Magnificent on Monday

Date:                                          Monday, January 31st, 2011
Word of the Day:                       vulpine (VUHL\pahyn); cunning or crafty
Weight:                                      two hundred and six (206) pounds
Goal:                                          lose one hundred (100) pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose:                          seventy-four (74)
Waist Size:                                 forty-one (41) inches
Days until Royal Wedding:       eighty-eight (88)
Rowing Duration:                      first day

It is the last day of the month, time to finish up al of those things that you have been procrastinating, because I know you want to start the new month off fresh, just like me!

I didn't do much yesterday, I did go to the funeral parlour to pay my respects to David and his family, there was alot of people there, most likely, because there was only the one (1) day to pay your respects.

I'm not feeling well, yet again, I think the kidney stone really is going to be a problem today and because of that, I'm cutting this post short, I'm really feeling unwell.  I hope that all of you are feeling well.

Have a good day and take care.

Topics coming soon:

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Sunday Sabath

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Date:                                         Sunday, January 30th, 2011
Word of the Day:                     cacoethes(kak\oh\EE\theez); an irresistible urge; mania
Weight:                                      two hundred and six (206) pounds
Goal:                                          seventy-four (74)
Waist Size:                                forty-one (41) inches
Days until Royal Wedding:      eighty-nine (89)
Rowing Duration:                     hopefully soon

Good day, I hope you are all well on this beautiful Sunday day.  I'm not bad, and considering how I have been recently, this is indeed good news.

It seems the effects of the steroids that I took while I was in Gainesville, Florida are beginning to wear off, my feet, legs and body have gone done considerably, it is only the feet and legs that are still swollen, and they're not too swollen, I can now put on a pair of shoes.

I'm not completely out of the woods regarding my health, I still have the kidney stones that are sooner or later going to wreck some havoc, and pain, on me, but for now, I'm doing okay, I really don't like to tempt the fates!!!

I will be going this afternoon to pay my respects to my neighbour whose son, David, passed away on Friday, it will be a sad day, but I put my faith in God,  and trust that he has a very good reason for calling David home.

Last night after dinner, I was feeling pretty good so I suggested to Zac that we go out to a movie, and to my surprise, Zac wanted to go, so Zac, Judy and I went off to see the movie "The Green Hornet" in 3D, starring Seth Rogen, who is a very, funny man.  The movie also starred Cameron Diaz who is a knockout!, but I felt Christoph Waltz, who is also in the movie,  you may remember he was so excellent in the film "Inglorious Bastards" and won a Best Supporting Academy Award for that film, I felt Mr. Waltz  was not used to his potential in this movie and was kind of wasted, oh well, I guess you can't always bat a thousand!, especially if you're not me!!!!

Naturally, on a Saturday night the movie house was packed, I believe it was sold out, but we still managed to get good seats.  The movie was quite funny and I enjoyed it alot, as did Zac and Judy.  Our neighbour, April, babysat Winter, just in case you were wondering about her.

I expect to resume my rowing tomorrow, I have not rowed since we left Gainesville, Florida, and am feeling quite out of shape, (that could be because Efrem you are out of shape!,) anyway, this past week I have been building up my strength by going up and down the stairs, not all of them, say seventy (70) percent of them,  so I think I will be ready by tomorrow, at least I hope I'll be able to do it, I've missed Cruella.

As you know, I do think of myself as a writer, it's true I'm not a published writer, unless you count this blog, but I am a writer regardless, and a writer that I really admire is Anton Chekhov whose birthday it would have been today, so I would like to salute him and tell you a little bit about him.

First off, I want to publicly state that I know alot of you are cognizant that Chekhov is famous for his plays, and they are excellent,  I mean, Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard and Three sisters border on genius, they're brilliant, I have even acted in a couple of these plays, but I think Chekhov's short stories, especially "The Lady with the Dog," prove that story writing is where Chekhov's real talent and strength lay, "The Lady with the Dog" is probably the best story I have ever read, and if you haven't read it, you should, twice!

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov,Russian: Антон Павлович Чехов (Russian)  (29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian short-story writer, playwright and physician, considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers in the history of world literature.  Chekhov's career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics.  Chekhov practiced as a doctor throughout most of his literary career: "Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress."  I bet there are alot of you out there learning this for the first time,  that I what I'm here for, to provide you with interests and to give you information that you may not have known before!

Dr. Chekhov renounced the theatre after the disastrous reception of The Seagull in 1896; but the play was revived to acclaim in 1898 by Constantin Stanislavsky's Moscow Art Theatre, which subsequently also produced Uncle Vanya and premiered Chekhov’s last two plays, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard. These four works present a challenge to the acting ensemble as well as to audiences, because in place of conventional action Chekhov offers a "theatre of mood" and a "submerged life in the text."

Chekhov had at first written stories only for financial gain, but as his artistic ambition grew, he made formal innovations which have influenced the evolution of the modern short story.  His originality consists in an early use of the stream-of-consciousness technique, later adopted by James Joyce and other modernists, combined with a disavowal of the moral finality of traditional story structure.  Chekhov made no apologies for the difficulties this posed to readers, insisting that the role of an artist was to ask questions, not to answer them. 

Anton Chekhov once remarked "Our talents we got from our father,"  "but our soul from our mother."  

Chekhov attended a school for Greek boys, followed by the Taganrog gymnasium, now renamed the Chekhov Gymnasium, where he was kept down for a year at fifteen for failing a Greek exam.  Chekhov sang at the Greek Orthodox monastery in Taganrog and in his father's choirs. In a letter of 1892, he used the word "suffering" to describe his childhood and recalled:

When my brothers and I used to stand in the middle of the church and sing the trio "May my prayer be exalted", or "The Archangel's Voice", everyone looked at us with emotion and envied our parents, but we at that moment felt like little convicts."

In 1882,  Chekhov assumed responsibility for the whole family.  To support them and to pay his tuition fees, he wrote daily short, humorous sketches and vignettes of contemporary Russian life, many under pseudonyms such as "Antosha Chekhonte" (Антоша Чехонте) and "Man without a Spleen" (Человек без селезенки). Chekhov's  prodigious output gradually earned him a reputation as a satirical chronicler of Russian street life, and by 1882 he was writing for Oskolki (Fragments), owned by Nikolai Leikin, one of the leading publishers of the time.  Chekhov's tone at this stage was harsher than that familiar from his mature fiction.

