Visitor # 75,000 arrived here this afternoon at 3:40pm looking for news about Mikey.

Thanks to Mr./Ms. Anonymous from Thousand Oaks, CA using Adelphia high speed internet!

Whoever you are, if you make yourself known and you have a blog, linky love will be forthcoming!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 04:27 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Seen while getting off of the 210 today:

Thug looking Mexican dude, bald head, neck tattoos, driving a "no p*nis" car.  That is, a small, Asian sports car with after-market extras, in particular a LARGE spoiler wing on the rear.

Dude pulls up next to me at the light, and as I look over I see a little white fluffy dog with a snazzy blue collar on his lap.  Said dog promptly jumps up and starts giving Daddy slurpy puppy kisses all over his face.....

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:57 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Notice I scored 100% on Biology and Psychology.... Pretty much Neurobiology, I'd say...

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:22 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Smash and Da Goddess have set up a PayPal fund to help out Mikey's family.  Although they have insurance, there's a hefty deductible, and Mikey won't be bringing in a paycheck for a long time.  Mrs. Mikey can't work either, as she is staying by his side.  Every little bit you can drop in the bucket helps.

The button is on the sidebar.  Click early and often!!

Come on folks, you donated almost $100,000 in 11 days to Soldier's Angels, surely we can raise enough to buy gas and groceries for a few weeks!

If you's like to send a card, Smash has generously made his PO Box available.  The address is:

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Seems Canada's star athletes haven't learned that there is no "I" in team.  From CTV News:

A number of Canada's star athletes have refused to carry the country's flag at the opening ceremonies for the Turin Olympics, saying they prefer to focus on their performance instead of taking on extra work.

According to the Toronto Star, cross-country skier Beckie Scott, speed skaters Clara Hughes and Cindy Klassen and bobsledder Pierre Lueders have asked their associations not to nominate them for the revered role.

The Star also reports the freestyle ski team chose not to nominate moguls skiing champion Jennifer Heil for the job because she is scheduled to compete the day after the ceremony.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:27 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Sweeet.  Score one for the snipers!

h/t Master of None

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:18 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Koolaid took Margi to the hospital today.  No baby yet, they just want to watch her closely as the pre-eclampsia signs are starting to ramp up and the little man will probably be asked to make his grand entrance by this weekend.

Keep the Lowrys in your prayers as they wait for their special delivery!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 03:12 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Acidman has some dos and don'ts for job seekers during their interviews.... Good advice, in his own inimitable style.

Rob, I'm so glad you decided to live

Posted by: caltechgirl at 05:23 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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GOOD NEWS!

from DaGoddess:

"I spoke with Mrs. Mikey a while ago and this is the update I received:

Sedation was lowered and Mikey responded. The nurse was wiping his
face with a cloth, he seemed to like it, and turned toward her. She
told him to turn his head back the other way but he wouldn't do so.
Mrs. Mikey told him to turn his head toward her, and he did!

At one point, Mrs. Mikey was talking to her friend about him and he
pulled her arm. She asked him if he wanted her to stop talking about
him and he pulled her arm again. She stopped talking about him and he
relaxed.

They've reduced his blood pressure medication because his blood pressure has come down. Yay!

His blood pressure and his ICP are lowest when his daughter is by his side.

This is all good news. Very good news. Still, he's not out of the
woods yet. The doctor has told Mrs. Mikey that there is brain damage,
no doubt about it. How much? They don't know yet. And the stroke
occurred in the part of the brain that controls personality and
cognitive ability. Mikey may not be the same guy he was before."

Posted by: caltechgirl at 05:09 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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The server was down for an hour at work, and I fidgeted like a nicotine addict.  Not because I'm addicted, but because I was in the middle of something.

And then I kept thinking of things I needed to look up.

Nothing like an outage to remind you what you wanted to google.....

Now for more caffeine and a return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 04:28 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Just catching up with my life:

First and foremost, Mikey updates are here and here. If you can help with flight vouchers or airline tickets to get Amy's mom out to San Diego leave a comment here. Also, thanks to mega-bloggers Michelle Malkin and LaShawn Barber for getting the word out about Mike and how you can help.

Also, on the bad news front, fellow BFLer Kevin McGehee's father passed away yesterday.

Now, under the heading of "life goes on"...

At work for a marathon day. Had a HS site visit this morning, and I am teaching tonight, so all in all a minimum 12 hour day (I work 6 hrs usually)...

My software came in! Yay! May I recommend Academic Superstore as a great resource to any of you in the educational sphere. Teachers, students, and faculty all qualify for DEEP educational discounts on software and techy toys. For example, I just got Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional (retails for $499.99) for $149.99, and there was a free shipping promotion. There are some caveats about ID and establishing your eligibility, but the process was realtively painless and certainly worth the price.

Football was so AWESOME this weekend. Go Broncos! Go Panthers! (although I'm cool if the Steelers win too. I love the Bus.)

24. Holy Cow! Hooked again. I watched Seasons 1 and 2 religiously and then kind of fell out of it, but the 4 hours so far have been really, really good. Although it is distracting to see Sean Astin from the waist up and keep wondering if he's wearing the hobbit feet or not.....

