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Why, many are asking, did it take the world so long to pay much attention to the kidnapping of more than 300 schoolgirls by Muslim fanatics in Nigeria?
For starters, the buck stops with President Goodluck Jonathan, among other Nigerian political leaders who clumsily tried to sweep the crisis under a rug.
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Mary Willingham remembers the exact moment when she realized she had to go public. It was at the memorial service in the fall of 2012 for Bill Friday, the former president of the University of North Carolina. During his long career, Friday had championed the amateur ideal - the notion that college athletes needed also to be students, and that academics mattered as much as wins.
The outrageously bigoted remarks attributed to the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team mock the positive role black athletes have played in professional sports, even as those sports have served as an exit ramp from poverty.
Perhaps the most incredible of Clippers owner Donald Sterling's taped remarks came when his former girlfriend reminded him that he had a whole team made up of black players. His response was:
Monica Lewinsky says she would meet me for a drink.
I'm game.
In her new meditation in Vanity Fair, Monica mashes Hawthorne and Coleridge, proclaiming that she's ready to rip off her "scarlet-A albatross," "reimagine" her identity and reclaim her narrative.
Up to now, Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, has been playing a weak hand in Ukraine very well. I mean, how strong are you when your allies insist on wearing masks? But Putin thinks he knows his adversaries better than they know themselves. He thinks the Americans will never be serious about energy, that the Europeans will never be serious about sanctions, that the Ukrainian reformers will never be serious about governance, and that he can control the separatist forces he's unleashed in eastern Ukraine and dial them up or down as he pleases.
This summer, even drinking water may be hard to find in some central California towns. This region is in its third year of drought, among the worst in recorded history.
Yet agribusinesses are planting huge new groves of thirsty almond and pistachio trees. Bear in mind, these are permanent plantings. A quick crop such as alfalfa can be plowed under during a water crisis. Trees and vines, on the other hand, need years to mature. An acre could be a $3 million investment.
Democrats are cautiously optimistic they can hang on to the Senate this year. Surprisingly, this bright forecast is fueled by a sense they'll do better than expected in close contests in the Republican-dominated, Barack Obama-hating South.
Democrats, if you want to win in the fall, take some advice from Pharrell Williams: "Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth."
The Mountie-hat-wearing pop singer's infectious "Happy" should be the Democratic Party's theme song for the midterm election. Despite Republican claims to the contrary, things are definitely looking up. Democrats ought to be clicking their heels and spreading the good news.
Bungled executions by lethal injection are beginning to make firing squads look good. Seriously.
I did not always feel this way. I'm an opponent of the death penalty.
But with lethal-injection drugs in short supply and new questions being raised about their effectiveness, a seemingly humane form of execution is looking a lot less palatable than such old-fashioned methods as the rope or a team of sharpshooters.
The Great Recession leveled a blow to the middle and working classes from which they haven't yet recovered.
Given that labor's pay and prestige in America peaked in the 1960s, this isn't exactly new. Still, it's time that all our leaders took this challenge more seriously. After all, we don't just have the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer anymore. The middle is collapsing.
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Liberal Opinion Week
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Clarion Hotel Amaranten
Kungsholmsgatan 31, 104 20 Stockholm, Sweden
This is what awaits you:First Hotel Amaranten is a modern hotel located in downtown Stockholm. Less than 700 meters from...
The last booking was made 1 day ago from Germany
Hotel description Clarion Hotel Amaranten
First Hotel Amaranten is a modern hotel located in downtown Stockholm. Less than 700 meters from the city centre and a 10-minute walk from the central train station, First Hotel Amaranten is close to most attractions in Stockholm. Our amenities include a restaurant, bar, fitness studio, and a Spa & Wellness centre featuring a sauna and indoor pool. We welcome you to First Hotel Amaranten, Stockholm!
For hotel.info guests
Free WI-FI
Further information on the hotel
Reception hours:
24 hours
Check-in time:15:00
Check-out time:12:00
Like this hotel?
Then save it in your bookmarks.
Hotel location
Kungsholmsgatan 31, 104 20 Stockholm, Sweden
Distances (km)
To reach the hotel
Starting point:Take E4 towards Stockholm, Uppsalaroad, Continue E4 past Eugenjakopplet and Norra Länken, Exit CENTRUM, drive towards CENTRUM on Klarastrandsleden, when reaching a crossroad take right... more
Hotel features
- Total rooms: 461
- Double rooms: 349
- Suites: 4
- Junior suites: 13
- Twin rooms: 349
- Triple rooms: 11
- Beauty treatment
- Fire detector
- Swimming pool (indoor)
- Laundry service
- Lift
- Security personnel
- Hotel foyer with video surveillance
- Entrances with video surveillance
- Garage
- Lobby
- Safe deposit box at reception
- Ice cream maker
- Dogs of all sizes allowed
Room features
- Desk
- Cable TV
- Smoke alarm
- Telephone
- Separate luggage deposit
- Pay TV
- Mini bar
- Automatic wake-up call in emergencies
- Bathtub
- Hairdryer
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Café/Bistro
Sport/leisure activities
- Fitness room
- Sauna
- Fitness studio (fee applies)
Accepted credit card payments
- DinersClub
- Visa
- MasterCard
- AmericanExpress

subset: commoncrawl


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Lake Buena Vista Condo Rental Photos and Description
Condo, 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, (Sleeps 4)
Our private condos at WorldQuest Resort, an Italian themed development of luxury condominiums suites, are located in the center of the world's most famous holiday destination, situated less than a mile from Walt Disney World®, and a short drive from Universal Studios and SeaWorld, just off International Drive South, making it the perfect central base for your Florida vacation.
Booking direct with a private owner gives you access to the best rates available at WorldQuest Resort, in fact we will guarantee to beat any other written quotation by at least $50 per night. We do not charge any additional resort fees. All our rates are pre-paid, so no surprises. Our guests DO NOT have access to the resort pool and clubhouse amenities and therefore we pass the saving on to our guests.
So if you require a luxury 1,250 square foot condo, equipped to a very high standard as a base to explore all that the area has to offer (and let's face it there just isn't time to use a pool when you're just 1 mile from Disney) then our condominiums are right for you.
Our condominiums have fantastic views over the pool and pond as well as the surrounding natural woodland.
These condominiums have been designed for self catering, with luxurious fixtures and fittings and comfortable furniture, cable TV, FREE local telephone calls, FREE WiFi internet access, FREE crib and highchair and FREE parking. For your piece of mind there is even a safe fitted in the condo to store your valuables.
The kitchen is fully equipped with all you need to self cater. We provide an ample supply of towels and linens. Every unit has a comfortable Living room, fully fitted Kitchen and Dining area. The large screened balcony has a table and chairs, allowing you to relax whilst you take in the beautiful views over the pool and pond area. Our two bed spacious condominiums boast a large King bedroom en-suite and a Twin bedroom plus a separate second bathroom.
Our condominium feature;
* Luxurious Furnishings
* Granite Counter Tops
* Tiled Floors to Living Areas
* Private Screened Balconies
* Spacious Master Bath with walk-in Shower, His and Hers Sinks and Jetted Tub
* High Ceilings
* Air Conditioning
* Fully Equipped Kitchen
* Washing Machine and Dryer
* FREE WiFi Internet and Local Telephone Calls
* Cable TV in each Bedroom and Lounge
* Security Safe
Location is all important for any vacation and our private condos at WorldQuest Resort have it all. Located on its own private secluded road, just one mile from Disney, but within easy reach of shops, restaurants, conference venues, golf courses, outlet shopping centers and much much more.
Keywords: Condominium, WiFi, Disney
- Suitability:
- Long-term Renters Welcome
- Minimum Age Limit for Renters
- children welcome
- non smoking only
- pets not allowed
- wheelchair accessible
About Jeremy
We are private owners.
Jeremy purchased this condo in 2006
Why Jeremy chose Lake Buena Vista
We chose this resort for our vacation rental for three reasons; Location, Location, Location, as well as the other three - Disney, SeaWorld, Universal.
What makes this condo unique
Best rates in the area for luxury condo 1 mile to Disney, made possible due to the rental being condo only i.e. no amenity access (pool and gym).
Guestbook comments from the manager
This is an excellent accommodation for the money. Next door to Disney, 10 minutes from Sea World and Universal. None of the timeshare hassle of other resorts. Best of both worlds: quiet, yet close to everything.


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It's a home owners worst nightmare, a house fire. Now those fires are burning hotter and faster than ever putting your life and the lives of your family in jeopardy. Luckily, firefighters are prepared to answer the call.
Imagine waking up to flames shooting over your head. It's a scary thought, but an all to real possibility. Even scarier is the fact that it can take a small fire a mere matter of minutes to fill a room.
"I don't think people realize, they think that they can wake up from the fire or they'll hear the smoke detector and they'll have time to gather their belongings and get out," Wausau Fire Department Battalion Chief Paul Czarapata told NewsChannel 7.
House fires are burning even faster and hotter than they did in the past. That's because of the material homes, furniture and even our clothing is made from.
"Furniture used to be made of cotton, wood... now everything is made of petrolium products," Czarapata explained. "So you look at a couch and there is several gallons of gasoline in solid form in your couch. That starts on fire, in thirty to forty seconds you'll have a fire that's so overwhelming you can't get out."
In order to help firefighters respond to the changing nature of the fires they're fighting, firefighters across central Wisconsin are learning new techniques during training burns to better fight fires.
Another goal of the live fire training is for firefighters to determine how the fire started, an important skill especially in arson cases. A crime Czarapata says is getting more and more difficult to decipher.
"What ends up happening is that arsonists try and find other techniques to beat that and so we're always trying to stay on top of that."