In 1884, Chekhov qualified as a physician, which he considered his principal profession though he made little money from it and treated the poor for free.   In 1884 and 1885, Chekhov found himself coughing blood, and in 1886 the attacks worsened; but he would not admit tuberculosis to his family and friends, confessing to Leikin, "I am afraid to submit myself to be sounded by my colleagues." Chekhov continued writing for weekly periodicals, earning enough money to move the family into progressively better accommodation.   Early in 1886 Chekhov was invited to write for one of the most popular papers in St. Petersburg, Novoye Vremya (New Times), owned and edited by the millionaire magnate Alexey Suvorin, who paid per line a rate double Leikin's and allowed him three times the space.  Suvorin was to become a lifelong friend, perhaps Chekhov's closest.

The death of Chekhov's brother Nikolai from tuberculosis in 1889 influenced A Dreary Story, finished that September, about a man who confronts the end of a life which he realizes has been without purpose.  This story influences me tremendously because I so much want to leave my mark on this world, and I want my life to have purpose, and not just in my eyes!

By May 1904, Chekhov was terminally ill with tuberculosis.   Mikhail Chekhov recalled that "everyone who saw him secretly thought the end was not far off, but the nearer [he] was to the end, the less he seemed to realise it."  On 3 June Chekhov set off with his wife Olga for the German spa town of Badenweiler in the Black Forest, from where he wrote outwardly jovial letters to his sister Masha describing the food and surroundings and assuring her and his mother that he was getting better.   In his last letter, he complained about the way the German women dressed, I love that fact, can you imagine?

Chekhov’s death has become one of "the great set pieces of literary history", retold, embroidered, and fictionalised many times since, notably in the short story Errand by Raymond Carver.   In 1908, Olga wrote this account of her husband’s last moments:

Anton sat up unusually straight and said loudly and clearly (although he knew almost no German): Ich sterbe ("I'm dying"). The doctor calmed him, took a syringe, gave him an injection of camphor, and ordered champagne.   Anton took a full glass, examined it, smiled at me and said: "It's a long time since I drank champagne."   Chekhov drained it, lay quietly on his left side, and I just had time to run to him and lean across the bed and call to him, but he had stopped breathing and was sleeping peacefully as a child.

Chekhov’s body was transported to Moscow in a refrigerated railway car for fresh oysters, a detail which offended Gorky.   Some of the thousands of mourners followed the funeral procession of a General Keller by mistake, to the accompaniment of a military band.   Chekhov was buried next to his father at the Novodevichy Cemetery.


There is the assumption that stories ought to conclude in a way that we recognise.  In so doing we raise the question of our own fitness as readers.  Where the tune is familiar and the end emphatic, lovers united, villains discomfited, intrigues exposed, as it is in most Victorian fiction, we can scarcely go wrong, but where the tune is unfamiliar and the end a note of interrogation or merely the information that they went on talking, as it is in Tchekov, we need a very daring and alert sense of literature to make us hear the tune, and in particular those last notes which complete the harmony, or in other words, CHEKHOV!!, a hero of literature of mine.

I realize that some things I write about do not interest everyone, that is because we are all different people, thank goodness, but I do try to pick topics that are varied,  even if I do write about a plethora of things that interest me personally. 

Yesterday, I included bits of an article that discussed what men find attractive in women.  I selected this article because I know that my audience is comprised of mostly women and I thought you would find this interesting.  However, I did not receive any comments on this topics and I was a little disappointed. 

Now, it could be that you are all busy, it is the weekend, or perhaps you were disgusted with the bit, regardless, I am trying to reach you and I enjoy getting feedback on my posts, so please remember that when you read my blog.  Do take a minute, now and then, (you don't have to provide feedback on every post,) to let me know what you think of my post and of my blog, I really appreciate it.


I hope you all have a great Sunday and take care.

Topics coming soon:

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Selective on Saturday

Date:                                                Saturday, January 29th, 2011
Word of the Day:                              rakish (REY\kish); smart; jaunty; dashing; like a rake; dissolute
Weight:                                             two hundred and six (206) pounds
Goal:                                                lose one hundred (100) pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose:                                 seventy-four (74)
Waist Size:                                       forty-one (41) inches
Days until Royal Wedding:               ninety (90)        
Rowing Duration:                             sick

I am still suffering with a kidney stone, but at least the medication that Dr. Alladin provided me with is working, however, I wish they would still get me into the hospital so that all of these kidney stones I'm carrying can be removed by a surgeon.

The weather has been okay for me these past few days, the snow is nice to see, but on the whole, I still would rather be looking at the ocean from somewhere like Florida, shall we say.

I am a little sad today, my neighbour, who is a friend, her name is April, well, April's son died yesterday.  April's son, David, was special, I think he was Autistic and he only had one lung.  Last week David developed an pneumonia which put him in the hospital.


David seemed to be improving and the hospital released him on Wednesday, but on Friday morning, yesterday, April got a call from the hospital saying she better get there immediately, which April did, and David died shortly thereafter.   There is going to be a private funeral for David on Sunday, following the visitation rights earlier in the afternoon.  We'll miss you David, you were very, very special!

I got quite upset when I told a relative of mine of David's passing, and remarked that he was Autistic, my relative retorted, "Oh you mean he was retarded!," to which I yelled back, "No, he was Autistic!" I hate the word retarded and feel people should ban this word from their vocabulary, for me, it's right up there with the N word!

Zac and I did go to dinner with John John last night to celebrate his birthday of about ten (10) days ago, we went to the restaurant "Borealis" and we had a nice time there, I had steak, Zac had fish and chips, and John John had the prime rib, all of the food was excellent.

After dining at the Borealis Restaurant, we went back home wherein we had cake and ice cream for dessert, gosh, Zac sure knows how to select good cakes from grocery stores!