More later, and Mikey updates if they come in.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:03 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Pixy has set up a post on Mikey's blog where you can leave your thoughts and prayers for his wife.

To do so, go here.  And go here for updates as they come in.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:55 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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From Da Goddess:

"Mikey had surgery tonight to remove the blood clot and stop other bleeding. His intracranial pressure is rising (not a good sign) and he remains in a medically induced coma. His wife is trying her best to be strong, but it's difficult. She's scared and confused."

Da Goddess will update her page as soon as she gets more news. Please keep up the good wishes and prayers for Mikey and his family, as it seems he needs them now more than ever!

You can drop by Mikey's page or Da Goddess's to leave messages of support for Mikey's family.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:15 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Fellow MuNuvian and BFL'er Mad Mikey has suffered a stroke and continues bleeding into his brain.  Please send up all the good thoughts and prayers you can spare for him and his family.  Mikey's had a lot of health challenges (he is also on dialysis), and lately just seemed to be getting one hit after another.  More updates as they come in.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 03:41 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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As of yesterday, I've been adopted.  I'm now officially Contagion's adopted blog-sis, so that makes Bou, Grau (recently declared dead), and Harvey my adopted blog-parents.  No offense if I still love my real Mom and Dad, though, right?
This will soon proudly display in place of the current "Annoying Neighbor" graphic:

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:24 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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I was the only child, you see, and the youngest grandchild on both sides by a minimum of 10 years, so stories like this are foreign to me....

This happened at Bou's house tonight:

"Today the boys informed me they were going to have Bones put on his Hulk costume and then shoot nerf stuff at his butt to see if he could feel it. Nice. The crap they come up with amazes me.

So I'm in the kitchen making a salad and I hear, "Let's punch him now and see if he feels it!"

Yeah, that's never a good thing to hear.

I was in that room within fractions of a second to find my youngest standing in the middle of the room, but almost looking bow legged. I shouted, "STOP! There WILL BE NO PUNCHING!"

They know the rules: the Be No's of this home. There will be no punching. There will be no kicking. There will be no spitting. Or typically as I say it, "There will be no punching, kicking, hitting, spitting or beating of each other!"

All three of them looked at me blank faced like, "Are YOU talking TO ME?" Like they were innocent. I heard them. I HEARD THEM!

Finally one of the eldest said, "Mom, we're going to hit him in the weenie; he can't feel it. He's wearing 20 pairs of underwear"

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:06 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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As most of you know, my Dad was recently hospitalized for MAJOR surgery to remove a tumor.  Due to some complications (edema and pneumonia), his total hospital stay was 21 days, including 4 in the ICU and 2 more in "telemetry step down", which is similar, but less closely monitored.

In any case, the total bill was (get ready for it) $196,787.63.

Yes, you read that right.

Now, my parents are lucky enough to have fabulous insurance, a PPO plan that includes $0 co-pay for inpatient services and  considers the hospital Dad was treated in as a preferred provider.

The insurance paid $51,975.00.  The hospital considers the bill paid under their PPO agreement.

Imagine if they had no insurance or minimal insurance.  They would have had to sell the house to save Dad's life.

Clearly the hospitals have jacked up the prices so far that they're still breaking even (and probably doing well) taking in just 26.4% of the bill.  And it's no anomaly.  Their insurance plan is one of the major plans in town, as Mom's employer is the largest in the county.  The hospital expects that the majority of their patients will be under a PPO plan.  So why jack up the prices that high?  To screw the poor and uninsured?  To make them choose between saving their life and caring for their family?

No wonder the insurance companies are complaining.  If this wasn't a PPO  provider, and the insurance paid 80% (what my last plan would have paid for a non-PPO inpatient stay), the insurance company would have been out $157,430.104, more than 3 times what they paid....

The system is out of control.   But socialized medicine isn't the answer either.  So what should be done?

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:24 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Sadly enough, this is 100% on the money.  100%.  No idea I was so frigging predictable.

You Have a Choleric Temperament

You are a person of great enthusiasm - easily excited by many things. Unsatisfied by the ordinary, you are reaching for an epic, extraordinary life. You want the best. The best life. The best love. The best reputation. You posses a sharp and keen intellect. Your mind is your primary weapon. Strong willed, nothing can keep you down. Your energy can break down any wall. You're an instantly passionate person - and this passion gives you an intoxicating power over others. At your worst, you are a narcissist. Full of yourself and even proud of your faults. Stubborn and opinionated, you know what you think is right. End of discussion. A bit of a misanthrope, you often see others as weak, ignorant, and inferior.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:52 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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You Are Likely an Only Child

At your darkest moments, you feel frustrated. At work and school, you do best when you're organizing. When you love someone, you tend to worry about them. In friendship, you are emotional and sympathetic. Your ideal careers are: radio announcer, finance, teaching, ministry, and management. You will leave your mark on the world with organizational leadership, maybe as the author of self-help books.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:35 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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