During training, firefighters recreate past arson cases. After the fire is extinguished, crews study how the fire looked and behaved and the evidence it left behind,
Czarapata described the process his team goes through every time they investigate a fire.
"We'll look for flammable liquids. We'll see burn patterns in the floor so they can take samples and have that tested after the fact."
Now firefighters in our area are prepared, prepared to protect you and your family if the unthinkable happens.
"We'll be better at arson investigation. We'll be better at putting fire out," Czarapata said.
So the next time you have five minutes, think about the difference that short amount of time can make in the case of a fire.
Czarapata's advice, "Get out. Stay out and get us contacted so we can get here and put the fire out for you."
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text:
By Shaun Humphries
Top 100 Teachers
This story is for you if...
• You struggle with long bunker shots.
• You'd like a go-to shot from the sand.
• You sometimes skull the ball out of the bunker.
The Situation
You're stuck in a bunker, about 50 feet from the hole. This is a tough shot even for Tour players.
The Solution
Instead of hitting a long bunker blast (one of the toughest shots you can try), chip the ball out of the bunker. A chip is easier to hit and easier to control once it hits the green, and you don't have to worry about making a big swing and taking the right amount of sand.


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Repo Car Auctions Pasadena TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Auto Parts,Auto Repair,Clutch Repair,Speedometer Repair,SUV Repair,Used Car Dealers,Auto Dealers
Pasadena, TX
Pasadena, TX
Houston, TX
La Porte, TX
Clutch Repair,Auto Dealers
Pasadena, TX
Pasadena, TX
Pasadena, TX
Repo Car Auctions
What is a repossessed (repo) car?
When a car owner fails to make on-time loan or lease payments, the bank or finance company will repossess the vehicle — take it back. Typically, the buyer will be given a chance to catch up on payments or be made a payoff offer to recover the vehicle. If the buyer does not or can not get the vehicle back, the bank or lending institution takes it over and will sell it to recover some or all of the loan balance.
Repossessed cars are not the same as seized cars, impound cars, or unclaimed cars typically sold by police or government agencies. Repossessed cars belong to banks, credit unions, and finance companies.
Some smaller banks or credit unions may display repo cars in their own parking lots, with "for sale" signs in the window. These cars can be easily spotted when driving by the bank.
Most banks and finance companies hand over repo cars to a professional auction company. When the auction company sells the car, the bank gets the money, less a commission. Auctions can be public, private, or dealer-only auctions. Repossessed car auctions are sometimes mistakenly called "car forcloseure auctions."
When a bank or loan company sells repossessed cars, it wants to recover enough money to pay off the existing loan balance, plus any expenses for towing and storage and the fees of the professional repo company who picked up the vehicle.
In tough economic times, repossessions become mo...
Click here to read the rest of this article from Lease Guide
The Abominable
Dates: 12/6/2014 – 12/7/2014
MSR Houston Angleton
View Details
1 Performance Dr
Houston Region SCCA
Dates: 11/28/2014 – 12/1/2014
George R. Brown Convention Center Houston
View Details
1001 Avenida de las Americas
Autorama-Houston ranks as one of the premier automobile industry trade shows in the United States. The show is attended by nearly 70000 visitors at each of its editions and serves as an ideal platform for leading professionals in the industry to directly interact with each other and deliberate on the latest happenings in the automotive sector. A large number of eminent companies come to exhibit at the show, displaying different types of vehicles and accessories, including commercial cars, passenger automobiles, garage tools, motor engines and performance systems, repairing services and car lubricants, to the show attendees. Several topical workshops are organized during the show, while the Ridler Award and the Legend Cup being two of the chief highlights of the event. The range of custom cars that are showcased here is extensive and participating companies get ample scope to expand their business networks at the show.


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About the one I'm looking for...
I am looking for a man who can communicate well in conversations that are generally positive rather than negative, who has a sense of humor and who is kind. A man who likes to go hiking as well as just relax at home, reading a book or watching a movie. I like a man who knows how to get a job done, how to fix or build things, sing and/or plays music, who likes to read and who is generally confident and positive about life's experiences. I hope for a man who knows himself, is healthy in body and mind and is still open to growing more aware of the mysteries of life. I'd like to have a friendship first and see if something more develops.
I'd just like to add...
I think I look better in person - I am not very photogenic. I am a nurturing, supportive person. I love children generally and especially my threegrandsons, 8 years. 3 years and 14 months. I like all kinds of music from classical to earth music (except Rap) and my favorite movies from all time are the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I like the Harry Potter movies, too and Star Wars. I am basically, a nice person, looking for a nice man to experience life with, especially in these times of great changes and upheavals. I love animals, especially dogs, but cats are ok, too. I love hiking/camping out in nature, although I usually don't like to go by myself. I used to grow a vegetable garden and I can cook when I want to do it. I like going on car trips and I think I would like to travel to foreign countries for the adventure of it.
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Residents launch fight against 'planned chaos' of Greenwich Ikea
Recognise the green space above? It's the little eco-garden behind Sainsbury's in Greenwich, which is due for demolition along with the supermarket if Ikea's plans to build a store here go ahead.
It's also going to be where the No Ikea Greenwich Peninsula campaign will be launching with a picnic a week on Saturday (12 noon, 26 April), to fight against the arrival of a store which it's feared will generate huge weekend traffic jams.
Greenwich Council gave the scheme outline planning permission last month, with planning board members Denise Hyland, Steve Offord, Clive Mardner, chief whip Ray Walker and council leader Chris Roberts ignoring over an hour of public criticism to endorse the proposal, after it was rushed through the planning process.
Campaigners have already sent a blistering open letter to outgoing leader Roberts, branding the site "clearly unsuitable for a standard Ikea store", adding: "This is not responsible planning; this is planned chaos."
This would be the first Ikea store in a congested residential area and the only Ikea in a Royal Borough. When Greenwich was granted Royal Borough status in 2012, you visited local primary schools to celebrate, handing out commemorative coins. Only two years later, you cave in to the pressure of an out-of-town furniture retail giant, wilfully disregarding the health of its residents and the impact this development would have on both the Unesco heritage site and the Greenwich Millennium Village.
We will not rest in our efforts to make the public aware of your actions and to use every means possible to put a stop to this outline planning consent going ahead.
The campaign has Facebook page while a a petition to Boris Johnson, who has to ratify Greenwich Council's controversial decision to give the store outline planning consent, has also been set up.
Roberts announced his intention to not seek re-election as a councillor last Friday, and the council has now gone into purdah ahead of 22 May's election – essentially, the council must avoid controversial issues and leave those to the political parties fighting he election.
But there's clearly a rush to get something through planning ahead of Roberts' departure – a previously-unscheduled planning board meeting has been called for 6 May, just 16 days before the poll.
In 2010, the last planning board meeting was six weeks before the poll, and the gap was five weeks in 2006. With future council policy somewhat uncertain following Roberts' departure, and a whole load of big schemes being rubber-stamped over recent weeks, it'll be interesting to see just what's being rushed through on 6 May.
8.45am update: Boris Johnson's office has told the protesters he will not intervene to overturn Greenwich Council's decision to support the planned Ikea store.
22 Responses
No, Lakeside is near enough thanks. However, Greenwich Council seem ever so proud of their 'Royal' status, so the idea that it's cheapening it might sway one or two brain cells in the Council chamber. Fight with whatever might work, I guess
Exactly. There's a serious point here about Greenwich Council and the Mayor of London approving a scheme that will encourage tens of thousands of additional cars to the area, when they're supposed to be committed to reducing traffic and pollution.
Of course there's a serious point, so why on earth detract from it by focussing on the fact it's the only Ikea in a Royal Borough? So what? Who cares? Enough already with the Royal Borough nonsense.
Greenwich Council and the Mayor clearly don't give two hoots about increases in traffic, after all this isn't the only scheme they are backing that will bring traffic misery to the area and beyond.
Boris as usual is not interested if it's not making him or his mates money. He's quite happy to call in schemes when he wants to, e.g. when he wants more luxury flats that'll go on sale in Hong Kong or Dubai and that no one round here can afford. He's just not interested in this one because it's only a bunch of ordinary (presumably) people asking him for help with trivial things like air pollution, congestion and a small park. And what happened to the Mayor's Pocket Park thing – no point saying "we created 10 pocket parks" if you destroy 10 existing ones. At least a condition of this plan could be that they rebuild the park nearby. I was there on Sunday and it looked really nice with some beautiful trees and a hedgerow, a real pity to destroy it.
It doesn't matter anyway as customers won't be able to park there during the week because commuters from Kent use the car park for free, jump on a bus and get on the tube leaving their cars in the Royal Borough.
I'm amazed no-one (apart from the commuters) have sussed this.
You don't ease congestion by restricting trade and targeting businesses, but improving infrastructure. There is congestion because there are too many people – and that includes all you "locals". You want to live in one of the biggest cities in the world but want a village atmosphere. Time to get real or move.
IKEA are well aware of the issue regarding all day parking commuter parking as this was raised during the consultation. They will put controls on the car park to prevent this once the store opens. What happens to all the cars that park there for free at the moment – they'll clog up all the surrounding streets without parking controls – mostly Charlton – where that can get on a bus to North Greenwich.
Good points from Clogsilk and Chris. As a "member" of the R'BoG i am in theory looking forward to Ikea being next door, though that said i never go through Purley Way for reasons obvious to anyone who has ever tried to driver through there when its busy. Ikea, yes, bridging the gap (sic), yes.
highest children's asthma rates in the country along Greenwich bottom road to Woolwich. How's that for an argument point
The commuters won't park in Charlton because of the CPZs. The Kent folk disappeared after they were introduced, but they have gradually realised they can park at Sainsbury's/the Odeon, walk 20 yards and get on a bus to N Greenwich.
They don't seem to have the appetite for longer walks/bus journeys.
