A mousy treat

I am absolutely disgusted. This evening we took Banjo for a walk. When we arrived back home Banjo was munching on something, which I thought was wood. But, when I reached in to take it out I noticed it had a tail. It was a dead crunchy mouse. I scrubbed my hands with soap and water and then used a lysol wipe just to be safe. Gross!

Bird Ridge

Today we hiked up to Bird Ridge, which is just south of town. It was more like a workout than a hike. The first two miles you gain 3,400 feet in elevation. We had to keep stopping, because Neil's legs were too week. Banjo was a good hiker though. At the top there was still a few berms of snow. He went crazy and was running up and down as though he hadn't been hiking for the past 2 hours. We felt quite week, because there were a number of 70 year olds who either passed us or were on their way down. They didn't even appear as though they were hiking up the face of a mounting. It was a pretty beautiful hike though. We could look out over over Cook Inlet, and there seemed to be three bald eagles that liked to swarm over us (perhaps waiting for us to keel over so that they'd have a free meal.)

On our way home we stopped off for some Mexican food. It was pretty tasty. And we picked up some lamb puppy food for Banjo (apparently you're supposed to rotate the protein source of your dog's food every bag of food.) I also got Banjo the world's largest rawhide bone as a treat for being such a good hiker. The tag next to the bin said $6, but apparently that was for a different bone. His bone was $17. Banjo's such a spoiled puppy.

Pro Choice BBQ

Yesterday we went to a Planned Parenthood fundraiser barbecue. One of my friends from swimming is the public relations person for planned parenthood of Alaska and they're trying to start this thing where anyone can host a fundraiser barbecue. It was pretty fun. We played a little bocce ball, and met some interesting people---and all for a good cause. The state representative for our neighborhood, and this really weird nerdy guy who is running state senate. He was pretty good at bocce ball tough. I think it would be fun to do a similar thing to raise money for Obama.

Happy Solstice Birthday!

Clave always celebrates his birthday on the longest day of the year. This year we celebrated it in Alaskan style by going camping. Of course, there was no need for flashlights.

We went about 45 minutes outside of town to Lake Eklutna in the Chugach State park. Jared had gone earlier to stake us out a spot. And it was good he did so, because the camp ground was full by the time we got there. We camped next to Tracy, an old free spirit. She has a tradition of drinking and eating special brownies each year to bring in the solstice. She was pretty freindly though and regaled stories about grabbing other women's boobs at bars, and an internet friend that she made who was in a wheel chair, and would sling her bag of pee at people when she got rowdy.

Neil and I made potatoes and chilli for dinner, and I had the obligatory s'more and some peach pie that I made with the little pocket cookers over the fire. It was a lot of fun. We hung out around the fire until around 1 in the morning, and it was still quite light when we went to bed. (The first picture was taken at midnight without a flash--which is why it's a bit blurry)

THis was also Banjo's first camping trip, so he celebrated by eating all of the sticks and bark he could find (which was a lot). Then at night when we went to bed with Banjo in the tent he decided to barf all over my sleeping mat and the bottom of the tent. It was quite gross. I used Neil's shirt to clean it up, but one wasn't enough. So, I used his undershirt too. Then in the morning Banjo found the shirts and carried them over to Kari and Jared's tent as a little present.

The lake was really beautiful. We think we want to go back and go kayaking and/or biking.

Happy birthday Clave!

Haru's last day slingin' coffee

Saturday was Hannah's last day as a Starbuck's barista. Of course Emily and I had to go document the momentous event, much to Haru's shagrin. We both got carmel machiatos, hung around, and occasionally annoyed Hannah. It was great fun.

Nert Hoff

Today was Banjo's graduation day of Advanced Puppy Training. We played games with the other dogs (Banjo again was the sit-stay champ - well, co-champ). At the end we received a certificate with the handler's name on it. In this case, that name was Nert Hoff. When I first heard it, I thought Emily had played some mean trick on me while I was in Seattle. But I guess they just couldn't make out my name for some reason. The lady was real nice and offered to make me a new certificate with my REAL name, which she did. So now we have two certificates for Banjo on our fridge, one with each name. NERT!!!!

Back from Denver

The conference in Denver this past week was a lot of fun. The part of Denver that I was in was really nice and pedestrian oriented, and we had great weather (perhaps a little too nice, because I got a bad sun burn). I flew in on Saturday so that I had the whole day to explore. Nicole, the fellow from North Carolina and I walked around town and went to the "People's Fair", which was similar to the Freemont Fair. They also had this really neat street art festival, where they closed down three blocks of street. People had designated plots about 6 by 6 feet where they could do chalk drawings. They were all really good! I wish that I had some of the pictures that Nicole took to post. People had 2 days to finish their works of art and then on Sunday night the street washer came in and cleaned them all off. Some were copies of famous artwork and others were originals. Supposedly anyone who wanted could pay to have a space, but surprisingly everything was really good. They also had a kids area where kids could draw pictures.

