It's not a toooomaaah

You've gotta say it with that Austrian accent to make it really work.


But.



This is my brain. This is my brain...not on drugs. Well, a little contrast, but that is just for prettier pictures. I had an MRI just before heading to Mexico, and sweet talked the tech into burning it onto a CD for me. Pretty cool, huh?? I bet YOU don't know that there is nothing wrong with YOUR brain!!



(and no, my nose is not all cut off in real life...the MRI was for my brain so they didn't worry about the asthetics of giving me pictures with my nose half off)

Now, THIS is what I'm talking about!

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/tenday/MXSA0084?from=36hr_topnav_business


No more hurricanes, no windstorms...just HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

Save our Sonics

End of an era??

Sunday, Ethan and I went to what could very well be the last Sonics game ever played in Seattle. We bought tickets for this one game on Saturday, thinking we really should be there at the bitter end.

For those who do not know (but how is THAT possible...), Ethan and I had season tickets to the Sonics for 6 years. Same section, same seats. Lots of exciting games, our share of stinkers, and some great players along the way. We gave up our tickets after the Sonics were sold to a group from Oklahoma City who swore to keep the team in Seattle (but did everything they could to move them). Unless some sort of miracle happens, and happens quickly, they ARE going to OKC.

We didn't go to any games this year. Watched a few minutes of some of them on TV, but that is it. It is/was too painful--the team we love being ripped away from us. It was very intelligently thought out--I'll give them that. So that they could claim the city didn't care about the team, they traded away ALL our experienced players and superstars. We DID draft the Rookie of the year(who will be a perennial all star), but we traded away all the talent around him so that we would suck. And we did. Worst record in the history of the franchise, second worst record in the entire league. Team threw up stinker games right and left, got blown out a LOT. Attendance lagged. Goal accomplished.

To keep those fans who didn't go to games for whatever reason from hearing about their team and getting to know the players, the team restricted all media interviews. Unlike every other year, they said interviews were ONLY available in ONE 15 minute slot after practice. 15 minutes total for the entire team. No more radio appearances, no more one-on-one interviews--only this one small time slot. We didn't hear from the players, we don't know anything about them (since they are almost all new to Seattle). Goal accomplished.

The last game of the season.

We went to the game, saw lots of great signs and banners, lots of enthusiastic people. The team came all out and played well. Very well. Against a good, playoff bound team. Throughout the game, whenever there were freethrows or other quiet moments, the entire crowd chanted "save our sonics", or alternately 'Bennett sucks'. We were loud. My throat hurts. The game was exciting, close in score, and we came back to score the final 10 points of the game, holding Dallas scoreless for the final 3 minutes, and we won. That building has never been so loud. Everyone was on their feet for one last go. The game ended (we thought), but they had to review the last play, so we waited while the referees watched the video replay. And all of us started yelling 'save our sonics', in a really cool, organized chant. They reviewed and reviewd, and we yelled and yelled. For almost 2 minutes. The players on both teams looked around and seemed in awe of the love this crowd has for this team. Seattle loves the Sonics. It is not that we don't love this TEAM, it is that a lot of us refused to go to games because we know the money is going to the thiefs from OKC, and we are not doing that.

The only possibly louder event of the evening was near the end of the first quarter when Gary Payton slipped into a seat near the Dallas bench. People saw him, and the cheering began. At the next timeout, the announcer acknowledged him, and he got a standing ovation like you wouldn't believe. They started the game up again, but we were still all cheering for Gary. He is a Seattle legend, and this was quite possibly his last public appearance here. His last chance to watch the Sonics play. I only wish he would have officially retired already, so we could retire his jersey here. It deserves to be in the rafters of the Key. He has already said that he will NOT go to OKC if they want to retire his jersey after the team moves. Gotta give him some respect for that.

So, the Sonics went out in the most fitting way. If they have to leave, this is how it should be. With a packed stadium screaming their heads off as the team comes from behind to beat a playoff contender. When Kevin Durant broke away and slammed it home with 14.3 seconds left in the game, the crowd went wild and I know I had tears in my eyes. This is how it should end, if it must end at all.