I was reading an old Time magazine and I briefly read that in order for people to get jobs these days, they are resorting to new tactics such as going under the knife.  Yup, it's true, people are getting plastic surgery these days to enhance/improve their looks because they believe if they look better, they stand a better chance of getting the job, and for many, it is working!   If you’re one of the many who probably think this is a bad thing, hey, it’s not as disturbing as the female Chinese students who are eating roundworm eggs to be thin for job interviews, is it?

And for my female readers who are wondering about the male element's desires of a woman, I am now going to list for you the ten things that men find desirable in a women, as you all know, I am an expert on this subject, okay, get ready, here goes:

1.    Moderate neuroticism;  Women suffer more from anxiety disorders than men do, and studies show that excessively anxious (or highly neurotic) women report less satisfaction with their relationships than women who score lower on this trait. At the same time, some scientists have hypothesized that moderate levels of neuroticism may actually be attractive, as they imply that a woman will be a good mother, concerned for the welfare of her children. As for what to do if you’re already in a relationship with a neurotic partner, research suggests that having more sex can help salvage your relationship.

2.    She wears RED!;  We all know that red is the color traditionally associated with love, sex and romance, but a study by Andrew Elliot and Daniela Niesta proposes that our interest in this color may actually have a biological basis.  The idea is less wacky than it seems, as plenty other species use this color as a marker for mating.


3.   Waist-to-hip ratio;   There is a magic number when it comes to the ratio between a woman's waist and hips that men find most exciting.   In the Western world, that number is 0.7, which means that the circumference of a woman's waist is 70% the circumference of her hips.  In other cultures, slightly lower or slightly higher ratios have been found to be attractive to men from those cultures.   From an evolutionary perspective, a ratio under 0.6 may signal hips that are not well suited to childbirth, and a ratio in excess of 0.8 could suggest fertility difficulties related to being overweight.

4.  Bodily Attractiveness;  A 2010 study by Jaime Confer, Carin Perilloux and David Buss claims that when guys are told to look at photos of a woman and think about her as a short-term dating prospect, men indicate that a woman's body is more of a priority to them than her face.  The idea here is that when cavemen were pursuing a short-term mating strategy, body cues, such as whether a potential sexual partner appeared fertile or was already pregnant, would have alerted a man as to whether getting busy would be worthwhile (genetically speaking).  The translation is that for modern men seeking a one-night stand, a hot body counts.

5.   Large eyes and a balanced mouth;  Substantial research points toward the notion that men find large eyes appealing on women.  The reason is that while such a feature may serve as an indicator of femininity, it has also been linked to long-term health and reproductive potential.  Furthermore, Michael Cunningham’s studies on physical attractiveness have found that men perceive an ideal female mouth as one that, at mouth level, is 50% the width of the face.

6.   Agreeableness and ability to empathize;  A study by Daniel Nettle at the University of Newcastle in the United Kingdom (UK) found that on a questionnaire of personality differences, women rated significantly higher than men on scales measuring empathy.   Furthermore, this study suggests that empathy may be considered a form of agreeableness.  When theorizing on the origins of this sex difference, the researcher hypothesizes that for our ancestors, the ability to create and maintain social alliances may have been relatively more important for women than for men in order to help ensure the survival of their offspring. In the modern world, that means men may find women who are extroverted, agreeable and highly empathic more appealing than women who exhibit these traits to a lesser degree.

7.   She's OVULATING!;  A large body of research has examined the notion that humans are capable of unconsciously detecting a wide range of bodily chemicals (not just pheromones) that signal a potential mate's reproductive status.  A study published in 2009 by Saul Miller and Jon Maner had men sniff the dirty T-shirts of women at different phases of their menstrual cycle.   The scientists found that men smelling the shirts of women who were ovulating had higher testosterone levels than men who sniffed the shirts of non-ovulating women, suggesting that men are more drawn toward a woman when she is ovulating.  A further study by the same group, however, suggests that men in a relationship are more likely to rate an ovulating stranger as less attractive compared to single guys, emphasizing that other variables, such as the motivation to preserve your present relationship, can exert an influence over your desires and behavior.


8.   Self-Sacrificing;  A study published by Vladas Griskevicius of Arizona State University and his colleagues in 2007 demonstrated that women in a romantic state of mind are more likely than men to endorse volunteering or engaging in charitable deeds.  The catch, however, is that women indicated a preference for engaging in this self-sacrificing behavior in public places, suggesting perhaps an unconscious sexual motivation on their parts and the notion that men may find this trait appealing in a woman.

9.  She Appreciates YOU;  One of the major complaints men have in a long-term relationship is that they often feel criticized, as if nothing they do can please their partner.   In other words, they feel unappreciated, which (unsurprisingly) has consequences for their relationship and the couple's sex life. Conversely, research by marriage expert John Gottman has shown that partners who regularly show appreciation for each other report higher levels of overall satisfaction with their relationships.

10.   Facial attractiveness;   When pursuing a long-term mating strategy (that is, a serious, committed relationship), men zero in on a woman's face. In one recent study by researchers at the University of Austin at Texas, 75% of men told to favor a long-term mating strategy indicated that a woman’s face was a more important consideration to them than her body. While this news is perhaps not shocking, another study from the Kinsey Institute has revealed that during sex, compared to their female partners, men are more likely to initially look at their lover's face.   Together, these studies may offer some insight into why women spend significantly more time primping their faces by applying makeup and doing their hair than they do adorning their bodies.

For the record, I did not think these up, I copied them from a column I receive weekly.  I'm telling you this because I'm a little embarrassed of my sex, yes, sometimes my sex makes me feel so sad!

Well, I think I've given you plenty to digest, maybe one of you gals out there can give a list on what women find attractive in men, just for comparative reasons.


Have a great day and enjoy your weekend!


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Friday Friday

Date:                                                 Friday, January 28th, 2011
Word of the Day:                               jobbery (JOB\uh\ree); the conduct of public or official business for the sake of improper or private gain

Weight:                                             two hundred and six (206) pounds
Goal:                                                lose one hundred (100) pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose:                                 seventy-four (74)
Waist Size:                                       forty-one (41)
Days until Royal Wedding:               ninety-one (91) do you think they're getting nervous?
Rowing Duration:                             sick, big time

I am still sick with the kidney stone, but the medication that Dr. Alladin provided me with is helping, at least for now, I have a feeling, the stone will get worse and that once again, I will become something out of a horror movie.