The car park is also becoming a lorry and coach rest point. Soon the 'ancilliary services' folks will be popping up there…..just imagine!
Chris – not all of Charlton is in a resident permit-controlled CPZ. Our bit of Charlton – the Wyndcliffe Triangle – is free parking. We're the nearest area of free parking for Westcombe Park station via the foot tunnel, and our streets had some commuter parking before Sainsbury's became a 'park and ride' for North Greenwich. We also get matchday parking here as well. I fully expect to see the commuters return once IKEA take over the site and intend to petition the Council to take this into account when IKEA submit their detailed planning application.
"You want to live in one of the biggest cities in the world but want a village atmosphere. Time to get real or move." Would love to be able to move, Sven, but can't afford to, so until then let's try and make life liveable around here including the basic right of reasonably clean air and being able to move around. I know what you mean, but just because it's a big city doesn't mean there can't be quality of life too.
I appreciate that the level of pollution is something awful and has a very serious impact on health. I feel sorry for the residents affected.
But the peninsula is going to continue to become more built up with new apartment blocks, hotel, commercial units and this will definitely increase traffic anyway. The IKEA is perhaps the cherry on a very unhealthy cake for the residents.
The fact remains that the pollution as is needs to be addressed and removing IKEA won't remove it. Perhaps allowing IKEA in might provide a fillip to get approach roads redesigned etc (naive in the extreme maybe).
Yes naïve in the extreme !
Any Great Crested Newts in the pond? – maybe a rare bat or two somewhere else…
Air quality – well Europe plans to fine the UK £300M, I guess you would have to model the traffic pretty well to prove its going to get worse with the arrival of Ikea.
Note: Woolwich fly-over already over the legal limit
If Ikea invested in a road restructuring (there is a lot that can be done in that area) and agreed to close the store if their sales caused a back up on the A102 (which it shouldnt be worried about if their traffic prediction is correct), I am sure it would have more support
An IKEA would not be suitable anywhere within the boundaries of Greater London – especially around Lewisham, Greenwich and Bexley boroughs which are so densly populated (bringing traffic problems and air pollution by itself) that building an IKEA will make travel around these areas practically impossible.
Collo- yes. I'm very concerned by the extraordinary proliferation of high rise apartment developments going up everywhere. Not only will this increase the air pollution but there's no infrastructure to support so many new residents (and their cars) in terms of hospitals, schools and roads.
As for the Swedish meatballs and fake wood palace, I fear it's inevitable. As Lakeside is so unpleasant, I can see it being extremely busy, with all that that entails.
at last some sense! Thank you Federica Bargeghini. Other comments in reply to Darryl have be idiotic. Making a stand against further air pollution in Greenwich (& Lewisham & Bexley) is not a naive idea! just sensible and intelligent. The air quality along the river level in Greenwich is of the worse in the UK and has the highest incidents of childhood asthma in the UK. I must assume those with the most naive replies either don't have children; don't care that their children's lungs and airways are being damaged, or they will use oxygen tanks when travelling to and shopping in IKEA


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IT Budget
House Republicans and Senate Democrats remain $92 billion apart on their overall 2014 budget plans, but their priorities align on IT spending at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Homeland Security, according to an analysis by Bloomberg Government presented in an Aug. 8 webinar.
BGov's look at the appropriations bills passed in the House and reported out of committee in the Senate found that for most IT programs at DHS, very little separates Republican and Democratic appropriators. Whether its infrastructure protection and cybersecurity for the National Protection and Programs Directorate, inspection and detection technology for Customs and Border Protection, or headquarters-managed IT investment at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the chambers differ by only a few million dollars on line items totaling several hundred million.
There is even more harmony between the House and the Senate over the VA budget, where only $10 million separates the legislative bodies over a proposed IT appropriation of about $3.7 billion.
Looking across the entire government, relatively few IT programs have undergone drastic changes in development, modernization, and enhancement spending from 2012 to 2014. This underscores the point that IT expenditures aren't contributing to the divide between the political parties over spending. It also jibes with a medium-term forecast released by Deltek that charts a slow decline in IT spending through 2018, falling from $112 billion in fiscal 2013 to $102 billion in fiscal 2018.
"Much of the decline will be due to a concerted effort to eliminate waste and increase efficiency," Deltek principal analyst Alex Rossino said "But there will be continued growth in areas that are focused on maximizing the efficiency of current systems, such as cloud computing and consolidation-related initiatives."
Classified IT spending is also on the rise. BGov is projecting a $1 billion increase over fiscal 2012, a rise of 20 percent.
"Not many things are increasing at that rate in this tough budget environment," said Allan Holmes, Bloomberg's director of technology. He predicts the fallout from the disclosures of highly classified surveillance programs by National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden will be a spur to increase spending on countermeasures to guard against future leaks.
The forecast for IT spending has no implications for the federal budget writ large, the analysts said. At best, fiscal 2014 will close with a 30-day continuing resolution. At worst, a government shutdown is in the offing. That means vendors should look to get money on contracts in the fourth quarter, and expect delays on future requests for proposals and awards.
Despite spending caps and expectations of a continuing climate of restraint, BGov's analysts haven't yet observed an industry pull back from government contracting, or an uptick in mergers and acquisitions among government contractors, although they are starting to observe some purchases being made in the cybersecurity sector.
About the Author
Adam Mazmanian is a staff writer covering Congress, the FCC and other key agencies. Connect with him on Twitter: @thisismaz.
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Dr. William Smith and Dr. Joseph Arcadipane along with their staff have been committed to providing excellent dental care in a comfortable, clean, and friendly environment for patients, family, and friends since 1976. With an office in Eynon and one in Scranton, we can accommodate new and existing patients with the utmost comfort and care.
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Race to place your toilet plunger handle into the roll of toilet paper with no hands!
Here are some crazy questions and funny answers to go with them. They get chosen randomly.
Players guess rhyming words using clever visual clues. Whoever guesses the most correctly wins.
A fast paced game of verbal name calling. Keep going till one person makes a mistake.
Teams race to stick livesavors on the face of a team mate!
Pass under the limbo stick without touching it!
Pass a lifesaver along your team with only a toothpick in your mouth!
Make the person in the middle laugh by only saying the catch phrase
Throw and catch water balloons over a volley ball net using a big sheet or blanket.
A group game where a murderer kills other players with a wink or blink.
(81 to 90 out of 132)


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We spent a stressful morning at Norris and Keck Hospital. Selby's office put our pre-op tests into the computer, and we were supposed to complete the tests at either Norris or Keck. We chose Norris, but soon found out that there were no tests in the computer. A call to Selby's office revealed that they know of "occasional" glitches where the Norris and Keck computers don't exchange information.
So, we went to Keck. They had the tests in their computer, but no "account" had been set up. The admitting office set up an account, but accidentally made it a one-day account for Feb 25. The error was overlooked by radiology, and Barbara had her chest X-ray. Next, at the cardiology department, they didn't like the account. One of their techs ran down to admitting and obtained a new account, and brought back the new account stickers. He gave us the unused stickers for the blood-draw lab. Unfortunately, we didn't apply one of the new stickers to Barbara's wrist band, and they noticed that the new sticker on the order form didn't match the wristband! After much "hand wringing", they went ahead with the blood test. This completes the pre-op stuff, but Barbara paid dearly in added stress.
The afternoon went much better. We met with Dr. Chang, the pulmonologist. She reviewed the scans and compared them with past scans. Most of the lung imperfections appear reduced, and the rest look calcified, which means that they will be there forever. She said that there is no reason for Barbara to take the lung meds anymore, or to schedule any more appointments. Barbara should only see her again if symptoms appear, like sputum or pneumonia symptoms.
The next two weeks look quiet, with no appointments scheduled. Then it's time for surgery!
Surgery is scheduled later this week. We are making final preparations. The hospital bed has been borrowed from Convalescent Aid Society. They also supplied a bedside commode, and a transfer bench to help Barbara get into the shower. Barbara bought an over-the-bed table on line, and I assembled it yesterday. We each have our worries: Barbara is most worried about the IV line that they will no doubt place into her neck. I worry about caring for her after she comes home. We both worry about the risks of the surgery itself, and whether we will have the same problems getting her adequate pain care. Luckily, we have Norris Pain Management on our sides, and I won't hesitate to call Pamela and Dr. Ryan to insure proper care.
I will attempt to post timely updates here as Barbara comes out of surgery and recuperates in the ICU and the surgical unit of the hospital.
Meanwhile, life goes on. Michelle is coming over with Kanan and our great granddaughter, Eva. She is Lexi's daughter (Lexi is Sandi's daughter). We've only seen Eva once, at a restaurant, and we hope that she feels comfortable with us. I'm sure that she will find the trampoline a fun experience, walking on the spongy surface.
Barbara is out of surgery. She is expected to be in recovery for 2 hours, and then we can see her in the ICU.
Dr. Selby explained that the surgery was much harder than he expected. Barbara's liver had grown since the last surgery, and it expanded into the area where the new tumor lies. The expanding liver dragged blood vessels along with it, and these vessels were dangerously near the tumor. Selby called in a radiologist to help map the mislocated vessels, and then he used a microscope to avoid damaging the arteries or veins. He had to advance very slowly and carefully, and the procedure lasted 4 1/2 hours. He also found that her colon had been pushed out of place by the liver, and part of the colon was up near her diaphragm. This is probably why she has had pain shortly after eating. Selby moved the colon back where it belongs. Ultrasound confirmed that there are no additional tumors.
Pain management is already actively involved. They plan to install an epidural catheter for pain medicine, but they must wait until tomorrow morning since Barbara didn't stop her Xarelto blood thinner until Tuesday evening. If we had known, she could have stopped it a day earlier. So, for the rest of today, the pain meds will be limited to the IV drip, which will keep Barbara drowsy. The epidural lets Barbara remain alert.