The conference itself was pretty interesting. My favorite talks were about an investigation of a measles outbreak on board an international flight, and another study about formeldihide exposure among morgue workers. While I was in Denver I also got to see John from Whitman who I hadn't seen for several years. He was pretty much his same old self.

On Thursday before I flew out I had a chance to do some more exploring, so I went to the art museum. Some of the statues reminded me of ones in the Seattle art museum sculpture park.

Poor little sickie

And I'm not talking about myself. When my lovely wife called me last night from Denver she sounded quite pathetic. She was serverly sick, had terrible shivers, and had a horrible sore throat. She said that if she was back home, she would take the day off of work because she is so sick - and she NEVER takes a day off of work b/c she's sick. I hope she feels better today, and will go back to her room to rest if she needs it.

As for me, the swelling is going down, albeit very slowly (much slower that I would like), but at least it's going down now. I have an appointment with my surgon tomorrw, so it will be nice to see what she says (and to learn if I can start eating scamble-egg type foods now). But the highlight of the day tomorrow will be when Emily finally comes home around 10:30PM or so. Does anyone know when Calvin and Ruth are coming home tomorrow, and who is going to pick them up?

I have received two very nice get well cards from Jeanne, as well as an invitation to go to Boom Noodle sometime. Thank you very much for the cards and kind thoughts Jeanne.

One last thing - Sarah, could you ask your mom is she could make the Chicken in Wine sauce for me on Sunday? I assume that we're gathering at the Locke's Sunday night, and it sure would be nice to eat something that's not soup, applesauce, or Ensure!

Weekend Activities

This weekend I spent mostly recouperating and resting. On Saturday I was able to eat some Cream of Wheat, which was very tasty with the brown sugar. I also had some butternut squash soup, which was also very delious and creamy. I ran a few errands with my folks which got me out of the house, and we walked around the Village for a little while, too. I felt pretty good walking around. I try not to make eye contact with anyone b/c I don't want to freak them out. The only weird thing about walking is that it's kind of a strain to keep my head up b/c my swelling even reaches down to my throat a little. So it's like my body is always trying to pull my head down b/c everything is so taught.

On Sunday I went to see Priceless at the Crest with my parents. The lady from Amilee, Audry Toutau (sp?) is in it. It's a pretty cute movie - she's a gold-digger on the French Riviera, always on the lookout for her next sugar-daddy. I was also able to have a new food first - refried beans. I added a little Cholula to them to give it a little more kick. I am getting better at using a spoon to feed myself with (I use a spoon for my Creme of Wheat and applesauce, too), although I did have a big spill on my sweatshirt.

Tomorrow I'm going get the oil changed in my car and stop off and see Hannah at work (so I can pick up some DVD's to watch). The fun never stops here!

Friday & weight loss

Yesterday was more of the same...but I did get to eat some tomato soup (which was very tasty). You can see how I "eat" all of my food now - with the aid of a syringe. I suck everything up and pop it into my mouth. I think today I might be able to eat some Cream of Wheat and maybe some butternut squash soup. The simple joys of recovering.
My face is still getting a little swollen. Hopefully it will start to get better this weekend.
So this morning I weighed myself before I took my shower. I was 196 pounds the morning of my surgery (with shoes, jeans and clothing). Today when I weighed myself I was 187 pounds. I hardly believed it. Figure my clothing and all was about 4 pounds, I've still lost 5 pounds in 3 days.

Returning from the Hospital

So I returned home from the hospital Thursday afternoon. A little after Dr. Lee came by to check on me, my Mom came by and picked me up. A nice guy with a wheelchair came and picked me up and dropped me off outside where my Mom was waiting with the car. We ended up getting home a little before noon.

I actually had some stuff to "eat" on Thursday. I hit up about 3 vanilla Ensures (which are quite tasty and rich, by the way), a bottle of Gatorade and some beef broth. I actually did't get too hungry, but this morning I am a little. I've aslo been taking my meds - I wash my mouth for 30 seconds 4 times a day with this mouthwash stuff, take some anitbiotics 4 times a day, and I have some "Liquid Hillbilly Heroin" - liquified oxycotin that tastes like cough syrup. I didn't take that until last night around 11 before I went to bed.

During the day I didn't do much but play my Nintendo DS, watch the evening news and a little NBA finals. Then I went to my friends Anthony's and hung out with my friends. We watched Willow. During the movie I started to get a little sleepy (nodding off a few times) and I had a real good and restful nights sleep last night.

I did get to talk to Emily last night before I went to bed. All is well with her, and she's getting ready to fly down to Colorado for a conference tonight. It will be nice when she is here with me on Thursday. I just hope poor Banjo does OK without his folks for about 10 days. (oh, and Emily gave him part of a haircut last night - she has promised pictures later).

The swelling has actually gotten a lot worse today than the past few. The inside of my mouth is so swollen, my inside cheeks push against my rubber bands in my mouth. So I only have a tiny compartment to squeeze in my "food". I also am always wearing my ice pack around my head to help reduce the swelling. And it's hand b/c I can put a tissue under my big lip so it catches my constant drooling.