I didn't do much yesterday because I wasn't feeling well, however, in the evening Zac called the kids in Gainesville, Florida so after he chatted with them, I also talked with them to see how they were doing.

Raphael is doing well but Jessie had an upset stomach, although she doesn't like to complain about it,  she really is a plucky little soldier, alas Sally, as usual, was at a swim practice, although we called Biff's house later and did manage a conversation with her. 

This evening, Zac and I are going to go celebrate John John's birthday of a week ago, we were supposed to go last Friday, but due to my stone, I was unable to go, I hope that nothing happens and that we do manage to go out to dinner tonight.

My sister Judy surprised us yesterday by dropping in, she had a bag with her so I suspect that she is planning to stay for a few days, that's nice, we never get sick of seeing Judy.  Winter just went absolutely crazy when she saw Judy, they have a real love affair going, and no, Winter is not a lesbian, I know none of you care about Winter's sexual orientation, but I just thought I would mention it. 

Did you know that on this day in 1754, Horace Walpole coined the word "serendipity."  Okay, you don't find that too fascinating.  I do, because, although I like to call our cottage on the lake by another name, the official name that Zac gave it, and he did buy the island so I guess that entitles him to give it it's name.

Anyway, the name Zac gave the island is "SERENDIP" which is an anagram of "RED PINES," and the island, to which our cottage on the lake resides, has quite alot of "RED PINES" on it, so you see, there is method in my madness, but have no doubt,  I am still somewhat mad.

Back to Horace Walpole,  in one of Mr. Walpole's letters, of which there were more than three thousand (3,000,) Mr. Walpole explained that the root of "serendipity" is taken from "The Three Princes of  "Serendip," a Perisian fairytale about Princes who were always making "discoveries," by accidents and sagacity of things which they were not in quest of.   Past serendipitous discoveries include X-Rays, helium and LSD, and I'm sure we all have serendipitous discoveries in our closet, or other parts of the house.


For the record and for your possible curiosity,  most authors who have studied scientific "serendipity" both in a historical, as well as in an epistemological point of view,  agree that a prepared and open mind is required on the part of the scientist or inventor to detect the importance of information revealed accidentally.   

The word "serendipity" has been voted as one of the ten English words that were hardest to translate in June 2004 by a British translation company.   However, due to its sociological use, the word has been imported into many other languages, I love the word, but have to confess I have never used it any of my written works, I must correct that oversight!!!

Well people, believe it or not, The Camden Plus, is still out of commission, as DELL is sending someone to look at my computer in person, they were supposed to come today, but just called and said that they will not be coming until tomorrow, can you believe this service?  Next time, I'm getting an APPLE, even if they do cost alot more.

That's all I have for today, you did it, the weekend is almost here.   Have a great one, be safe, and don't take any wooden nickels, however, if you do get a wooden nickel, please forward it to me, I'm thinking of starting a collection!  Oh yeah, one more thing, read the blog "Juice Bag and other tales from an elementary Teacher," as this blog will lift your spirits and renew your belief in the power of our children.  Trust me, it is a really good blog.

Topics coming soon:

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Tsk, Tsk, Thursday

Date:                                                     Thursday, January 27th, 2011
Word of the Day:                                    gung-ho(GUHNG\HO); wholeheartedly enthusiastic and loyal; eager; zealous; in a successful manner

Weight:                                                  two hundred and six (206) pounds
Goal:                                                     lose one hundred (100) pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose:                                       seventy-four (74) pounds
Waist Size:                                             forty-one (41) inches
Days until Royal Weddingt:                   ninety-two (92)
Rowing Duration:                                  sick leave

Here we go, it is the dress rehearsel day for the upcoming weekend, are you all ready for the weekend?  As for me, things do not look very good.

I am experiencing alot of pain,  even with taking a huge amount of dilaudid,  in my lower left back,  and Zac is afraid it is one of the kidney stones rearing its ugly head.  Consequently, I don't feel much like writing, I'm kind of surprised that I'm even writing this, but I did want to let you know what's going on.

Sorry for such a short post, I hope you are all having a much better day than I.   All the best and take care, please include me in your prayers, I really could use some divine assistance.

Topics coming soon:

Art
Politics
Cartoons

Wednesday, What a Day!

Date:                                       Wednesday, January 26th, 2011
Word of the Day:                     dharna(DAHR\nuh); In India, the practice of exacting justice or compliance with a just demand by sitting and fasting at the doorstep of an offender until death or until the demand is granted

Weight:                                    206 pounds
Goal:                                        lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose:                        74 pounds
Waist Size:                              forty-one (41) inches
Days until Royal Wedding:      ninety-three (93)
Rowing Duration:                    sick leave

I have alot on my mind today, and I don't know if I will get around to writing everything down here, but I certainly shall try.  I am glad so many of you enjoyed reading about "The Greenbrier Ghost,"  I really enjoyed reading it as well, and if any of you know any other stories (true) in that vein, please let me know about them, I would appreciate reading them.

Okay, yesterday I had a doctor's appointment, and consequently I was thinking more about it, then about the content of my blog, and as a result, I forgot to mention things that I had wanted to talk about yesterday, so, you guessed it, I am now going to write about some stuff that might already be old news to you, but, what can I say?

On Monday, I, like millions of other people, tuned into watching on television "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to find out the family secret Oprah Winfrey had been keeping.  It turns out that our beloved Oprah,  she's beloved to me,  has another half-sister, who is named Patricia. 

Ironically, Oprah already had a half-sister named Pat who died from a cocaine overdose in 2003.   Oprah grew up knowing about this deceased half-sister, Pat, as well as her half-brother named Jeff, who died from AIDS in 1989.

The reason that there are two half sisters with the same name is one of the half-sisters was given up at birth, which is a crux of our story, and Patricia was named by somebody outside Oprah's immediate family.