Ethan and I will be back next month for the next Storm season. With an all star lineup that is not to be believed, we must be the all out favorites to win another championship. We won the last Olympics year, so maybe it is our time again. I know I will see the Key again, and we won't ever have to give up THESE tickets, but I would be all over the Sonics again if they stayed.

Too good to be true

I was excited to hear that we may be related somehow to Sacagawea. Ancestry.com has a feature to see if you are related to anyone famous, and we never come up with any famous relatives. So sad. So I started searching. Starting with Sacagawea herself. Turns out she had two kids--a girl who died as a child, and a son, Jean Baptiste. Her son lived into his 60's and had a pretty cool life, travelling the world, but never married, never had any kids. Did lots of expeditions and exploring instead. So, as it turns out we are NOT related. But I got to play on the internet, so all is well.

I had fun looking all of this up. SOme info is on the ancestry.com website, and some from other areas across the web. I found wikipedia.com to be helpful, since Sacagawea is famous and they have a listing for both her and her son.

Come on, people--give me some info to go look up!!

I remember hearing something about being related to someone who helped make the Liberty Bell, on Papa's side of the family (I think). Anyone with any more info about that??

All done

A teensy bit of venting, and all will be better.


I am DONE. No more medical issues. None at all. Between the two of us, Ethan and I have or have had 7 different diagnoses (if you count his knees separately, which I do). The most recent of which had us in the ER. No more.

January first, neither of us carried any medical diagnosis. We were young and healty. Now, we are falling apart. Like those cars that work fine until you hit 50,001 miles and the warranty expires and the next thing you know the engine falls off. We hit thirty and our bodies lost their everloving minds and started to self destruct.

Yes, we are fine. No, we don't need to go into specifics about what is going on. Just irritating and expensive and a little scary at times. And new to us. And irritating.


D O N E

All future medical problems should refer themselves elsewhere, as we are no longer accepting new issues.

Rising airline costs combined with the recent chapter 11 filings of two Hawaiian servicing airlines has caused us to book our flights to Hawaii early.

So.

We are heading out! September 2008! Still need to book a hotel for Honolulu for 2 nights, but other than that we are set.

For our Mazatlan trip coming up in 2 weeks, I just bought some snorkel fins off of eBay for Ethan. He has a hard time getting fins that fit (size 14 shoes), and just ends up stuffing his feet into the biggest ones they have available, usually ending up with a blister or at least sore feet. So, I found some supersize, big enough and cheap enough fins that we can just bring along with us. I am going to run back to CostCo to get a set of fins/snorkel/mask for myself (they carry them up to size 11-13 for men, but I am sick of Ethan having to stuff himself into too small shoes, so he gets the special treatment). Then I will find a mask/snorkel for Ethan and we are good to go. I figure that we will snorkel enough in our lives (once or twice a year, multiple times each vacation if we have our own access to snorkels), and the equipment isn't really big, easy enough to pack (we are not heavy packers). Might as well spend a couple bucks and have our own stuff.


Mazatlan is a little special because Ethan will have his knee surgery less than a week after we get back. So we are going to have a lot of fun and make enough memories to get him through the boredom of the week he has to take off of work. We are going to do the second surgery either this summer (depending on how the first surgery goes as well as how Harborview's new building opening goes) or after we get back from Hawaii in September. We want to get it all done this year, as soon as we can.

In other news, all is well with the Amersons. Lots of little medical things going on with the both of us, but nothing we won't get through together. This is the first year that we will both meet our deductible for our insurance!! It is only $200, so it is not much but we never usually go to the doctor and never end up meeting the deductible. Woohoo???

Kitties are doing fine....house is still standing.......

I have been doing lots of fun scrapping in my scrap room, making slow but sure progress on my Australia album (I cannot believe it has been 6 months since I was there!)