Looking forward to seeing her in a couple of hours.
Barbara says, "Tell them that I'm dancing in the streets."
She is indeed doing much better. When I first saw her after surgery (at 3 pm) she was in a lot of pain and the pain meds were making her confused. It was difficult to give her enough pain meds without increasing the disorientation. They increased the meds, at which point she fell asleep. Boyd, Yvonne, and I left at 6 pm, figuring that she would be asleep for the night.
It was not meant to be. I was awakened at midnight by a phone call from the nurse saying that Barbara wanted me and wanted her glasses. So, I came back to the hospital. Barbara was in better shape, with the pain under control. She was still pretty confused. Good things started happening quickly. They removed her IV line in her neck and the arterial line in her right hand. Then they took out the gastric tube which ran into her nose and down to her stomach. Next went the oxygen cannula. She felt much better with all of these tubes gone. Now she has only an IV in her left arm, the Foley catheter for urination, and a JP drain sucking fluid from the incision site.
The whole pain issue was solved this morning when they installed an epidural catheter, which infuses the pain medicine directly into the spinal column. This gives pain relief without dulling the brain.
At 3 pm, they moved her out of the ICU into a regular room. Finally, she is away from the infernal beeping machines.
At 4 pm we were visited by Dr Sher, one of Selby's associates. She said that Barbara is improving very quickly. She was impressed that Barbara was already out of ICU. Barbara commented that she had walked 5 miles on Tuesday before the surgery, and Dr Sher said, "Well, that explains your rapid improvement."
A few minutes later, Dr Lee came by. He had assisted in the surgery. He too is very pleased with Barbara's progress. He will come again tomorrow morning.
Michelle and Sherri have been doing yeoman duty. Michelle has been here frequently, allowing me to grab a little sleep. And Sherri has been at the house preparing easy food like smoothies for Barbara to enjoy after coming home.
Barbara is making dramatic improvement. Although she had some pain in her right shoulder this morning, it subsided. She has not complained about the pain since then. The epidural is great - she is no longer confused, and seems her normal self.
She insisted on walking, and I took her down the hallway and back. By the end of the day, she was doing laps around the floor. At one point, she passed gas. That is a big deal, because it now allows her to switch from a clear liquid diet to soft foods. She's been eagerly awaiting this change, since her last meal was Wednesday breakfast. She had a chicken sandwich for lunch. She is looking forward to her morning coffee (with cream).
Meanwhile, Michelle came by this afternoon. I went home to rest. The rain was coming down hard - five inches in the last two days. After two hours, I got up to return to the hospital. I noticed that the furnace was not operating. Looking into the basement I found two inches of water. Just great! So, I spent the next two hours pumping out the water and drying the floor. Miraculously, when I turned the power back on, the furnace operated properly - what a blessing!
Returning to the hospital, the room was empty. Barbara was out alone doing laps around the floor. They told her that it is 16 laps to the mile. I wonder how many miles she will log before they kick her out of here.
Barbara suffered a setback. At 11:45 pm last night her heart went into atrial fibrillation. After an XRAY and EKG, they started a big dose of Amiodarone, a standard antiarrhythmic drug. She had taken the drug once before when she experienced atrial fibrillation after her VATS surgery in 2010. But this time she had an allergic reaction. After administering only 35 mg of the planned 150 mg, she went into the shakes, much like the allergic reaction to the contrast dye used during cat scans. They cut off the Amiodarone, and gave her Benadryl to tame the allergic reaction. With the afib, her heart rate was very fast, up to the 170's. Next they gave her Cardizem, to lower the heart rate. I know from my afib experiences that if the rhythm can't be restored, they focus on lowering the heart rate.
She was moved from the surgical floor to the "step down" unit, where the care is more than a regular floor but less than the ICU. After two hours she began to return to normal, and the shakes stopped. But the atrial fibrillation is still present. After the VATS procedure, she was in afib for about 36 hours, and that was with the Amiodarone. So, we'll see what happens. They won't let her walk until the heart rate becomes more stable - it's fluctuating between 70 and 120 now. She's understandably disappointed at this development.
Barbara made steady improvement yesterday (Sunday). She took a walk and was feeling better until, at shift change time, the new nurse asked her to sit up. She pressed with her arm against the bed, and pulled at her surgery. The pain came on very strong. She asked for a bolus of the pain med, but the nurse had trouble finding the doctor's orders in the computer. The delay made Barbara's pain ever more intense. Finally, the orders were found and the extra med was infused into the epidermal catheter. After 15 minutes, Barbara was better. A little more training on the computer would help.
Sunday night we had a good night's sleep - good for a hospital - perhaps three hours of solid sleep. Today, Barbara had her epidural catheter removed. It needed to be taken out before she could have the urinary catheter removed. Also, she cannot start the blood thinner for her fibrillation until the epidural is out. With the epidural out, the regular pain meds need to be increased rapidly. The nurses weren't fast enough, and Barbara went into pain again. This time it took an hour before she began to feel relief.
In the afternoon, Sherri stayed with Barbara. Christina Gardner came by for a visit; her husband was Barbara's chemo buddy for several years. Then we had a special visit by Dr. Sher, one of Selby's fellow surgeons. She is delightfully entertaining, and we thoroughly enjoyed chatting with her for almost an hour. We originally met her after Barbara's 2006 surgery, but we never knew that she was so fun.
After another long walk, Barbara happily climbed into bed. She is watching TV, and dozing off.
This morning at 5am Barbara had to urinate. I was asleep, and she had the nurse help her. She had sweat during the night and her gown was wet. The nurse took the gown off, and then spent 15 minutes fussing around trying to figure out how to put the new gown on. Meanwhile, standing in the nude and damp, Barbara was getting thoroughly chilled. Back in bed she couldn't come out of the chill. She asked for a warm blanket, but they have no warm blankets on this floor. Eventually, the charge nurse arrived - he went to another floor and obtained a warm blanket. Finally she started to warm up.
Later in the morning a tech arrived to take an echo cardiogram. A cardiologist is on board to make a decision about the atrial fibrillation. They want to rule out any more serious cardiac problems. The echo cardiogram took over an hour, and it included pressing the probe on the surgical area, causing lots of pain. Luckily, Barbara has a pain pump, and was able to give herself doses of the pain medicine. Again, it took a while for the pain to subside.
The doctors are talking about letting Barbara go home tomorrow. The issues are the fibrillation and the pain medicine. The fibrillation is now under control to keep the rate down, and hopefully the heart will return to normal rhythm by itself. For the pain medicine, she must be off of all IVs, and transitioned to oral meds which she can continue at home. This evening, they removed the pain pump and started the long acting pain medicine. I hope that we don't go through pain battles as she switches to the oral meds.
De Selby came by and chatted for most of an hour. He is delightful. He gave more details about the surgery, and then he and Barbara chatted about children, bike riding, and anything else that came up. Leave it to Barbara to find the personal side of the doctor.
Barbara is home! They released her this afternoon after giving her one last dose of pain med. Upon arriving, she had a Moussaka dinner prepared by Sherri. What a joy to have good food again. We have a hospital bed, and Barbara is resting comfortable. We see Dr. Heger, our cardiologist, tomorrow morning to talk about the atrial fibrillation, which is still happening. We're about to launch into slumber land - minus the beeps from machines, the noise in the halls, and the incessant interruptions "to get vital signs."
Yesterday we saw Dr. Heger, our cardiologist. He is not overly concerned about Barbara's atrial fibrillation. He increased the dose of Xarelto to make sure that she doesn't form blood clots in the heart - clots are the primary danger from afib since they can travel to the brain and cause a stroke. His primary thrust is to control the heart rate, and he chose to switch her from a beta blocker to a calcium channel blocker. In a few weeks, if she is still fibrillating, he will consider cardioversion, the well known electrical shock to the chest. If it fails, then we will just accept the fibrillation, and keep her on the blood thinner. People lead normal lives with continuous fibrillation.
Michelle came over, letting me get a nice rest. She brought lots of food from Sharky's, and we are enjoying it - Barbara had some tortilla soup for a late morning snack. Michelle helped bathe Barbara. It was a delight after a week with only two bed baths in the hospital.
Barbara talked at length with Pamela in Pain Management. We now have a clear plan on the pain meds. Everything was confused in the discharge instructions from the hospital.
Our neighbor, Cara, has been extremely nice. Her child, Spencer (about 5), created a card with a rainbow drawing and his name in block letters. Cara is constantly passing gift packages over the fence. There is a wonderful bond between Cara and Barbara.
Barbara is curled up with her stuffed dog, a gift from Christina Gardner. The dog was a favorite of Christina's husband Bob; he had outfitted it with a specially made sweater saying "Cancer Sucks".
Barbara is doing well. She is able to get around the ground floor of our home - we're holding off on trying to get upstairs.
Michelle has been wonderful. She came by yesterday with food for both of us. Then today she did some grocery shopping and again brought us specialty sandwiches. She helped Barbara bathe yesterday, and they went on a walk today up to the corner.
Barbara's heart has been racing. We called the cardiologist, and he changed the cardiac meds, switching her back to the Lopressor instead of the Cardizem, which didn't seem to be doing the job.
We're getting back to normal. We played Sudoku both days, and she beat me both times - "and I wouldn't have it any other way!"
Barbara's heart rate is still too high some of the time. The Lopressor controls it for about 12 hours, and then the rate goes high. We called the cardiologist, and as we expected, he said to take the med twice a day. Hopefully, that will keep it under control. I find it surprising that she hasn't returned to regular sinus rhythm. It's different from my afib, which stops after several hours.
