Burma and China have affected everyone I
know. It is just so tragic.
I don't know if I pondered these events as much as I do now (probably not) but it breaks my heart to hear about all the parents who are waiting by toppled school buildings to find their child. Hoping for a miracle, and if not, finding a way to have some closure - when, in reality, I don't think any parent ever really gets over the death of a child (they just learn to cope as best as they can).
As for Burma, I've avoided posting about it because I haven't really wanted to stop to think about it too much. It's just so sad. As I've mentioned before, my family is from Burma. Entire villages in Burma have disappeared. People aren't getting the help they need and the available assistance is very slow and often inappropriate. I've stopped asking my folks if they've gotten through to family on the phone because I think the communication system there is a disaster right now. I think the cities where most of our family were relatively spared (they had big storms and some buildings were damaged, but not to the extent that you see on the news).
After having visited once, I immediately saw how peace-loving the Burmese people are. Despite having their rights constantly denied by the ruling government, they manage to (in my opinion) overlook the unfairness of it all and make do with what they have. People tend not to be very aggressive (passive, some would say) and hardly ever complain, even though they have plenty of reasons to. There's a mentality of enduring the hardship because that is all they have. It's pretty unfair and a situation like that anywhere else would not be tolerated (people here get angry when we have to wait too long in line at the supermarket). It's just not fair.
I often think that I haven't changed that much after having children. But something that has obviously changed a lot is how I feel when I imagine putting myself into the shoes of other parents who are living a total nightmare. Whether it be while rotating through the children's hospital or hearing about the loss of a child through the media, it always floors me whenever I imagine how horrifying an experience it must be for a parent to lose a child. I have often told people that I just don't know how parents who have suffered such losses make it through each day, because I don't think I could handle it. Just the mere thought of anything happening to my kids forms a lump in my throat and brings tears to my eyes.
In any case, the wheels have been spinning in my head about how I'd like to (at least start) helping those in need. I am finally approaching a time in my life where I can afford to contribute financially, however small (earning a meager income still beats building debt every year). Never mind that our combined school loan burden is equal to twice the average home cost in the United States. Relative to many people, we're living very comfortably. And we'd like to try to help.
I'm going to start by donating 100% of the profit generated from this site to a particular charity that will change every few months (I'd make it more structured, but am afraid my schedule might make it too hard to do so). We will also make direct donations on our own. I would love to be able to match contributions in the future - we just aren't quite able to do so at the moment.
I've chosen Unicef's cyclone relief efforts in Burma as the first charity. Please consider donating directly using the button below, or consider shopping through the Shopping Resource page. Whether it be $1 or $1000, every little bit helps. Or, shop for textbooks, toys, clothes or whatever - just click through the appropriate links, and you'll be contributing a small but essential amount to help those in need. I don't plan on browbeating everyone to donate (it's a personal decision and depends on your own situation), so the only times I'll post about this is to let you know when we've switched to another charity. And also to give you occasional updates about how much we've raised.
Thanks for reading this lengthy post and take care.
-msm
I don't know if I pondered these events as much as I do now (probably not) but it breaks my heart to hear about all the parents who are waiting by toppled school buildings to find their child. Hoping for a miracle, and if not, finding a way to have some closure - when, in reality, I don't think any parent ever really gets over the death of a child (they just learn to cope as best as they can).
As for Burma, I've avoided posting about it because I haven't really wanted to stop to think about it too much. It's just so sad. As I've mentioned before, my family is from Burma. Entire villages in Burma have disappeared. People aren't getting the help they need and the available assistance is very slow and often inappropriate. I've stopped asking my folks if they've gotten through to family on the phone because I think the communication system there is a disaster right now. I think the cities where most of our family were relatively spared (they had big storms and some buildings were damaged, but not to the extent that you see on the news).
After having visited once, I immediately saw how peace-loving the Burmese people are. Despite having their rights constantly denied by the ruling government, they manage to (in my opinion) overlook the unfairness of it all and make do with what they have. People tend not to be very aggressive (passive, some would say) and hardly ever complain, even though they have plenty of reasons to. There's a mentality of enduring the hardship because that is all they have. It's pretty unfair and a situation like that anywhere else would not be tolerated (people here get angry when we have to wait too long in line at the supermarket). It's just not fair.