As some of you know, when Oprah Winfrey was a teenager, her mother, Veneeta Lee, sent her to live with her father, Vernon Winfrey (who lived in another state,) because Veneeta was having difficulty raising three (3) children and also felt Oprah was getting too wild and promiscuous.  While Oprah was living with Vernon, Veneeta became pregnant and gave birth to another baby girl in 1963, to which she gave the baby up as she felt by doing so, she would be able to get off of welfare.

Anyway, the baby girl that was given up was also named Patricia, as aforementioned, and had a rather difficult life being in and out of foster homes.  Patricia became a single mother of two children and always wondered about who her biological  family really was and set out to find her family.

Like alot of adopted children, many doors were closed to Patricia, and information was scarce and difficult to come by, but to make a long story short, Patricia, with the help of her grown-up children, did learn that her biological mother was Veneeta Lee and that Oprah Winfrey was her half-sister.

 I wonder if that moment of learning she was related to Oprah Winfrey ever scared Patricia, because in spite of the possible benefits of having a rich sister, it would dramatically change her life forever, and quite realistically her life will/would never be the same.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this story is that Oprah's half-sister,  Patricia,  found all of this out in 2007 and did not go to any media to reveal the truth about her family.  Patricia persevered in letting "the family" learn of her before any media, or us, would know about it before now.

Oprah and Veneeta learned of Patricia in October 2010,  and Oprah and her mother met Patricia, for the first time on the last American Thanksgiving Day.  The sisters are getting to know each other, but one thing that Oprah already really appreciates, as would I, about Patricia, is that Patricia is obviously a person of character, and she did not sell Oprah out, like so many others have, by selling her story,  Patricia kept it in the family, and I think that lady deserves alot of credit.


So now that I have spent nine (9) paragraphs writing about this stuff, I suspect that I will hear from alot of you stating you already knew this stuff, either because you watched it on television, like me, or that you heard it from the news media because the story really was everywhere!

Now, news about my doctor appointment from yesterday.  My general practitioner, Dr. Alladin, had the hospital report from my visit there last week,  as well as a copy of my ct scan that was taken to reveal the kidney stone that gave me so much trouble.  Evidently, the kidney stone that is now gone is just the beginning, let me explain.

The ct scan also shows that I have at least six (6) other kidney stones that at some time or another are going to give me trouble like the one that last week turned me into something out of the movie "The Exorcist."  Really the pain was so intense that I was not myself.

It is being arranged for me to go into hospital so that some of the rather large kidney stones that I will not be able to pass,  can be surgically removed, (why they don't, or won't remove all of the kidney stones is something that I will be asking,) hopefully, this will be done before any of those stones decide to make a nuisance of themselves.  Just in case one or more of the stones decides to visit before surgery can be arranged, Dr. Alladin has supplied me with some rather strong medication to help me combat the obvious pain that will occur.

Evidently, I am predestined to getting kidney stones because my medication, and you guessed it, the steroids cause alot of calcium buildup in me, and alot of calcium can cause one to get kidney stones.


I am trying not to whine about this, but the memory of the pain that was caused by the kidney stone is still fresh, and I am not looking forward to having to go through anything even remotely similar.  I also wish that my doctors could change my medication,  because I am so frustrated and upset about all of the other medical problems that ensue.   (I don't think the medications can be changed, I just wish that they can, you might too if you were me!)

I did have some positive news from the doctor.   Dr. Alladin did inform me that most of my weight gain is water retention,  and that with the help of using some water pills, I should lose most of the weight that I gained in Gainesville, Florida.  That really is encouraging and good news, and I am grateful!

I was so pleased that the temperature outside yesterday was not as brutal as it was on Monday, heck, I didn't even wear my ear muffs!

I don't suppose that what I'm about to say will give any of you too much a shock, but I am rather surprised that there still is alot of negative views towards women, and one that really gets my goat is the gender bias in writing.

Gender and ability bias in language doesn’t register for many people, but that’s often because many of them do not belong to the classes who have been subjected to the bias.   For example,  many writers persist in referring to our species, collectively, as man or mankind, even though several reasonable alternatives exist: the human race, humankind, and humanity.   Most (though not all) are men, does my disclosing this information mean I'm disloyal to my sex?

“Get over it” is a common counterargument to the assertion that because half of mankind is womankind, a gender-neutral alternative is more sensitive to that fact; man and mankind, the reasoning goes, have sufficed for most of recorded human history,  sorry, I mean “man history,”  and everybody knows it refers not just to the breadwinner, the man of the house, the king of the castle but also to the weaker sex, the little woman, the housewife.

Get my drift?  Get over it, indeed.  Man up, and join the human race.   One justification for opposing gender-neutral language is that it can be so cumbersome.  Why convolutedly change he, as a generic term, to “he or she,” or his to “his or her”?   We all know he or his can refer to a man or a woman, and English lacks an inclusive pronoun.   (Except that it doesn’t, but I’ll get to that in a moment.)


Yes, repetitious use of “he or she” or “his or her” is ridiculous, but it’s easy to mix it up with it, the magical indeterminate pronoun, or to alternate between he and she or his and her in successive anecdotes, or to pluralize a reference and use they in place of a specific pronoun.

Or, gasp!  you can replace “he or she” with they.   Kill the klaxon, switch off the warning lights, and think about it:  They has been long used as a singular pronoun as well as a plural one.   But not everybody agrees, so be prepared for push back if you employ this solution. 

References to physical disabilities are even more fraught with risks to sensitivity.   Such constructions as “confined to a wheelchair” identify people by their limitations, which is discriminatory.   It’s more respectful to refer to someone who “uses a wheelchair.”

What about, simply, “wheelchair users,” or “blind people,” or “deaf children”?  These phrases violate what’s known as the people-first philosophy, which holds that any reference to a person should emphasize the person, not their disability.

So, refer to “Smith, who uses a wheelchair,” “people who are blind” or “people with visual impairments,” and “children who are deaf” or “children who are hearing impaired.”  And it should go without saying that references to a disability are extraneous unless it is relevant to the discussion.  So there!!!!!!!