We took a walk to the corner - much farther than her last walk. She was in great spirits, noticing the colors in the trees contrasting with the sky. We have a nice walker with a seat, and she can stop and rest whenever she gets tired. The cardiologist thinks that her tiredness is either from the meds or from the rapid heart rate.
Michelle and Brent brought dinner last night, and we all ate together. Kanan and his friend Matthew were also here. It was a nice, relaxing family time together. Michelle has really come through in this time of need.
Barbara just walked around the block. Yesterday, she was able to climb upstairs to use her computer. So she is getting stronger.
The atrial fibrillation stopped Monday evening. She is now tapering off the cardiac drugs.
Sherri came by yesterday, and brought us dinner from one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, La Caba�ita. Barbara is in good spirits.
We saw Dr Sher today. She is another liver surgeon on Dr Selby's team. She was concerned about the pain in the incision area, and tentatively diagnosed it as rib pain from the retractors used during the surgery. But, to be safe, she sent Barbara for an ultrasound and determined that there was no problem like fluid buildup. It was a long day, waiting an hour for blood draw, 30 minutes for Dr. Sher, and 2 hours for the ultrasound. But we're relieved that Dr Sher was thorough.
We saw Dr. Heger, our cardiologist. Barbara had converted to normal sinus rhythm last week, but he did an in-depth analysis of the condition. He reviewed the echo cardiogram which was taken at the hospital. He said that both atria (upper chambers of the heart) are enlarged; the right atrium can be explained by the many months that Barbara had a Groschong catheter. But the left atrium is probably caused by back pressure in the blood flow. This may also leave her predisposed to atrial fibrillation. Since she has only had two episodes of afib, and both episodes were directly after major surgery, he felt that it is best to "watch and wait", rather than take an aggressive tack with antiarrhythmic drugs. I read to him his statement from 2010. "Let's let the Celestial Design Committee do their job."
Barbara is rapidly getting back to normal. She had been on the treadmill several times. She still has pain in her right abdomen. It could be from the surgery, when they used a retractor to pull her ribs out of the way. Or it could be adhesions forming already. Barbara had done a lot of research on adhesions, and she found that they form right away after almost all surgeries.
Today, Barbara is baking a lemon pound cake (from scratch, naturally) to take to Dr. Selby and his team tomorrow.
We've had a flurry of doctor appointments: Dr. Selby (surgeon), Dr. Liebmen (hematologist), Pain Management, and Dr Lenz. Everything is progressing normally, and the doctors are surprised at how fast Barbara is recovering. Her surgery looks like it was a long time ago (a good sign). Dr. Lenz discussed the possibility of chemo - he thinks that we should wait until we get the first PET scan next month. He also mentioned radiation, but that is best when all of the sites of tumors are next each other. Barbara's tumors were on both sides of the abdomen. Radiation also causes adhesions, and Barbara has had plenty of trouble with adhesions in the past.
We attended the 40th running of the JPL Arroyo Seco Freako, a wacky running race put on by the JPL running club. Being the 40th anniversary, all of the "old timers" were invited. It was fun seeing some of our running buddies from long ago. Barbara walked the 5K with Ed Rinderle, who was the president of the running club years ago. He and his wife helped keep Barbara from getting lost, and aided her through a stream crossing. Wonderful people.
We watched Kanan participate in a track meet. He ran the 800 yard run, the one-mile, and the 4-man relay. I've posted photos and movies here Beware: the movies are huge (12 MB to 27 MB).
Michelle's friends, Preetha and Sunil, brought Barbara a multi-course Indian dinner. Preetha is a gourmet cook, and she uses only the best ingredients, and she modified her recipes to make sure that the dishes weren't too spicy for Barbara. Barbara first heard of the couple a few years ago when their son died of cancer. Barbara sent them a Compassion book, especially written to help parents through the grief of losing a child. They wanted to do something caring for Barbara when they heard that she had yet another surgery. They are sensitive, caring people. Michelle has some very nice friends.
The last month has been a blur. Barbara has seen Dr. Sher (the surgeon), Dr. Liebman (hematologist), and Taline - Lenz is out of town. Taline reported that Barbara's newest PET scan looks good. The CA19-9 level is 39.4, which is almost down to the normal range. Taline was ready to pronounce Barbara cured, but Barbara is more cautious, especially given the frequent pain in her abdomen. The pain comes on suddenly and is sharp, like a bee sting, but incapacitating. Barbara has had to resume taking some pain meds that she was hoping to discontinue.
We celebrated my birthday and my brother's birthday at the Castaways Restaurant in Burbank. It sits on a hill where there is a commanding view of the entire LA basin. It was fun being with Boyd and Yvonne, and her daughter Robin, who was visiting from London.
We celebrated again with Michelle, Brent, Kanan, and Jessie in our back yard. Warm weather meant that swimming was in order, but I misjudged the heat and warmed the pool a little too much. It was more like a bathtub. Kanan grabbed a garden hose and he and his friend, Matthew, squirted each other with the cold water while basking in the pool. Barbara baked my favorite: chocolate cheesecake - scrumptious.
We combined Jessie's birthday with Mothers' Day last weekend. Another pool party, another enjoyable family get-together! Brent gave us a surprise by bring his 1954 truck, which he has personally restored by hand. It's a real beauty!
I've posted photos of these events here
We spent a wonderful weekend at the Great Western Bicycle Rally in Paso Robles. We camped in our motorhome on the county fairgrounds, and we were joined by Michelle, Brent, and Kanan in their motorhome. We enjoyed several rides, including Kanan's favorite: a trail ride through the woods surrounding the Salinas River. Kanan entered the Track Stand competition, which challenges each entrant to balance on their bike without putting a foot down or progressing out of a small box. Kanan had stiff competition in the form of an adult bike racer, who had his track bike. A track bike has no "coasting" feature - if you pedal backwards, the bike goes in reverse. Than makes it much easier to do a track stand, because you can back up to maintain your balance. Guess what! Kanan won! He beat the seasoned pro by a few seconds. At the "one minute mark" the riders were required to remove one hand from the handlebar, and the adult lost balance at that time. Kanan had only learned to do a track stand the day before, and he didn't learn about the "one hand" part several minutes before the competition. But he rose to the occasion. We were all jumping for joy - and so was the crowd that had assembled to cheer for Kanan.
Another surprise was to come at the awards assembly: Michelle, Brent, and Jessie (in absentia) each won raffle prizes, with Michelle winning the grand prize, a brand new bicycle. It was from a local bike shop, and she traded it in on a bike that she had been eyeing (photo here).
Sherri also has a new bike, and the four of us (Sherri, Michelle, Brent, and Booth) made a 30 mile ride on the San Gabriel River Trail. It may have been a little far for Sherri, but she hung in there like a trooper. Here we are pausing for a little rest.
We attended the Norris Festival of Life, a celebration honoring cancer survivors at Norris. It's a big pageant, outside under a tent with a band, speakers, and a magician. The magician picked Barbara and me for a trick, and we were brought up on stage. The trick involved bringing up 7 women from the audience, and repeatedly sorting them and eliminating the end women. Being a computer programmer whose job includes inventing test cases to try to break algorithms, I tried to foul him up. I did succeed in confusing him, but after I explained my move, he agreed that it was legal. Much to my surprise, the remaining woman was indeed Barbara! I was pretty impressed. I spent the next hour trying to figure out how I could have made it go wrong. Here is a photo of Barbara with our friend Juan, security guard at the Norris facility. And here we are with Traveler, the USC Trojan horse mascot and his owner.
Barbara has a new problem. A lymph node in her right neck is very swollen. We saw Taline, and she ordered an ultrasound. The report came back saying that it was suspicious. Dr. Lenz is not alarmed - ha says that metastatic cancer does not migrate up into the neck. Instead it comes down from the head. Nevertheless, he has ordered a biopsy which Barbara will have this week.
Barbara had a biopsy scheduled for the lymph mode in her neck, but as the day neared, the swelling subsided. So, it became a non-problem. We wish that all problems disappeared that easily.
Barbara is feeling well enough to have her hospital bed returned to the Convalescent Aid Society. They loan medical appliances for free. It's a wonderful service to patients in the area.
Barbara saw our cardiologist, Dr Heger. There are a few bumps in her EKG, but nothing to worry about. He and Dr. Liebman (our hematologist) agree that Barbara should remain on Xarelto, a blood thinner. Cancer patients are at risk for blood clots, and Barbara has already had clots.
We spent a delightful several days at Camp Whittle, a YMCA youth camp near Big Bear. Michelle is one of the counselors for the South Pasadena/San Marino YMCA camp, and I offered to bring my telescope and do nightly star viewing. The kids love it, and we love it. The kids have amazing questions, like the nature of black holes, the predicted collision of the Milky Way with the Andromeda galaxy, and where meteorites come from (we saw several). During the day, Barbara helps the camp staff and I take off on my mountain bike (to Butler Peak - fabulous). They feed us and provide a spot for our motorhome. I really enjoy eating with the kids, though you really need earplugs to avoid ear damage with the excited kids raising the decibel level.
This morning, Barbara had cataract surgery on her right eye. The left one will be treated in a couple of weeks. The cataracts (probably from the years of chemo) had started to interfere with her vision, especially at night. She has the eye patched until our follow-up visit tomorrow. I talked with several patients in the waiting room, and they are all happy with their new-found vision after the surgery. I can't wait for the patch to come off. A side benefit is that they measure her eye and instill a lens which is designed to give perfect vision. It's like getting Lasik along with the cataract elimination. She may be able to go without glasses for distant vision.
We have a pain management appointment later this week. Should be a routine visit.