I often think that I haven't changed that much after having children. But something that has obviously changed a lot is how I feel when I imagine putting myself into the shoes of other parents who are living a total nightmare. Whether it be while rotating through the children's hospital or hearing about the loss of a child through the media, it always floors me whenever I imagine how horrifying an experience it must be for a parent to lose a child. I have often told people that I just don't know how parents who have suffered such losses make it through each day, because I don't think I could handle it. Just the mere thought of anything happening to my kids forms a lump in my throat and brings tears to my eyes.
In any case, the wheels have been spinning in my head about how I'd like to (at least start) helping those in need. I am finally approaching a time in my life where I can afford to contribute financially, however small (earning a meager income still beats building debt every year). Never mind that our combined school loan burden is equal to twice the average home cost in the United States. Relative to many people, we're living very comfortably. And we'd like to try to help.
I'm going to start by donating 100% of the profit generated from this site to a particular charity that will change every few months (I'd make it more structured, but am afraid my schedule might make it too hard to do so). We will also make direct donations on our own. I would love to be able to match contributions in the future - we just aren't quite able to do so at the moment.
I've chosen Unicef's cyclone relief efforts in Burma as the first charity. Please consider donating directly using the button below, or consider shopping through the Shopping Resource page. Whether it be $1 or $1000, every little bit helps. Or, shop for textbooks, toys, clothes or whatever - just click through the appropriate links, and you'll be contributing a small but essential amount to help those in need. I don't plan on browbeating everyone to donate (it's a personal decision and depends on your own situation), so the only times I'll post about this is to let you know when we've switched to another charity. And also to give you occasional updates about how much we've raised.
Thanks for reading this lengthy post and take care.
-msm
Recommended but not yet reviewed
05/15/08 14:46 Filed in: Shopping &
Bargains | Product
Reviews
There are a bunch of products that we have gotten
that I think are fantastic, fun, totally useful or
all of the above. Of course, I haven't yet finished
the reviews but am working on them (I'm slow, I
know). I've decided to post the product photos and
links for anyone who is interested, and I will be
sure to get those reviews up as soon as I can. In the
meantime, feel free to contact me if you have any
specific questions about any of the products I linked
to.
You can see all the products at the bottom of the Product Reviews page.
You can see all the products at the bottom of the Product Reviews page.
Check out the improved Product Reviews page
05/12/08 15:29 Filed in: Product
Reviews
Okay, so I spent way too much time on this -
but I thought the Product Reviews page
was too text-heavy. I added a selection of
product photos and links to hopefully help make
it easier to navigate. Come check it out -
suggestions are always appreciated!
Link to first vacation photos
05/02/08 12:31 Filed in: Family &
Friends
Some of you may have missed the first set of photos I
posted, since they got archived when May 1 rolled
around (you can click by month in the right column).
You can also see the post here.
What am I doing these days?
04/18/08 13:56 Filed in: Family &
Friends | Medical
Now that I am finished with rotations, I have a
fairly flexible schedule. But even though I should
feel more relaxed, it almost seems as though I have
more to do! I think it has to do with the fact that
during rotations, I put off anything that isn't
urgent or immediate. That list grows pretty quickly
and of course, when I finally address it, it's
impossible to manage.
Here's a short list of what I did yesterday:
1. Researched kindergarten options (more to come on this soon). Sounds early right? Believe me, it isn't. It's a very complicated situation in our area.
2. Spoke with a mortgage lender. We're curious to see if we are eligible for any special first-time homebuyer physician loans. This is in part related to #1.
3. Called our local AAA life insurance agent to discuss options and quotes. At my school's financial aid exit interview, I was reminded about the importance of life insurance for those who have children or other dependents. When our first was born, I remember thinking it would probably be a good idea to buy some. Seeing as how I am more than 3 years behind schedule, I figured I should take care of this before I start intern year. Looks like we'll be picking up some term insurance.
