Hi, ladies! Faye, I think you have inspired me to start swimming again. I need to go get a new suit over the weekend. God knows we pay enough for pool maintenance with the master association that someone should use it. I could swim on the days I don't do Curves. We have an adult swim time in the evening that I enjoy. Fortunately the pounds we gain when we "overindulge" seem to come off quickly if we get right back on track. I had a fight with a bag of pretzels for 3 days recently - the salt did me in but I finally got smart and threw them out and the 2.5 pounds I gained came right back off.

Had quilting bee last night - always fun to get together with my friends and quilt and gossip.

Faye, when Stan first went to rehab he started theraphy at 7 am, had a 45 minute break for breakfast, then and 1 hour for lunch and ended at 5 pm. The intense theraphy really helps.

I'm thinking of buying a new laptop before I retire. Dell has a great one for only $499. We ordered one to use as a "on-the-road" computer they guys can take when they are traveling so I've seen it. Its all se for wifi and everything and you can play DVD movies on it so Stan could take it to dialysis with him and watch a movie. It's just spending the money. I think there is a way I can buy it through the company and use pretax dollars.

Have a great day!

Good morning gals! Hope all is well with everyone today!

I started Tom's sweater and found out that ICK it is a huge bulky thing (you use double strands of yarn) so after having put the bottom ribbing and one row of stockinette on, I tore the thing all out and went looking for a different pattern that I can use this yarn I bought. I found a striped one that I can make solid by just ignoring the stitch pattern, but will have to fool with the gauge swatch until I get the right needles for my size yarn. {{{SIGH}}} Nothing is ever easy. He would have hated the sweater and why spend all those $$$ on something he wouldn't wear.

Susan: We bought our laptop new on EBAY in early 2005 and we take it everywhere with us. I am able to keep up with bank account and credit card info (I am obsessive about it nowadays) and you can watch movies and play music if you wish. We even take it on vacation so we can email people and such and it is great to get directions for restaurants you don't know where they are, etc. We have definitely gotten our money's worth. As far as Stan is concerned, if you feel the laptop is too much expense at the moment, get him a little portable dvd player to take with him to dialysis. I think we paid less than a $100 for ours and it is lightweight and very portable. It uses electricity or can use the cigarette lighter adapter in the car and I believe the one we have you can use batteries in it as well. We take it on trips with us too. You can use earphones with it so you don't disturb others also, which is a great addition.

Oh my gosh, my older sister is about to drive me around the bend. I am trying very hard not to have to get confrontational with her as I am not good at that at all, but her calling incessently is going to have to stop. She called something like 6 times to our cell phone when we were on our way to Indiana, then called 1-2 times a day at the hospital and called everyday at Jay and Alicia's. On Wed of last week, Jack and I got in this huge fight about her then my dil and son got in the act and I finally had enough and left the house. Jack and I got it solved between us about what we decided to do, but I got mouth from the dil about it that I didn't appreciate very much. Now last night my sister called here. I am sure she called my cell phone too to try and track us down, but I have it turned off and she doesn't have Jack's cell phone number because I plain don't want her to have it. I was not in the mood to talk to her so I turned off the answering machine and just let it ring. I am sure she is going to call this morning wanting to know where we weree. I have decided rather than taking the defensive and start explaining to say things like "Just out and about, etc." If she keeps on about exactly where I am going to flat out ask her why she wants to know. Everyone pretty much wants me to tell her off, but I am trying to avoid getting too in her face because I don't want it causing problems with other family members and cause strife at holiday functions and stuff. I am not the only one who has to put up with this, though. She does this to her kids too and the dd has told her off repeatedly, but to no avail. That is one of the reasons I haven't gotten up the guts and done it because she just doesn't get it. So, we shall see what happens today.

I guess I better go and finish the downstairs chores so I can go out and swim in an hour then come back and finish the vacuuming and dusting upstairs so I have a clean house again.

Have a good Friday and a good weekend. Guess Jean will be home on Sunday. Hope she had a good time.

Faye

Faye, your sister must have some problems that make her feel she has to live her life through everyone else. Doesn't she do things on her own? It's sad to be so needy you make everyone angry.

Stan is back in the hospital. His arm swelled up huge yesterday and the doctor said get him to emergency and they would send the nurse practioner down to check him. Emergency was so backed up it took 3 hours for them to have a vacant room to put him in, but within 5 minutes the nurse practioner was there, followed 2 minutes later by the surgeon and 3 minutes after him his nephrologist arrived. They decided he needed surgery to get the lymphocell cleaned out and they wanted to wait until after he had a dialysis treatment today so he's at the end of Dr. Glickman's surgical schedule and who knows what time that will be. They still haven't moved him to a room because the hospital is full. I'm thinking they may do the surgery and send him home in a couple of hours. Of course, I already had to threaten the ER nurse this morning with calling the patient advocate and the doctors. She said she didn't know anything about dialysis this morning and it wasn't necessary to have it today, he could just resume his regular schedule on Monday. There is no way he can go 5-1/2 days without a treatment, especially since that catheter is failing. I told her she obviously was ill informed about dialysis and she needed to get the Dr. B and Dr. G on the phone and get it straight or have the surgery cancelled and I'd take him to his regular treatment tonight after I called my attorney about the hospital's refusal to provide him proper treatment. That got her attention. He's in dialysis now.

I came on to work since dialysis is 4 hours. I don't expect Dr. G will be done with his scheduled surgery before 2 or 3 so I can get my whole work day in and then go back.

Faye, I ordered the computer. They have individual TVs at the dialysis center but a DVD player would have to battery operated. I don't think I'll ever get a better price on one.

Well, got lots of work to do. Have a great weekend.