We got some bad news from Dr. Lenz last week. The PET scan shows a tumor in the right lobe of her liver. It is 3.2cm by 2.4cm (a little over an inch). The radiologist looked back and realized that it appeared in a previous PET scan, but it was obscured by a surgical clip and a streak (of radiation) from the clip. So now, what to do. Lenz wants Barbara to first see Dr. Selby and see if he thinks that she is again operable. If not, then Lenz will refer Barbara to a radiation oncologist. There are new radiation treatments which may work on the tumor. Most Cholangiocarcinomas are not treatable by radiation since they are too widespread. But Barbara's tumors are always in the liver and are well localized. The technique is called Stereotatic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT). It is very precise, minimizing damage to surrounding tissues. She would have 3 to 5 sessions.
Another option is to inject chemo directly into the liver, rather than intravenous injection which affects the entire body. The chemo is contained in "ferro spheres", tiny nano particles.
So, we have several appointments coming up. On top of that, Barbara is having cataract surgery on the other eye this week. The first eye turned out great. She is amazed at how good her vision is - but it's a little annoying that the two eyes are so drastically different right now. A few more days, and she should be seeing better than most of us.
We spent a fun three nights at Newport Dunes RV Park. Sherri is a manager there, and Michelle, Brent, and Kanan were parked next to our RV. We were celebrating Michelle's birthday, and we had a fabulous dinner at the "A Restaurant". Barbara took several walks around the park and the lagoon, in spite of having two bad pain episodes. We would have ascribed the pain to surgical scars and adhesions, but now that we know about the tumor, we realize that the pain may come from the tumor.
Meanwhile, Brent and I took a bike ride around the bike trails of Irvine (and got lost). Kanan and I spent some time together at the computer - he has decided to teach himself the Python computer programming language. I've never used Python, but most computer languages are similar, and I was able to help him get several programs running. He is very quick to grasp concepts. He will be taking a computer programming course in 10th grade this year - It's wonderful that it's offered at such an early age.
Barbara had cataract surgery on the other eye, and her vision is great! She got a black eye from this surgery, but it is fading.
We saw Dr. Selby on Friday. He spent considerable time showing us the scans, both recent and from long ago. He feels that this tumor came from microscopic cells left behind by the original surgery (at Kaiser). He stated that there is no reason not to be aggressive with this tumor. His only hesitation is the proximity to vessels. Unfortunately, Barbara's CAT scans and PET scans are done without contrast dye, since Barbara is allergic to the dye. The dye is needed to properly see the vessels. So, Selby is ordering an MRI, which is done with a different dye. If Selby is unable to operate, he suggests cyber knife. Of course, we have heard of other options from Dr. Lenz.
Selby also discussed Barbara's colon, which has been stretched to become abnormally long. This may be the cause of some of the pain that she feels after meals. As we found in the last surgery, the colon had been pushed out of place and wound up attached to the diaphragm. That's probably what lengthened it. Selby might shorten it while he has her opened up.
This week is the MRI, and we meet again with Selby after the results are available.
We met with Dr. Selby, and he decided that Barbara is indeed operable. He showed us the MRI and several PET scans going back to the era when Barbara could still tolerate contrast dye. He indicated where he planned to remove a section of the right lobe of the liver, while maintaining the vessels leading to the remaining liver tissues. He also plans to remove a short section of her colon. The colon is very long, and it wraps up next to the expanding liver. That is probably what is causing some of her pain after eating.
Selby's office will call us this week with the schedule. We expect to have the surgery in two or three weeks.
Barbara is out of surgery. It lasted 6 1/2 hours! Selby reports that he removed three tumors. He sent the sample to pathology, and they reported very slim margins, so he took another slice which was completely free of disease. They used ultrasound and saw no other tumors.
The colon had once again migrated up to the diaphragm. Selby put it back into the correct position, and then tacked it to the abdominal wall, in a procedure called Colopexy. He thinks that it will stay put this time.
The surgery took long since the scar tissue from the earlier surgeries had the liver sticking to the abdominal wall. They needed to be separated in order to access the liver.
Barbara is out of recovery and resting in hr room. Michelle and I saw her, and she looks vastly better than after her last surgery - thanks to the epidural. She is complaining about her inner arms hurting, but the doctors think the pain may be deferred from her rib cage, which was pulled up by retractors during the surgery.
We are all encouraged by her awareness. Things are looking up.
Barbara is recovering quickly. Yesterday she went for two walks around the floor. Today, she was seen by Physical Therapy, and taken for another walk. She feels considerable pain at the end of a walk, but a bolus (extra dose) of pain medicine in her epidural alleviates the pain. Today, however, we had a nurse who "goes by the book"; since pain management had only ordered for a bolus every hour, the nurse insisted on waiting another 15 minutes for the one hour mark, leaving Barbara writhing in pain for the duration. A few minutes later, the pain management doctor came by and was appalled at the nurse's action. She altered the orders to provide an extra bolus after any exercise, if Barbara wanted it.
Barbara's blood pressure has been low. The epidural can cause that, hence the caution about giving extra doses. Early in the morning, they gave Barbara a pint of blood to increase the blood pressure. It helped a little, but the exercise is what brought the blood pressure up into the normal range. As the physical therapist said, "Her body really likes the exercise." Little does he know!
Once the blood pressure is stabilized, they plan to move her from ICU to a regular floor. Then she will get rid of more tubes, which are hindering her movement. She has already lost the nasal tube (to empty the stomach), the arterial IV line in her neck, and one IV in her arm. She still has the epidural catheter, two IV's in her arms, a urinary catheter, a nasal cannula for oxygen, and the EKG leads on her chest. It's a plumbing nightmare to get up and walk.
The bottom line: she is improving ahead of schedule. She's already talking about going home.
Barbara suffered a temporary setback. Wednesday evening Dr. Selby thought that some of her pain may be from stomach cramps, disturbing the surgical site. He ordered Ativan, which is a psychotropic drug that calms the nerves. Barbara went into a stupor. Nobody drew the connection between the drug and her condition because around 9 PM she went into atrial fibrillation. Selby ordered her moved back into the ICU, but confusion reigned and one team thought that the other team was handling the move. Through all of this, Barbara was completely confused and hallucinating. When I came in at 7 am Thursday (yesterday) everybody was running without apparent direction. Finally, someone took charge and she was moved.
She remained "zoned out" most of the day. Thank goodness, a wonderful nurse named Melanie stopped the Ativan, since Barbara was unable to stay awake. Finally, late afternoon, Barbara started coming back to awareness. I later Googled "Ativan" and found that the side effects included sedation, drowsiness, mental confusion, memory impairment, and slurred speech - all of which Barbara was experiencing. Additionally, the effects are worse in older people, and patients who are taking narcotic analgesics.
Meanwhile, they were throwing drugs at her to calm the atrial fibrillation (Cardizem and Sotalol, a beta blocker). The cardiologist actually tried to order Amiodarone, even though that is on the top of her list of allergies. At one time the Sotalol stopped her heart for 8 seconds and it was discontinued. The cardiologist ordered an ultrasound of her legs to see if there were any clots - such clots can break loose and trigger afib.
Fortunately, Barbara came out of afib on her own. The heart medicines were stopped. But the ultrasound did indeed show clots in both of her legs. So, they started a Heparin IV to thin her blood. The clots would probably not have happened if she had been put back on Xarelto (blood thinner) earlier after the surgery.
All of this has delayed her release. Dr. Selby is comfortable with her going home and treating the clots with Lovenox, an injectable fast-acting blood thinner. His only concern is her heart and he is deferring to the cardiologists to address any remaining worries about the afib. I intend to point out to them that in each of her two past afib events, she converted back to regular sinus rhythm on her own, and never returned to afib (until the next surgery).
Meanwhile, being in ICU, it is hard to get them to walk her. Selby issued emphatic orders for her to walk, but she hasn't walked since Wednesday.
Barbara came home Saturday. What a relief! It took them 6 hours to do the paperwork and let her go. That delay resulted in their pharmacy being closed, preventing us from filling the prescription for Lovenox, the blood thinner. With clots in her legs and her lungs, the medicine is urgently needed. I took the prescription to Rite Aid, and they pointed out that it was dated 2013 instead of 2014. With some "class 2" drugs on the same script, they cannot accept any alteration, even from the doctor on the phone. So, I had to drive back to the hospital, find the doctor, and get her to write a new script.
I took the script back to Rite Aid, and when they tried to process it, Anthem Blue Cross rejected it saying that our insurance plan does not allow any Lovenox. To buy it without insurance would cost $4200.00. I came home empty handed. Luckily, we had some Lovenox left over from a year ago, and by adjusting for the different dose we could keep Barbara's blood thinned out until Monday, when Anthem offices are open and I could find out what is happening.
Today (Monday) I called Anthem and they assured me that Lovenox is covered. I went to our local pharmacy, and handed over the prescription. Yet another problem: the doctor's drug number is missing from the prescription. More phone calls, and more tries with the computer and the order finally went through. The pharmacy didn't have the drug, but would get it by this afternoon. Mid-afternoon the pharmacy called - their supplier had sent the wrong dosage. The correct dosage will (presumably) be at the pharmacy tomorrow morning. I'll believe it when I see it.
I tell this story as an example of how so many things went wrong this last week.
Barbara is enjoying being home. Sherri stayed with us and cooked three dishes which will keep us going for several days (moussaka, enchilada casserole, and frittata). She is a Godsend. Barbara walked around the back yard and felt good, but it was too warm and we cut it short.
She has been talking with Dr. Selby. He is concerned about the high volume of drainage coming out of her JP drain (a catheter that drains the internal surgical site. We will check with him tomorrow.
After Barbara's earlier surgeries, things settled down once she came home. In contrast, this time we are still in a cyclone of medical appointments, procedures, and phone calls.