4. Shopped for dress shirts and ties for my husband online. Now that he'll be a real attending, he should probably look the part.
5. Made 3 dozen chocolate-chip cookies for my kids' preschool teachers in appreciation for all their hard work this week. It's the NAEYC Week of the Young Child and they've packed the week full of fun activities for the kids. More to come on this soon.
6. Finally finished my intern biography and survey (due today) as well as formatted a photo to send for their files. I have yet to read and sign my contract but I can get to that tomorrow.
7. Updated the website.
8. Purchased some travel insurance (again, through AAA) for our upcoming vacation. I usually don't buy into these things, but with all the airline bankruptcies and the ridiculous policy of specifically not covering strollers and carseats in their usual luggage damage protection, I figured $60 was not a terrible price to pay to make sure we were covered. Schedule delays, lost luggage, and health coverage were included too.
9. Three loads of regular laundry, and then the bath rugs as well (minor potty accident).
10. Collected some outgrown baby and maternity work clothing to pass on to a good friend.
There were a bunch of things I didn't get to yesterday, but are on deck for today:
1. Research, research, research!
2. Read through my residency contract, sign it, and mail it in.
3. Make a huge macaroni casserole for the daycare potluck tomorrow.
4. Organize my school loans (including undergrad) so I know who all my lenders are and what the repayment will be.
5. On a related note, fill out the paperwork to defer my subsidized loans while I am an intern.
There are more, but I should probably stop writing these lists and work on #4 and then start #3 so I can be ready in time for dinner.
Here's a short list of what I did yesterday:
1. Researched kindergarten options (more to come on this soon). Sounds early right? Believe me, it isn't. It's a very complicated situation in our area.
2. Spoke with a mortgage lender. We're curious to see if we are eligible for any special first-time homebuyer physician loans. This is in part related to #1.
3. Called our local AAA life insurance agent to discuss options and quotes. At my school's financial aid exit interview, I was reminded about the importance of life insurance for those who have children or other dependents. When our first was born, I remember thinking it would probably be a good idea to buy some. Seeing as how I am more than 3 years behind schedule, I figured I should take care of this before I start intern year. Looks like we'll be picking up some term insurance.
4. Shopped for dress shirts and ties for my husband online. Now that he'll be a real attending, he should probably look the part.
5. Made 3 dozen chocolate-chip cookies for my kids' preschool teachers in appreciation for all their hard work this week. It's the NAEYC Week of the Young Child and they've packed the week full of fun activities for the kids. More to come on this soon.
6. Finally finished my intern biography and survey (due today) as well as formatted a photo to send for their files. I have yet to read and sign my contract but I can get to that tomorrow.
7. Updated the website.
8. Purchased some travel insurance (again, through AAA) for our upcoming vacation. I usually don't buy into these things, but with all the airline bankruptcies and the ridiculous policy of specifically not covering strollers and carseats in their usual luggage damage protection, I figured $60 was not a terrible price to pay to make sure we were covered. Schedule delays, lost luggage, and health coverage were included too.
9. Three loads of regular laundry, and then the bath rugs as well (minor potty accident).
10. Collected some outgrown baby and maternity work clothing to pass on to a good friend.
There were a bunch of things I didn't get to yesterday, but are on deck for today:
1. Research, research, research!
2. Read through my residency contract, sign it, and mail it in.
3. Make a huge macaroni casserole for the daycare potluck tomorrow.
4. Organize my school loans (including undergrad) so I know who all my lenders are and what the repayment will be.
5. On a related note, fill out the paperwork to defer my subsidized loans while I am an intern.
There are more, but I should probably stop writing these lists and work on #4 and then start #3 so I can be ready in time for dinner.
Comments, round two
01/03/08 12:10
I still haven't quite figured out how to customize
the comments, but I am going to enable them again and
give it a try. Depending on whether people actually
comment or not, or if there ends up being too much
spam, I may disable them. Also, I will remove any
offensive material, comments that reveal too much
personal information (the internet can be a scary
place!), or comments that have no purpose being on
this site.