The rubber bands are off (well, mostly).

My surgon, Dr. Lee, just stopped by to see how I was doing. I still have a ton of swelling, which is why it actually feels like I have an underbite for the first time in my life. But once the swelling goes away, and she does some tricks with the rubber bands, my lower jaw will be pulled back again.

Dr. Lee just took off most of my really tight rubber bands, and just put two on real loosly. I can actually move my jaw up and down a little bit now.

I am waiting for my Mom to pick me up. She should be here around 9:30AM, and then I think we can take off and go home! I need to stop by Haru's and pick up some Battlestar Galactica DVD's from her roomy.

Speical props for Sarah and Katie coming by to visit me last night. They stayed for a few hours, and talked about school to Obama to shared surgery experiences. It was very nice of them to take time out of their day and stop by and cheer me up!

Here I am after I've changed into my swee hospital-issued PJ's.


This is me waiting in my bed right before surgery.


Here I am after it's over - what a swollen face (no, this pic isn't farqd).


Just me and my blood-suction tube. Ruth should really be here doing this for me ;-)

What a day

Here I am recovering in my room.
So I woke up at 4:45AM Seattle time (3:45 Anchorage time). We made it down to the surgery check in by 5:30. I went to my waiting/recovery room, and I was in surgery a little after 7:30AM (they weighed me, and I'm 89.2 Kg, or 196 lbs.). Once I woke up the left side of my jaw HURT. And it keep hurting. They gave me some drugs, but they took a little while to kick in. And not to mention my face felt like it was going to explode b/c it was so swollen. Once I got into my room and the pain meds kicked in I was fine. The only thing is that I have to suction the blood out of my mouth about once a mintue or so. And I have a nice syringe to wash out the blood as well (and I can take a sip every now and then). They shoved a tube down my throat, so my throat is real sore.

My folks are here now. My Mom was with me most of the day, and my Mom and Dad came back around 6. I have spent all day playing my new video game, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (good thing Emily isn't here or she'd kill me. Also good she's not here b/c I look so damn pathetic). My lower lip is super swollen and numb as well. I'll try and get some pics on soon.

I am in room Room 204, 2-SouthWest. Just in case any potential visitor need some directions...

T-Minus 7 hours and 35

I am back safely in Seattle, eagerly awaiting my surgery tomorrow morning. I check into Swedish at 5:30AM (that's 4:30AM Emily's time). The surgen will go over some things with me again, and we should get the show on the road around 7:30. It should take about 2 hours, and then about an hour in recovery. Then I'll be sent back to my room, probably by 11am. They want me to spend the night on Wednesday, so if anyone is just itching to go hang out at Swedish, swing on by and say hi.

For my last meal I had some Nasai Teriyaki (chicken). It tasted even better than I imagined it would. I love it when that happens.

Before Pictures

Here are some pictures from before the surgery.

DQ update

I just got a letter in the mail from the dairy queen in town. They are sorry that I had a bad experience, and hope that a $10 gift card will encourage me to give them another try. Also, they are going to talk to the employee who gave us poor service. I think my next letter will be to Safeway to complain how they never charge people for the correct produce. The other day I was charged $5 for a yellow onion that the employee rung up as shallots. I'm a squeaky wheel.

The countdown begins

Neil's surgery is fast approaching, so he's been choosing his favorite dinners that require chewing, since come Wednesday he will be doing a lot of drinking. Jacob bought him a case of ensure and another of gatoraide. Last night we made halibut and chips. It was pretty good, and because fried potatoes and fish weren't enough we made some onion rings too. Tonight we're planning on walking a few blocks from our house to this burger place. It's supposedly pretty good. I think it's called Arctic Roadrunner burgers or something like that.

Tomorrow Neil flies down to seattle in the afternoon (so he won't be there to go out to lunch beforehand). At 7 am on Wednesday he'll have his surgery. It will take about 3 hours. He'll spend the night at Swedish if anyone wants to visit him. I wonder what he'll look like when it's all over. I guess they move the jaw a few milimeters forward, and then the surgeon will shave off part of his chin so that he won't look like Jay Leno. I'm not sure if she'll leave the butt or not. I'll post a before picture later when he gets home from work (today is the first day since Neil moved up here that he's had to work and not me.)

Friday night hikes

We've decided to make a habit of going on a different hike each Friday afterwork. This was our first week and Jared chose the hike. We decided that he wouldn't be choosing again any time soon. It was a really steep hike that pretty much went straight up the mountain. It was pretty fun though, and Banjo enjoyed it. You should have seen him racing down the mountain. I thought his hind legs were going to flip over in front of him. He was going so fast.

These long days make it pretty difficult to sleep (and on top of it there last night there was a Mexican polka party that right behind our house. Today the sun rose at 4:35am and will not set again until 11:21 pm. We're considering getting some new drapes. RIght now we have white ones that let all the light in. The other night I couldn't sleep, so I decided to sleep on the floor with Banjo. He didn't appreciate it and preferred to go back into his kennel. I'm looking forward for the solstice though!