The Academy Award nominations were announced yesterday, and I on the whole was pleased.  I was quite surprised that Javier Baderm got an Oscar nod for the Best Actor category when Leonardo DiCaprio did not get one for his amazing performance in the movie "Inception."  That's the Oscar business, don't you know?

Annette Bening, whom I adore, did get a nomination for her performance in the movie "The Kids Are All Right," and I am hoping that she takes home the statuette.   I have not seen the movie, but I love Annette Bening and feel that she really should have an Oscar, don't you agree with me?

I guess now I have to come up with some new outfit to wear in front of the television on February 27th, which is the day the Academy Awards will be televised for all of our pleasure.

I guess on that note, I will end today's post, the day is really just beginning but there is much I want to accomplish today, which if I do successfully, I will tell you all about tomorrow.

All the best and take care out there, black ice is everywhere!

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Tongue Depressors on Tuesday

Date:                                                      Tuesday, January 25th, 2011
Word of the Day:                                    payphian(PEY\fee\uhn); of or pertaining to love, esp. illicit physical love

Weight:                                                   two hundred and six (206) pounds
Goal:                                                       lose one hundred (100) pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose:                                        seventy-four (74) pounds
Waist Size:                                              forty-one (41) inches
Days until Royal Wedding:                     ninety-four(94)
Rowing Duration:                                   sick leave still re: feet

The post today will not be very long today as I am going to a doctor appointment this morning, and need to see a specialist after that, so I am going to have a rather full day, how about yourself?

First off,  I wish to apologize for noting the wrong amount of days until the Royal Wedding,  I put in ninety-six (96) days and it really was ninety-five (95) once again, I apologize for the clumsy error.

I had already published my post yesterday when I heard the sad news that Jack LaLanne died at ninety-six (96) years of age.   Even though I'm a day late, I would like to honour Jack LaLanne,  as Mr. LaLanne was probably one of the very first to get people thinking about doing something for your body.

I remember hearing Mr. LaLanne say that the worst thing that one can do for one's body is nothing, excellent words to remember and to live by,  don't you think.   Yes, I know it is slightly ironic that I'm saying those words when I'm not rowing on Cruella, I'm sure Mr. LaLanne put off exercising if he was ill, and my swollen feet certainly qualify me in that regard!

Yesterday had to be the coldest day of the year and it is the day that I decide to go out to breakfast at Eggcetra with Zac and my sister, Judy.  Naturally, the restaurant wasn't too busy, but the food was good and Judy really likes going out for breakfast so I did something good.

Well good news is happening all around the world and in the news todays is a story of a woman who got her voice back after not using it for eleven (11) years.

For eleven (11) years, Brenda Charett Jensen couldn't speak.   She communicated through an electronic device that sounded like a robot.   When the batteries ran out, her conversation was over.

Jensen lost her ability to speak after a breathing tube permanently damaged her airway during surgery in 1999.   She breathed through a tracheotomy tube, which extended from a hole in her neck.   Because Jensen could not pass air through her nose and mouth, she lost her senses of taste and smell. 

On Thursday, Jensen emerged with her doctors from University of California Davis Medical Center.   And she had something to say.   "It's been a long journey," she said, while thanking her doctors and the organ donor's family. "I'm still working hard, but it's improving every day."   Her voice sounded hoarse and deep, and crackled a little.

In October, Jensen became only the second person in the United States to receive a larynx transplant.   The larynx, also called the voice box, is a tube-shaped organ in the neck that is instrumental in breathing, swallowing, and talking. 

"After 12 years of a lot of humiliation from the kids, the adults staring at me because I talked with a mechanical machine.   Everywhere I was, people turned around," said the 52-year-old Modesto, California, resident.  "It was frustrating that I had to live with it.   When this opportunity came up, I wanted to talk again, and I'm doing it.   "It was very much worth it."   

Jensen received a donor's larynx, thyroid and a portion of her trachea during an 18-hour operation. UC Davis surgeons connected five nerves, three arteries and two veins in the October operation.   The hospital funded most of the surgery.  Two weeks after the transplant, Jensen started to speak.   Her first words were "Good morning" and "I want to go home."   Her daughter, hearing her mom speak for the first time in more than a decade, cried "like a baby," Jensen said.

"Well, to me, I sound raspy and gurgly in the mornings," she said. "I hear myself in answering machines, it sounds pretty good. I'm impressed."  Jensen's voice is her own, not the donor's.   This is because a voice is not shaped solely by the larynx.   The signature sound of an individual's voice is formed by the vocal tract and the various structures in the mouth.

"What happens is vocal folds are vibrators," said Dr. Marshall Strome, a surgeon who is not affiliated with Jensen's care.   The resonance of the voice is affected by the shape of a person's oral cavity, mass of the tongue and sinuses.  "That's different for everyone."   The transplant has risks.

The larynx is considered nonessential, because a person can live without the organ, as Jensen did for more than a decade.    A transplant poses risks to the patient, because it means that he or she will have to take medication for life to suppress the immune system.   A weakened immune system means the person would be less able to fight infections and cancers.

But Jensen was already taking immune-suppressing drugs, because she received a kidney and pancreas transplant four years ago, doctors said.   After the surgery, Jensen underwent two months of rehabilitation to restore her voice.

"She's developing sensation and developing movement in the vocal cords," said Gregory Farwell, associate professor of otolaryngology at UC Davis and lead surgeon for the transplant.   "Nerves take a long time to regenerate. Her voice will continue to heal." 

Doctors said that Jensen can now smell and taste.   She receives therapy to improve her swallowing, so she can eat and drink on her own.  Her tracheotomy tube could be removed in a few months,  Farwell said.   The only other person to receive this rare transplant is Tim Heidler at the Cleveland Clinic in 1998.   "It's changed my life dramatically, being able to talk and communicate," said Heidler, a Pickerington, Ohio, resident, who speaks in a low, husky voice.

Without the ability to communicate, "the stress is unbelievable," he said. "You either write it down or sign language or communicate with a robotic device. It's not easy."   Patients who lose their ability to talk usually stay home, he said.  Thirteen years after his surgery, Heidler, 53, said he never regretted having the operation, despite having to take daily anti-rejection drugs.

