dddragon presents: Is Anything Truly Random?

Punxsutawney Ho!

We (TLP, Actonbell and I) will be in Punxsutawney, PA, for the Groundhog Day festivities. I was hoping to post from there, but I can't get to the mobile Blogger feature to set it up.

So you'll have to wait to hear about it. Or read about it.

RIP Barbaro

AP Photo by Chris Gardner

Baltimore Sun Times article

Yahoo News article

Snow ... sort of

We've gotten very little snow this winter so far ... what the local meteorologists call a "trace". Then it went away - both the sun and the wind helping it along.

This is the kind of weather when I'm glad that we have cats that use litter boxes and not dogs who have to be taken for a walk to "eliminate" or "do their business". And around here, dog owners have to pick up the dog poop and take it home.

Happy Birthday

Today is my brother's birthday. I still see things that I would have bought as birthday or Xmas gifts for him. A number of things remind me of him: The Three Stooges, Speed Racer, Benny Hill, Mr. Bill (there is a level of a PC game that I play that has a level called "mr. bill"), etc.

It's hard to believe that he's been gone for fifteen years.

Oh, Happy Birthday Kevin.

Random Photo Weekend

Well, the doctor's office left a message that the inflammation in the lining of my stomach "... didn't have the bacteria that he was looking for...". So I think I need to call them next week and find out what that means. The good news is that it means no cancer or anything else scary.

Chatham's news isn't so good. While his liver function has improved, his kidneys have worsened. The Vet says that he is now in moderate renal failure. His kidneys will never get better, so our goal is to keep him at this level and not get worse. We have a new medicine (I mean it's a medicine that's newly out) to try and will be hydrating him twice a day now. There are other positive things - he still has an appetite (and doesn't throw it up), can still make it to the litter box (well, mostly) and bosses us around all the time (yes, we know what he's saying).

Today's photo is of our other cat, Salem from last spring. He's a goofy cat.

Gross Photo Weekend

On Friday, I had an Esophagogastroduodenoscopic procedure (EGD) because I had been having some trouble swallowing and an irritating cough that interferred with work and sleep. A barium swallow test several weeks ago showed that I had a minor case of reflux, and the doctor wanted to make sure that there wasn't anything else going on.

Turns out that there is nothing wrong with my esophagus (which means that the irritation causing the coughing is probably reflux and sinus drip), but there is an inflammation in the lower portion of my stomach.

The duodenum is the part of the digestive system beyond my stomach, the antrum is the lower part of the stomach that has the inflammation. The doctor has sent samples off to a lab to see what's up.

This past week I started physical therapy for my bad back disks - if it works, then I can avoid surgery. The deteriorating lumbar disks are pinching the nerve going down my left leg. The neurosurgeon is a family friend, so I would trust him if it came to that.

And I saw my regular doctor on Friday, too. I felt like my antidepressant wasn't working anymore. So he's increased it some, and told me that I should get one of those lamps for those with Seasonal Affected Disorder. This is almost funny, considering how warm this winter has been so far. It was in the upper 60 degrees here in southcentral Pennsylvania today. I guess, however, that the short, grey and rainy days have taken their toll on me.