Speaking of Australia, I have become a little obsessed with going back there with Ethan. I am earmarking every single airline mile we have for a couple plane tickets to Sydney. Ethan must snorkel over the GBR. He must. And those plane tickets are spendy, so airline miles are the way to go!!

Speaking of obsessions.....I have a thing for Blue Diamond smoked almonds. So good! I have a CostCo tub of them and I just love them so much. I tried some generic smoked almonds and they tasted icky, so go with the Blue Diamonds!

Another new obsession is playing the travel IQ game on tripadvisor.com. Basically, there is a map of the world (Or asia or europe or something like that), and it pops up with a city name or a famous place and you have to click as fast as you can and as close as you can to that city or place. You get points for how close you are and some for how fast you are. I forgot how much I love maps and geography and all things like that. I play and play. I still suck at Australia, but I am doing okay on most of the others. Go check it out!!

Where are YOU from?

I have recently rekindled my interest in geneology. Did you know that Grandjack was at least 1/4 Luxembourgean?? As in from Luxembourg, the teeny tiny country next to Germany?? I didn't. I have traced parts of his ancestry back to the 1600's (no famous relatives yet...but I will let you know if I DO find any).

In continuing this search, I am asking for any and all info you might have about my forebearers. Meaning--full names, birth dates (even approximate), birth states/countries. Marriage dates/years/locations. Death dates/states. Every little bit helps. I have Grandjack back to his Great, great, great, great, great grandparents (well, a couple of them...), but almost no info for Grammie's side. And nothing at all on the Cooper side. (Other than the names Earl and Virginia).

Help me out! I will share all the info I have, if you are interested.

Ethan and I have finished season 5 of Star Trek:TNG, and are awaiting season 6. According to our blockbuster queue, there is a very long wait for this next season...so it may be a while. For all the uninitiated, here is a video that educates you on the episodes for each season. And, no, that is not Ethan's voice. He is not so much of a public singer.

What did you do this weekend?

Yesterday, Ethan and I added ourselves to the national bone marrow registry, and you should too.



Wanna be sure that if there is someone out there whose life you can save....you will be notified?? Now I know. If I can save a life, I will be given the chance to do so. Pretty cool, huh?

It costs $25-50 to be put onto the registry, and you stay there until you are 61. If a match comes up, they contact you and you learn a lot more about the process and have the opportunity to change your mind if your circumstances or health no longer make this a good idea. The odds of someone matching you are very small.....but how cool would it be to be able to donate!?

My husband rocks

Ethan was nominated for an award through the UW.....by the directer of all of engineering. The award was for someone who embodies the UW's values of integrity, diversity, excellence, collaboration, innovation and respect. He did not win the award, but just imagine that YOUR husband had this letter written by his boss. Could I be more proud???


It is my distinct pleasure to nominate Mr. Ethan Amerson for the David B. Thorud Leadership award. He currently serves as the supervisor at Harborview Medical Center's Department of Facilities and Engineering in the Lock Shop. While many in my department are exemplary employees, I believe Mr. Amerson fully embodies Harborview's mission and is a wonderful hospital ambassador to the general public.

Late last year, our Lock Shop went through a period of wrenching staff upheaval. Through it all, Mr. Amerson remained above the fray in both temperament and work product. Given the stressful situation, Mr. Amerson continued to perform in his typical calm and courteous manner and when called upon to step up to a leadership role, assumed new responsibilities in our time of turbulence like a seasoned professional. While I am unable to flesh out many details of this time period, please know that Mr. Amerson's efforts were not trivial in the least. He was able to remain mindful in the face of adversity.

Mr. Amerson typifies the kind of employee who inspires others around him. He unofficially serves as a mentor to other African-American employees in our department, often younger people than he who are beginning to carve out their careers based, in part, on his advice. He is wise beyond his years. As a Viet Nam era veteran and the father of a soldier who is currently serving his third mission as a helicopter pilot in Iraq, I'd follow Mr. Amerson up any hill. My belief in his skill set and in his intrinsic compassion are unqualified. He is truly a gifted locksmith who possesses a heart of gold. Those who work above and below him in the chain of command agree.