He spoke with several pauses as he breathed through his tracheotomy tube.  "Try walking around for an hour and tape your mouth shut," he said.   "You'd be frustrated in 15 minutes.   You can't imagine it till it happens to you.   You take your voice for granted, your life for granted."

Heidler injured his neck in 1978 as he was riding his motorcycle to a firefighting training session.     He now speaks on behalf of organ donation efforts.  "The ability to produce a voice is part of our humanity," said Heidler's current doctor, Dr. Douglas Hicks. "It's one of our determinations of self-confidence."

Even after Heidler's successful surgery, larynx transplants have been unusual in the United States.

Trauma to the larynx is rare, because it's well-protected in the neck, said Strome, who performed the first larynx transplant and is chairman of the board of the New York Head and Neck Institute.   Most damages to the larynx come from cancer.   But transplants for cancer patients are risky.  Transplant patients are more susceptible to cancers, so "most people feel the risks are too great at the moment" for nonessential organs like the larynx, Strome said.

A vast majority of larynxes can be reconstructed by putting the cartilage back together, putting stents or sutures, he said.   Another option is to work with a speech pathologist to learn esophageal speech, a method of vocalizing using the esophagus.   Because of these options, larynx transplants have been rare, said Hicks, the director of the Cleveland Clinic's Voice Center.  "From a financial, technical expertise, the insurance issues, the ethical issues -- these still exist," he said.

The transplanted larynx that Jensen received came from a car accident victim.   The donor's family gave permission for the transplant and wanted to remain anonymous.   She thanked them numerous times.  Jensen, who has endured 80 surgeries in her life, said she's upbeat about her prognosis.   "I never know what's coming tomorrow, but I know it's better than where I've been," she said.  

The story was rather inspirational and encouraging, don't you think.  Well, I have to get ready for my doctor appointment now, you take care, and make the most of your day.

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Mayhem on Monday, yet again

Date:                                                   Monday, January 24th, 2011
Word of the Day:                                 homograph(HOM\uh\graf); a word of the same written form of another but of different meaning, whether pronounced the same way or not

Weight:                                                two hundred and six (206) pounds
Goal:                                                    lose 100 pounds in one year duration
Pounds to lose:                                     seventy-four (74)
Waist Size:                                           forty-one (41) inches
Days until Royal Wedding:                    ninety-six (96)
Rowing Duration:                                  feet still swollen

The Camden Plus is driving me crazy, this computer does nothing for it's namesake, as it's namesake brings me nothing but joy, love and happiness.

Zac and I like to play the card game cribbage, and for the last month, Zac has been winning something fierce.   I have had such a run of bad luck, but yesterday, finally, I not only won a game of cribbage, I skunked Zac,  and I almost came close to double skunking him.

I am hoping that the win at cards will also spill into my real life,  and that things start to go a little better for me than what has been happening to me of late, I really could use some good luck.  However, in spite of everything, I know that things could be worse, and I am still alot better than many people out there.

My friend Lily and I are rather superstitious, we enjoy stories of "true murders," and we are also interested in ghosts, (yeah, yeah, I know, stick it in your ear,) and other things mysterious, or things that cannot be rationally explained.

Yesterday, while surfing the net, I happened to come across the true story/legend of The Greenbrier Ghost. which is quite timely because on this day in 1897, Elva Zona Heaster was buried, what?, you never heard of Elva Heaster, she is quite famous and is in The History Books, don't any of you read?,  I'm just joking about that, but I am very serious, deadly serious about the following:

The Greenbrier Ghost is the name popularly given to the alleged ghost of a young woman in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States, who was murdered in 1897.  The events surrounding the haunting have led to it becoming a very late instance in American legal history in which the so-called "testimony of a ghost" was accepted at a murder trial.   Now, I have your interest, don't I?

Elva Zona Heaster, the murder victim, was born in Greenbrier County sometime around 1873.  Almost nothing is known of her early life, other than that she was brought up near Richlands,  and that she gave birth to a child out of wedlock in 1895.

In October 1896, Zona met a drifter named Erasmus Stribbling Trout Shue, also known as Edward; he had moved to Greenbrier County in search of a new life, and to work as a blacksmith.   Shue found work in the shop of one James Crookshanks; Zona met him not long after his arrival in town. The two fell in love and soon married, despite objection to the match by Zona's mother, Mary Jane Heaster, who had taken an instant dislike to Shue.


The couple lived peacefully for a short time, but on January 23, 1897, Zona's body was discovered at her home by a young boy who had been dispatched to the house by Shue on an errand.  The boy found Zona lying at the foot of the bed, stretched out with her feet together and one hand on her stomach.

The boy ran to tell his mother, who summoned the local doctor and coroner, George W. Knapp. Knapp did not arrive for close to an hour.   By the time the doctor arrived, Shue had carried his wife's body upstairs to the bedroom, and laid her out on the bed.   He dressed the corpse himself; this was unusual, as traditionally the job of washing and preparing the body for burial would be undertaken by the women of the community.   Nevertheless, Shue dressed her in a high-necked dress with a stiff collar, and placed a veil over her face.

 Shue remained by the corpse while Dr. Knapp examined it, cradling his wife's head and sobbing.  Knapp, noting the husband's grief, gave the body only a brief examination, noting some bruising on the neck.  When he tried to look closer, Shue reacted so violently that Knapp ended the examination and left the house.

Initially, Zona's cause of death was listed as "everlasting faint";  later, this was changed to "childbirth". Knapp had been treating her for "female trouble" for two weeks before her death, but whether she was pregnant or not is unknown.

Zona's parents were soon informed of her death.   Mary Jane Heaster is reported to have said that "the devil has killed her" upon hearing the news.

As mentioned earlier, Zona was buried on January 24, 1897.   Although Shue initially showed great devotion to the body, keeping constant vigil at the head of the open coffin while it was being moved, his behavior soon began to arouse suspicion.