Differences in opinion are welcome, but common courtesy rules apply. Thanks for reading!
Differences in opinion are welcome, but common courtesy rules apply. Thanks for reading!
Chaos in life
01/03/08 10:16 Filed in: Family &
Friends | Medical
I was just thinking that my posts can get pretty
random sometimes. I was browsing through and realized
that there is a mishmosh of family photos, shopping
tips, and medical stuff. There might be a cute photo
of the boys, followed by some random rare medical
illness, and then news of a shoe sale.
Depending on who is reading the site, one might find it to be too variable to follow on a regular basis. Some people just want the shopping, or the medical school stuff, or to read about our family updates. As a whole, this site really caters best to a small demographic of people. Particularly, medical student moms (hence the name), which is a bigger group of people than you'd think. But we're all so busy, it's hard to even think sometimes.
In brainstorming about how I could best organize the site to be more user-friendly, I realized that this site really demonstrates how I feel when I have to switch roles at any given moment throughout the day. I wake up and have a typical mom role (make breakfast and lunches, get the kids dressed for school), then head off to be a student doctor somewhere, come home to be a mom again (bath, dinner, playtime, reading), and then finish the night studying as much as I can before going to bed. And while it has to seem seamless enough, it's not that easy to flip back and forth all the time. Plus, there are all the moments during the day where each world collides a little bit. In any case, sometimes I feel like I have ADHD because of it. But it's just all part of the norm.
Anyhow, that's my little bit of randomness for today. Happy new year everyone!
Depending on who is reading the site, one might find it to be too variable to follow on a regular basis. Some people just want the shopping, or the medical school stuff, or to read about our family updates. As a whole, this site really caters best to a small demographic of people. Particularly, medical student moms (hence the name), which is a bigger group of people than you'd think. But we're all so busy, it's hard to even think sometimes.
In brainstorming about how I could best organize the site to be more user-friendly, I realized that this site really demonstrates how I feel when I have to switch roles at any given moment throughout the day. I wake up and have a typical mom role (make breakfast and lunches, get the kids dressed for school), then head off to be a student doctor somewhere, come home to be a mom again (bath, dinner, playtime, reading), and then finish the night studying as much as I can before going to bed. And while it has to seem seamless enough, it's not that easy to flip back and forth all the time. Plus, there are all the moments during the day where each world collides a little bit. In any case, sometimes I feel like I have ADHD because of it. But it's just all part of the norm.
Anyhow, that's my little bit of randomness for today. Happy new year everyone!
RSS link
01/02/08 09:23
I have no idea why the little orange RSS icon that is
usually in the URL window isn't there anymore. And I
don't have time to figure it out right now. So, I
have added a link under the tag cloud in the right
sidebar for those of you who want to can add this
site to your reader. I apologize for the
inconvenience!
$10 Amazon e-gift certificate winner
11/30/07 21:26 Filed in: Shopping &
Bargains
Reminder: $10 Amazon gift certificate!
11/27/07 03:40 Filed in: Shopping &
Bargains
Just a quick reminder that the last day to email me
to be entered into winning a $10 Amazon.com e-gift certificate
is November 30 (Friday). No strings attached -
it's just a thank you for all the reader
support. You can read more details at the bottom
of the Shopping Resource
page. Good luck!
About Us
11/19/07 00:00 Filed in: Family &
Friends | Medical
I just added an update to the About Us
section. It's only taken me over a year to do
that. Hopefully, it won't be so long before I
write the next one.
New Shopping Resource
11/16/07 10:55 Filed in: Shopping &
Bargains
I've added a new section of the site, called
"Shopping
Resource." It's also located in the
right-hand column of this page for future
access. These are links to online stores I have
shopped at (often quite recently), with any
current sales or promotions that I am aware of.
I will add more stores soon and try to update as
frequently as I can. Suggestions are always
welcome.
While you're there, be sure to read the note about affiliation at the bottom of the page, as I'm offering a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate to one lucky reader this month, to thank you for the referrals. Good luck!