I went back to Keck Hospital and obtained Barbara's medical records. We took these records to our cardiologist, Dr Heger. He studied her atrial fibrillation and the 6 seconds of missing heartbeat, and concluded that no action is necessary unless something new develops. Wouldn't you know it - later that day Barbara experienced an irregular heartbeat. We decided to just watch and wait, and it got better. We suspect that she may be prone to irregular heartbeats, especially when undergoing stress - and we've had plenty of that recently.
Barbara saw Amy, Dr. Selby's nurse practitioner. They are worried about the large amount of drainage being collected by Barbara's JP drain. Amy took a sample of the drainage to send to the lab. Too much bilirubin would be a sign that there is some leakage in the abdomen.
The next morning (Friday), Selby decided that Barbara should have an ultrasound of her abdomen to see if fluid is collecting. Keck was booked, and Selby made arrangements for the ultrasound at Hoag Medical Center in Newport Beach, over an hour's drive from us. Selby is on the staff at Hoag, as well as Keck. We drove to Hoag and had the ultrasound. The radiology doctor came into the procedure room and did additional looking into Barbara's abdomen. He was alarmed due to a pool of fluid. He tried to reach Selby, but was unable. So he decided to admit Barbara to Hoag Hospital. This was totally unexpected. Now she would be kept miles from our home. How would I help her? We decided to refuse, and return home. On the way home we reached Selby. He worried that the fluid might get infected, and sent us to the pharmacy for an antibiotic.
Today we took a timeout from the medical cares. We attended the Relay For Life in Glendale (sponsored by the American Cancer Society). We did the survivor's lap and chatted with several other cancer survivors. Barbara was happy to be able to participate for the sixth or seventh time. Everyone was upbeat.
Barbara started having diarrhea, probably because of the antibiotic. Dr. Selby had her stop the antibiotic, but he is still worried about the fluid puddle in her abdomen. He has ordered an ERCP (Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) procedure later this week. It involves sedating her and sending a probe down her esophagus, through her stomach, and into her duodenum. Then a radiocontrast is squirted up the bile ducts. Fluoroscopy is used to look for leaks or blockages in the ducts.
This is a fairly invasive procedure and we are both concerned. We also questioning the doctor about whether the procedure can be done when Barbara is allergic to contrast dye. We will see what develops.
Barbara had another ultrasound of her abdomen on Thursday. The fluid is still pooling near the surgical site of the liver. The surgeon, Dr. Cheng, inserted a catheter between her ribs and drained 200 cc of fluid. The procedure was not too painful until he drained the fluid. The catheter has a pigtail coil which holds the catheter in place in the sack of fluid. When the fluid is drained, the sack collapses onto the pigtail, and the catheter irritates the tissues. Barbara needed Morphine to lessen the pain. They left the catheter in place to see how much fluid comes out in the next few days. Presumably, if the flow lessens, we might not need the ERCP procedure. Additionally, she will have another ultrasound tomorrow to see if the fluid is indeed gone.
Last Friday, and again today, we saw Dr. Heger. Both times he ran an EKG to look at her irregular heartbeat. She is back in atrial fibrillation. On Friday, her heart rate was around 170 - way too fast. He prescribed two drugs to slow the rate. This morning the rate was down to 120 - better, but still too high. The 170 beat rate would have prevented her from receiving sedation for the ERCP. The 120 rate is more acceptable.
Today is a "red letter day. Barbara had an ultrasound, and the fluid in her abdomen is almost gone. We met with Amy, Selby's nurse practitioner, and she made our three dreams come true: the ERCP procedure is cancelled, the JP drain is coming out, and the pigtail drain is also coming out. Removing the pigtail drain was very painful, as the pigtail part scrapes past the ribs when it is withdrawn. The JP was almost painless.
We are ecstatic. Now Barbara can look forward to improvement unhindered by these torture devices. The only remaining problem is the atrial fibrillation which robs her of energy. One of the heart drugs, Digoxin, has the side effect of ankle swelling, and Barbara's ankles are quite large. We see Dr. Heger next week - perhaps a different medicine will work as well.
We saw Dr. Heger, and he changed Barbara from Cardizem to a form of Lopressor. Unfortunately, her ankle swelling is only slightly reduced. The ankles are still large and uncomfortable. Since she is no longer in atrial fibrillation, maybe we can quit the heart meds entirely.
Barbara had another ultrasound to check for fluid in the abdomen. Unfortunately, she does have fluid accumulating around the liver. So, we have rescheduled the ERCP procedure this week. We were hoping to avoid this invasive procedure, but to no avail. It is done as an outpatient, and takes an hour and a half, followed by an hour of recovery (she is fully sedated). We are apprehensive, but there doesn't seem to be any other course of action.
Barbara had the ERCP procedure on Tuesday. The doctor found that the bile duct did indeed have a stricture near the area where the fluid was accumulating. He instilled a stent, which runs the entire length of the bile duct from the liver down to the bowel. Barbara was completely out for the procedure, and Michelle and I were invited into the recovery room as soon as Barbara woke. She quickly became more alert, and seemed in better spirits than before the procedure. In fact, she started complaining - and she had plenty to complain about. The doctor wanted her admitted so that he can watch for complications, the main one being pancreatitus, since the duct from the pancreas is disturbed during the operation. Although the ERCP was at Norris, she was to be admitted to Keck, since the draining procedure was scheduled for Wednesday morning at Keck. Well, it took hours for then to arrange a room at Keck, and arrange for an ambulance to take her a half mile to Keck. We had arrived at Norris at 8:30 am, and arrived in the room at Keck at 6:30 pm!
Barbara was restricted from taking anything by mouth for 8 hours before the ERCP. Then she was only allowed clear liquids, but with the confusion of the move, she got nothing. We finally begged some Jello, even though Barbara hates Jello. We knew that she would again be unable to ingest anything for 8 hours before the next procedure.
Since everything was getting screwed up, I decided to go to radiology and make sure that they knew that Barbara was admitted (the original plan was for her to be an out-patient). As I expected, they were completely unaware. The procedure went normally. It was a CAT SCAN guided draining of the remaining fluid which had leaked from the bile duct. The staff in the GI lab were outstanding - they took good care of Barbara, and even gave her some Morphine when the pain got bad.
Once the procedure was done, the doctors ordered Barbara discharged from the hospital. But, like everything else, this took a few hours while the nursing staff denied that the orders had been given. We actually had to call the doctor and get him to call in the orders that he had already given. We were very happy to get home and have Barbara relax in her hospital bed. We noticed that the swelling in her ankles is slightly reduced. She is still having to go easy with food. That's not surprising, given that she went without food for two days, and had a scope down her esophagus, through her stomach, and into her duodenum.
Today, we had a regular visit with Pain Management. Barbara is taking very little pain medication now, so the visit was perfunctory. Barbara's only pain is after eating.
Last updated on Friday, 11/14/2014 at 9:00 PM
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Dr. Natasha Montroy's Ratings
Dr. Montroy's staff is very thorough and helpful. Dr. Montroy offers a variety of care options and suggestions and assists and supports you through your choice of methods. She is extremely knowledgeable both of western mainstream medicine and traditional and alternative methods. She displays compassion, professionalism, and optimism and has genuinely changed my life. If it were not for Dr. Montroy, I sincerely do not believe I would be alive. Just go see her!
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Dr.Montry not only helped explain test results and finding other doctors previously didn't seem concerned with, but she also helped me to change my immuno-health. With her guidance and discussion she has enabled me to bypass major health issues. She does at times run late because she allows you as much time as you need and is not the typical clock watcher. Her personality is direct so sometimes she asks you questions to make you be honest with yourself and it helps get to the root of the issue. She is also very energetic so I could see one feeling rushed but simply asking questions helps to diminish any feelings of this. I can not re come d her ENOUGH! She is an amazing doctor and uses a complementary system of natropathy and traditional medicine. She is knowledgable insightful, and has helped me immensely. Certified in so many practices such as acupuncture her treatments are very complimentary. She only re commends what she feels is needed and beneficial.
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Dr Montroy is knowledgeable and kind and is there to help you! She specializes in women's health but anyone can see her.
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We had been looking for answers for our 4 year old for 7 months with our regular doctor and Dr.Montroy found the problem within a week :) enough said she is FANTASTIC!!
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Dr Montroy has incredible knowledge, is extremely professional and the best naturopathic doctor out of several that I have dealt with over the years! It is an area of medicine to explore, for the ill and a must for preventative health care.
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Dr. Montroy is the first naturopathic doctor I have seen, and I have never been happier with a healthcare provider than I am with her. She does ask a lot of questions pertaining to all aspects of one's life, but I truly believe that it helps inform her so that she can better help her patients. No thread of conversation seems to be without merit, and I've never felt rushed or hurried through an appointment. Quite the opposite--she takes the time to listen to all my questions and helps keep the appointment on track so that our time together is well spent (I have a tendency to make off-topic comments and she handles it very well). If you have never seen a naturopath I highly recommend Dr. Montroy, as she is very medically-minded (if that makes sense) in addition to possessing all the attributes one would expect in a holistic health practitioner. I'm already looking forward to my next appointment.
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I had a traumatic consultation with her. She made me talk about painful childhood memories, made me emotional, but she did not seem to have anything in mind (did nothing with it). She left the room for an extended period of time. She pressured me into having a pap test that I did not want (my GP does it, and I'm fine with it), I refused but she pressured me "why don't you want me to do it?" etc. It was a painful experience (still is when I think about it), and she did not help me with my problem.
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Similar to an earlier comment, Dr. Montroy rushed me through two of my three appointments with her. During my visit to discuss test results, she simply told me the findings but did not discuss the individual test results. Consequently, I ended up going to the internet at home to decipher the individual tests and what the results meant from the copy of the lab results which she gave me. Dr. Montroy is knowledgeable and competent. However, I felt very anxious and did not get alot out of my consult as I felt rushed and pressured to finish the appointment. Also, the Receptionist, while efficient, is rather cold and unpleasant.
