Monday, May 26, 2008

Memorial Day

In my local newspaper, Jim Kerr actually came up with a decent column for Memorial Day.

...When I stop to think about it, my indifference seems to reflect the way many people in this country have grown to view the war in Iraq.

Unless we have a loved one directly involved, the war has become sort of an annoyance, a source of strife that we hear about every day, just like high gas prices and the poor economy.

Many of us would rather just relegate it to the back of our minds or forget about it altogether.

But regardless of personal feelings about the war, as Americans, we can’t forget or neglect the brave men and women faithfully serving and sacrificing for this nation. We owe them a debt of gratitude and a measure of honor and respect...

...So, on Memorial Day, join me in acknowledging the names of some recent war casualties as released by the Department of Defense. I don’t have space here to list all the names from even one month, but here is a representative list of deaths from a randomly selected workweek – April 21-25:

• Spec. Lance O. Eakes, 25, Apex, N.C.

• Spec. Benjamin K. Brosh, 22, Colorado Springs, Colo.

• Spec. Steven J. Christofferson, 20, Cudahy, Wis.

• Sgt. Adam J. Kohlhaas, 26, Perryville, Mo.

• 1st Lt. Matthew R. Vandergrift, 28, Littleton, Colo.

• Lance Cpl. Jordan C. Haerter, 19, Sag Harbor, N.Y.

• Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale, 21, Burkeville, Va.

• Staff Sgt. Ronald C. Blystone, 34, Springfield, Mo.

• Staff Sgt. Shaun J. Whitehead, 24, Commerce, Ga.

Each of these names and many more like them represents a community in mourning. For each one, there’s a tearful widow or grieving mother seated in a cemetery and accepting a neatly folded American flag graciously presented by a sharply dressed military officer.

As a nation, we need to remember that, especially on Memorial Day.

So, before you fire up the grill or head off to the swimming pool today, take a moment to hang a flag from the front porch and pay tribute to the Americans who have died and are still dying in service to this nation.

They deserve that much. (emphasis mine)

On this day, remember those who selflessly do their duty for our benefit.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Vision Loss Redux Part XII

After a hiatus, my left eye has decided to get back into the act. I noticed tonight that my left eye has displayed a shadow...so it's back to 80 mg of pred for me for now. I've noticed a lot of shadows in my right eye...

God only knows what's causing this, and it's been difficult to keep my mind straight about this with my mind toggling between refusing to acknowledge this and wanting to learn braille.

God is good...all the time.

Pray for our Chinese Brothers

Pray for the many souls in Mianyang and the Sichuan Province, and give to help the physical needs.

Amazing Tornado Footage

Tornado footage from the sky...quite impressive

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Double Standard

Where is the howling about Obama's stupidity? At least Dan Quayle was technically right - there were two ways to spell potato (in the 19th century)...there has never been 57 states...

Monday, May 5, 2008

Vision Loss Redux Part X I - update

"looking good!", the wizard says to me today. Things seem to have stabilized for the last several weeks. So, tomorrow I move down to 30 mg of prednisone. Still a very high dosage, but half of where I've been. This is the lowest I've been since this whole mess started. Every time I would move to 40, I would have flareups...so this is pretty significant. It probably has much to do with the other meds he put me on. To his knowledge, this med - cellcept - has never been used for eyes...but I guess I'm a pretty rare case.

He's convinced again that I have Susac's. He's going to call Dr. Susac and get the scoop.

Also, I'm seeing a rheumatologist that is sending me down the Georgetown U to her mentor. We'll see if he can shed some light on the mystery patient.

Also, she's the one that started me on this diet. Basically, the prednisone is beginning to give me diabetes and I need to watch what I eat. She said I didn't have to be strict with it...but I decided...why not? I was overweight before I started on the pred, and added 20 lbs. after. So, I'll be eating no carbs for the next two weeks during phase 1 of the South Beach diet.

I've never done this before, so I see it as an exercise in self-discipline. I will let you know if I cheat, honest! I'll twitter about my progress, and you can follow if you're some sort of diet voyeur, or if you're just interested. This could be fun...a new challenge!

Although...I missed dinner tonight because I worked late and had a meeting...and I'm feeling a little hungry...