While you're there, be sure to read the note about affiliation at the bottom of the page, as I'm offering a $10 Amazon.com gift certificate to one lucky reader this month, to thank you for the referrals. Good luck!
xkcd is really funny
10/29/07 04:37
I don't have much time to surf the internet, but when
I do, this hilarious comic site, xkcd.com, is one that I check
out. I don't think J finds it as funny as I do -
maybe it's my geeky mathematics background or my
weird sense of humor. I have to admit, I don't
understand all the computer programmer lingo
though. But the ones that I do get often have me
laughing out loud. The guy who draws this comic
(Randall Munroe) is pretty talented. I wish I
had more artistic abilities. The comics are cute
and witty, and a great 15-second humor break in
my day (because sometimes that's all you have!).
Today's comic is "Mattress" (it made me chuckle):
This one makes me feel a bit old. But given my interest in surgery and the memory of playing NES with my younger cousins, this one cracked me up. It's called "Nintendo Surgeon":
And I haven't forgotten about the vacation photos - they'll be posted later today.
Today's comic is "Mattress" (it made me chuckle):
This one makes me feel a bit old. But given my interest in surgery and the memory of playing NES with my younger cousins, this one cracked me up. It's called "Nintendo Surgeon":
And I haven't forgotten about the vacation photos - they'll be posted later today.
Contact Form not working
08/04/07 09:29
Comments off for now
06/27/07 22:39
I'm still trying to figure out how to disable the
Trackback, and it's been fun reading the comments
from our friends, but J and I have temporarily
decided to hold off a little bit longer before
setting up the comments box, for a variety of
different reasons. Thanks for being patient and you
can always feel free to write me by clicking on
Contact Me in the right sidebar.
More fiddling, testing comments
06/23/07 23:44
I'm trying to enable comments for the site, but for
some reason, I can't seem to get rid of the Trackback
link (not exactly sure what that is). So I guess you
can just ignore that for now, until I figure it out.
Depending on whether people actually comment or not,
or if there ends up being too much spam, I may
disable the comments. Also, I will remove any
offensive material, or comments that have no purpose
being on this site. Differences in opinion are
welcome, but common courtesy rules apply.
I also added a link to contact me (see sidebar), so that you can send a message to me directly. I'm usually pretty good about responding to email, but if I am super busy, it might take a few days. If you do leave your actual email address, it will of course be kept confidential, and used only for me to respond. I don't sell, share, rent or otherwise use your address for anything. Believe me, I have plenty of other things to worry about.
I also added a link to contact me (see sidebar), so that you can send a message to me directly. I'm usually pretty good about responding to email, but if I am super busy, it might take a few days. If you do leave your actual email address, it will of course be kept confidential, and used only for me to respond. I don't sell, share, rent or otherwise use your address for anything. Believe me, I have plenty of other things to worry about.
Under construction: Excuse the mess
06/23/07 15:24
I've been tinkering with this website and am thinking
about changing the design a little bit. Bear with me
while the pages look different for a little while,
and feel free to tell me if you love or hate any of
the changes. Font too small? Images too big? Let me
know what you think. I've added tags, or
sub-categories, that I've used to identify common
topics, which you'll see in the sidebar. The word
size represents the number of posts filed with that
tag. In any case, don't be surprised if the site
looks different every time you check in, at least for
a little while. All suggestions are welcome.
This may take some time, since this whole weblog thing is still new to me. Only recently did I figure out what a Permalink was (it's like a bookmark for a specific post that you want to link directly to). In this current web design, you can access the Permalink by clicking on the title of the post, which will open the post alone in your browser window. You can then save the bookmark and go back to the post whenever you want to, which is a lot easier than trying to find it in the archives.
This may take some time, since this whole weblog thing is still new to me. Only recently did I figure out what a Permalink was (it's like a bookmark for a specific post that you want to link directly to). In this current web design, you can access the Permalink by clicking on the title of the post, which will open the post alone in your browser window. You can then save the bookmark and go back to the post whenever you want to, which is a lot easier than trying to find it in the archives.