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Dr. Montroy is the most competent, accomplished, and knowledgeable doctor I have ever dealt with. She is professional and efficient, yet warm and caring at the same time. Many can and do learn to be doctors, but I feel that genuine care and compassion cannot be taught. You either have them or you don't. These qualities are an inherent part of Dr. Montroy. I would trust her with my life and I recommend her 1000 times over!
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Dr Montroy appears to be very knowledgable, but I'm feeling very conflicted over her care. I felt rushed and am confused over treatment plan; left appointment not being clear of what to do next. Very mindful that Dr Montroy is on a schedule and our appointment is for a set amount of time. Was late 4 out of 4 appointments (greater than a 10 min wait); 2 out of 4 appts she rushed the appointment. 4th appt was for treatment plan. Excited to learn what the test results were and how to fix problems and begin to be healthy; was rushed through this appointment ...not clear on what i'm suppose to be doing and not clear on what the test results mean. Considering seeing another ND for treatment. Even though this will mean starting from the beginning - time and money consideration.
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House Majority Leader Ron Mariano, D-Quincy is being challenged by Republican Patricia Kriegel, a first-time candidate with little money. But he's not taking the race for granted.
Third quarter numbers for sales and median prices support the argument I have been making in recent weeks that we are now in a more stable market, having recovered from the 2008/2009 slump. As always,...The post
HINGHAM — A funeral Mass will be celebrated Monday at Resurrection Church for Neil Lynch, a former justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, who died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. He was 84.
The Quincy High School class of 1949 reunion on Friday afternoon pulled in 89 classmates, most of them around Boston and New England but two of them from as far away as Minnesota and North Carolina.
A new trailer for the third and final season of HBO's�The Newsroom�indicates the series will...
Dallas�will not be back for a fourth season.TNT canceled its reboot of the hit soap...
The pilot for Fox's�Mulaney�features one of the show's two stand-up comedian characters struggling to...
- Events Calendar


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The Rodarte sisters have put their creations on exhibition, including those Black Swan tutus. [wwd]
After SJP revealed her doubts about a Sex & The City prequel, Kristin Davis agrees it would be 'kind of freaky'. Boo! [Perez]
First MFW FROW spot! Katie Holmes and her mother Kathleen attended the Max Mara show in
The Fug Girls predict what the starlets will wear at this weekend's Oscars... [gofugyourself]
Aw! Lady Gaga has a new Little Monster to look after - Elton John's son! [Perez]
WATCH Australian mode Gemma Ward speak at her first public appearance in three years. [Fashionologie]
Yves Saint Laurent denies rumours about Stefano Pilati's departure. [Nyamg]
And finally, watch Anna Wintour speak about Alexander McQueen's legacy in the video below... [Fashionologie]


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Good news for foodies:
Interesting. I didn't read the whole article, but was struck by this observation:
"Anthropologists have noted that many primitive societies will tolerate a married woman sleeping around, but will ostracise her if she feeds any man other than her husband. In the ancestral struggle for survival, it seems, sustenance was more important than sex."
Good to know.
re: Gigi007
"sustenance was more important than sex (for women)" : how is that only ancestral? Isn't that the essence of modern marriage? Just curious...
re: Veggo
I see what you mean, Veggo. I quoted from the article without the insertion of the parentheses "(for women)" in the 1st sentence, which I assume you added. One could argue that now as in ancient times, food (for both men and women) trumps sex, in the hierarchy of needs. So, no, not a novel idea
I actually meant to say that I was struck by the first sentence I quoted--the idea that sleeping around by married women was tolerated, but feeding other men outside the marriage wasn't.
re: Gigi007
I don't invovle myself with married women, but it's refreshing when one pays a resto bill. So times *have* changed.
re: Veggo
Thankfully, yes times have changed. On the subject of women picking up the check, it's a topic I like discussing. I don't consider myself a feminist by any means, but have no problem and in fact reallly like paying every once in a while. At the same time, I know a lot of women who don't and even worse, women who actually invite men out and then expect them to pay all the time..I realize it's a cultural behavior, but still it kind of irks me because I don't want men out there to think all women are looking to take advantage.
re: Gigi007
It runs right around 92%.
re: Gigi007
It is even worse than that. Just basing it off of women I know (not 'women I've dated'), there's absolutely no way for a guy to win here. I know women who just expect the guy to pay. I know women who will drop a guy if he insists on paying (because he's "sexist"). I know women who will offer to pay/split/etc, but drop a guy if he accepts (he's "cheap"). I know women who will offer to pay/split/etc and mean it. etc etc. I've yet to identify a tactic as a male that would be foolproof in terms of potentially leading to trouble.
re: Veggo
I long ago decided what I wanted, and if someone didn't care for that, that's their problem. And the folks who are using it as some sort of trick/test ("i'll offer to pay, he better not accept") are people I don't really want to be be with anyways, so good riddance. I have a few female friends who are like that, and it just makes me shake my head.
re: Veggo
If I'm the one making the invitation, I pay. If he invites me, he should pay. I've certainly surprised a few fellows when I insist on paying. I just smile and say, "If you'd like to take me to dinner, you have to issue the invitation!" Gray area comes in when it's a casual kind of invitation; i.e., "Let's meet for a bite/drink after work."
re: Ima Wurdibitsch
I'm with you, Ima (no pun intended!), but you'd be surprised how many women out there have no qualms about inviting a man out fully expecting that he'll pay. As a woman, I don't like that behavior although as I posted earlier I've come to learn that with some women (and men who are OK with this), it's cultural.
I was struck by the following quote, however, "If you feed a chimp cooked food for tens of thousands of years, I find it hard to believe that it would end up looking like the same animal."
I seriously don't think that cooking the food would have that impact as much as the "tens of thousands of years" that have elapsed would have.....
re: tracylee
Saxophones...drunk guys....brass urinals....oh, never mind.
While I will definitely agree that if someone feeds me, I kind of "lock on" that they're a good friend. "the way to a mans heart is through his stomach" is very true in this case. And also, it kind of goes both ways, in that if I genuinely like someone, I tend to offer them food, and take more care over cooking that I would for myself.
However in "relationships" referring to a life partner, I would tend to disagree entirely (with regards to primary motivation). In western society, given the current abundance of available food, less emphasis would be given to providing, and more to fitness, intelligence and wealth (possibly in that order)
re: Soop
Ah, the reverse. I think men cooking garners approval from many women when they see that you have a feminine side and can provide for them in more ways than money and muscle. Perhaps also an indication that they will not be saddled with all the traditional duties.
Let's not forget that it's harder to enjoy sex when you're hungry.
re: Scargod
re: your last comment....I dunno...when you look at the # of births following the lean, hungry cold months of fall and winter...I'd hazard a guess that sex is one fine distraction from growling bellies.
Totally agree with your first comment though. I find it very attractive when a man both has an interest in cooking, particularly FOR me. Equally, an interest in food and trying new things is also a brownie point, even if they can't cook. However, in the absence of sexual chemistry, these wouldn't sustain much more than a friendship, for me.
re: im_nomad
<-- man who loves to cook
re: im_nomad
It also helps after the train just came through and woke you up.
I like experimenting in the kitchen. That's why I have one counter top at twenty-nine inches.
I need food chemistry, sexual chemistry and alchemy. A full moon is good, too.
Golly gee, I thought it was both food and sex as the basis of a long lasting relationship! Who wrote gullible on the ceiling above my head? Where do the flowers that continually buy fit in?
Scar, doesn't good sex increase one's appetite?
And smoking too? My wife asked if I ever smoked after sex and I replied that I've never looked.
re: Passadumkeg
An exchange between a well-fed gentleman and a woman in a grocery store:
"Sir, if that stomach were on a woman, I'd swear she was pregnant."
"Ma'm, it was, and she is."
re: alanbarnes
I'll see that clip and raise you this one--even better! I had forgotten about this episode. PERFECT!
re: Rmis32
LOLOL! Clever!!!
re: pacheeseguy
"If words were cherry stems, my tongue would be in Sherilyn Fenn's mouth." Duckman
re: DiveFan
I don't think this is "deep" or even makes any sense. Not sure what it has to do with the subject. At least pastrami is sexy meat and a pastrami sandwich while having sex sounds good to me. Sharing a pastarmi sandwich with Sherilyn Fenn would be orgasmic without the sex.
re: Scargod
now humor needs to be deep and/or make sense?
re: Scargod
it does imply a talented tongue. of course, i pity the woman who has to work her skills on the equivalent of a cherry stem '-)
re: linguafood
Well said, sista! ;) Whoever that poor woman is, she should have held out for a pastrami sandwich at Katz's. Yes! Yes! Yes!
<<I'll have what she's having>>
re: DiveFan
Nothing deep - just wanted to start a Jason Alexander subthread. :-)
Relevant Duckman quotes are hard to come by, his humor tends more toward the unsubtle salami metaphors...
re: DiveFan
George: So eh, what do you say?
Tara: I guess we could use some food in our lovemaking.
George: Ok, we got your...got your strawberries, your chocolate sauce, your pastrami on rye with mustard, your honey...
Tara: Wait wait wait, pastrami on rye with mustard?
George: Oh yeah yeah, don't you know they used pastrami in that movie 9½ weeks? Remember the pastrami scene?
Tara: No.
George: Well, maybe it was Ghostbusters? Where ever it was, it worked!
re: pacheeseguy
Is this from a sitcom? I thought we were talking about the Fox News article which is a spin-off of the article from the Times of London. Neither have anything to do with the Times article... about man cooking with fire vs raw food.
re: Scargod
Yes, it's a scene from an old episode of Seinfeld.
Discussion about food and sex being connected.