Like many other applicants who I suspect have been nominated for this award, Mr. Amerson is an employee who comes early and stays late, if the need be. He treats each request and requester with the same amount of respect-whether it is a clerical worker who locks her keys inside her desk or a King County medical examiner with a malfunctioning lock in the morgue or a psychiatric patient who has his clothes locked inside a closet. He accepts job assignments cheerfully and volunteers to help other shops within our department. Because of the nature of his work, he often interacts with those in our Door Shop, Machine Shop, Carpentry Shop, etc. He successfully collaborates and provides solutions for complex problems without hubris or guile. Mr. Amerson is like a breath of fresh air.

QUOTES FROM CLIENTS AT THE HOSPITAL HE HAS HELPED. EVERYONE LOVES HIM AND THEY'LL GIVE QUOTES IF WE CALL.

In closing, I'd like to reiterate how important Mr. Amerson is to the smooth functioning of our department, in particular, and to the hospital, in general. He displays the highest level of ethical performance, he is a natural leader who commands the respect of others, and he is trusted to operate at top levels of hospital security. I'm a luck director to have him in my department.

Sincerely,

Mark Olson
Administrative Director
Facilities and Engineering Services

Massive irritation

A little work-related fuming.

I requested (in OCTOBER of last year), time off in September 2008 for our trip to Hawaii. My ortho manager approves vacations...but is a bit absentminded and disorganized. When I turn in vacation slips to him, I wait a couple weeks then ask him if he has seen them and if I was approved. All I generally get is an 'oh, you're fine', and off I go. When I went to Australia--I got an' oh, you're fine' and went. I am supposed to get a copy of the request back for my records, but that never happens. Never. Not in the 2 years I have been working this UDF job.

So. I turn this slip in, along with some single days off I knew I needed for February and March. I wait awhile. I ask him about them...he says 'oh, you're fine'. I book the trip.

Now, SIX MONTHS LATER, I am being told that I was NOT approved, and that someone else already has the time off. Apparently, the 'oh you're fine' was to only mean the single days off, and not the big trip. AND, this someone is NOT hired as a UDF, works as a fill-in person for my days off, but is NOT officially hired into the position (and therefore should not count as being a UDF who is off on vacation--she was never hired!! She is an RN who fills in!).

This all came out the afternoon before my manager left on a 3 week vacation of his own, so he is not here for me to talk to and work things out. The assistant managers are telling me all this stuff.

Bottom line--I am going. Trip is booked, not my fault if they forgot that I was told that I was approved. Basically, the manager approves UDF vacations (me), and the assistant managers approve RN vacations. An assistant manager approved the RN-who-fills-in-as-UDF vacation, and is telling me I can't go. Not gonna happen--I am going.

To top this all off, today I am told that my April vacation (to Mazatlan), is not being approved. I turned it in a few weeks ago, but pulled it out of the manager's box to give to the assistant managers since this whole snafu with the September vacation happened. I told him that I had checked, and there were NO UDFs off at this time, no problems, and easy approval. This morning, they tell me that there are 2 floor RNs off, and I can't be approved. Since the policy has been 1 UDF off at a time, not paying any attention to the RNs who are off, this is crap. I am going. Already have plane tickets and hotel reserved. Going. I did my pary--checked to be sure there was no conflict with other UDFs, even spoke with a fill-in person to see if she wanted to cover some of my days off. You can't just change policy without telling people. No other UDFs are off....so I am going!!!!

Another layout from the scrapbook convention. I love the colors in these papers! Especially the pink, and I am SOOO not a pink person. (from the Basic Grey: latest and greatest class)

I cut out a flower shape from the side of the picture so I could put some journaling behind it. An idea I adapted from another layout we saw at the convention.

One of the layouts from one of my scrapping classes. THe pictures I brought totally worked with the colors! You never know, since they don't tell you what papers they are doing. I think it turned out well!

All the loot I ended up with...lots of cardstock, some alphas, lots of flowers, brads, bling.....Not much that I didn't say I needed!!!