During the wake, his grief changed repeatedly from overwhelming sadness to incredible energy.   He allowed no one to come close to the coffin, especially when he cradled Zona's head with a pillow on one side and a roll of cloth on the other.   He explained these additions by saying that they would help his wife "rest easier" (yeah,sure!.)   Shue also tied a large scarf at the corpse's neck, explaining tearfully that it "had been Zona's favorite."   Still, a strange looseness about the neck was noticed as the corpse was being moved to the cemetery.

For her part, Mary Jane Heaster was convinced that her son-in-law had murdered his wife.   After the wake, she had removed the sheet from inside the coffin and tried to return it to him, but he refused it.   She noticed an odd odour about it, so she washed it; the water in the basin turned red when she dropped the sheet in.   The sheet then turned pink and the water cleared.   The stain could not be removed, which Mrs. Heaster interpreted as a sign that Zona had been murdered.   She began to pray, and every night for four weeks kept up her prayers, hoping that Zona would return to her to explain what had happened.

According to local legend, Zona appeared to her mother in a dream four weeks after the funeral.   She said that Shue was a cruel man who abused her, and who had attacked her in a fit of rage when he believed that she had cooked no meat for dinner.  He had broken her neck; to prove this, the ghost turned her head completely around until it was facing backwards, sounds like a scene out of the movie "The Exorcist," doesn't it?


Supposedly, the ghost appeared first as a bright light, gradually taking form and filling the room with a chill.   She is said to have visited Mrs. Heaster over the course of four nights.

Armed with the story told to her by the ghost, Mary Jane Heaster visited the local prosecutor, John Alfred Preston, and spent several hours in his office convincing him to reopen the matter of her daughter's death.   Whether he believed her story of the ghost is unknown, but he did have enough doubt to dispatch deputies to re interview several people of interest in the case, including Dr. Knapp.  He was likely responding to public sentiment, as numerous locals had begun suggesting that Zona had been murdered, but I believe divine intervention was at hand!

Preston himself went to speak to Dr. Knapp, who stated that he had not made a complete examination of the body.   This was viewed as sufficient justification for an autopsy, and an exhumation was ordered and an inquest jury formed.

Zona's body was examined on February 22, 1897 in the local one-room schoolhouse.   Shue had "vigorously complained" about this turn of events, but was required by law to be present at the autopsy.   He responded that he knew he would be arrested, but that no one would be able to prove his guilt, hmmm. I wonder why he thought this, I hate him!

The autopsy lasted three hours, and found that Zona's neck had indeed been broken.   According to the report, published on March 9, 1897, "the discovery was made that the neck was broken and the windpipe mashed."  "On the throat were the marks of fingers indicating that she had been choked."  "The neck was dislocated between the first and second vertebrae."  "The ligaments were torn and ruptured."  "The windpipe had been crushed at a point in front of the neck."

On the strength of this evidence, and his behavior at the inquest,  Shue was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, thank goodness that sometimes, okay most times, justice will prevail!

Shue was held in the jail in Lewisburg while waiting for the trial to begin.   During this time, more information about his past was coming to light.  He had been married twice before; his first marriage had ended in divorce, with his wife accusing him of great cruelty.   Zona was his third wife, and Shue began to talk of wishing to wed seven women; he freely spoke of this ambition while in jail, and told reporters that he was sure he would be let free because there was so little evidence against him.


The trial began on June 22, 1897, and Mary Jane Heaster was Preston's star witness.   He confined his questioning to the known facts of the case, skirting the issue of her ghostly sightings.   Perhaps hoping to prove her unreliable,  Shue's lawyer questioned Mrs. Heaster extensively about her daughter's visits on cross-examination.  The tactic backfired when Mrs. Heaster would not waver in her account despite intense badgering.

As the defense had introduced the issue, the judge found it difficult to instruct the jury to disregard the story of the ghost, and many people in the community seemed to believe it.  Consequently, Shue was found guilty of murder on July 11 and sentenced to life in prison.

A lynch mob was formed to take him from the jail and hang him, but the mob was disbanded by the deputy sheriff before any damage was done.   Four of the mob's organizers later faced charges for their actions.

Shue was moved to the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville, where he lived for three more years.   He died on March 13, 1900, the victim of an unknown epidemic, and was buried in an unmarked grave in the local cemetery.   Mrs. Heaster never recanted her story of her daughter's ghost, dying in September 1916.  As for Zona, her ghost was never seen in the area again.

Because the deceased's husband was working as a blacksmith at the time, he would have had contact with two substances common in blacksmithing of the period: iron(II) chloride, which is a result of the Bessemer process of steel making, and iron(III) chloride, which was used to stain knives and is also readily producible in a blacksmith's shop of the time period.


Also, the major soap of the time period was soda lye, or Na OH (sodium hydroxide).   Sodium hydroxide will react with both FeCl2 and FeCl3 together to produce magnetite—or iron(III) oxide, a red precipitate.   That also explains the "odd odour", which was probably the odour of Mauriac acid, used in the formation of iron(III) chloride.   The sheet likely turned pink because it was acting as a filter inside the wash basin, which would have removed the iron(III) oxide particles as they precipitated out.   Iron(III) oxide is well-known now when it collects in the fibers of clothing as a rust stain, which is particularly difficult to remove.

All of this suggests that Shue had handled the sheet to a great extent prior to having washed the substances from his body.  It is important to note that large amounts of these substances would have been needed to be present in order to cause such a noticeable reaction.

The state of West Virginia has erected a state historical marker near the cemetery in which Zona Shue is buried. It reads:

Interred in nearby cemetery is Zona Heaster Shue.   Her death in 1897 was presumed natural until her spirit appeared to her mother to describe how she was killed by her husband Edward. Autopsy on the exhumed body verified the apparition’s account.   Edward, found guilty of murder, was sentenced to the state prison.  Only known case in which testimony from a ghost helped convict a murderer.  (But, I'm sure that now this one is in the history books, more are likely to follow, or they should, at least I think so! )


The story of the Greenbrier Ghost is the subject of a major stage adaptation, in the form of the musical entitled, "The Greenbrier Ghost."   The full length musical adaptation was written by Cathey Sawyer (book and lyrics) and Joe Butram (music).  The show premiered at the "State Professional Theatre of West Virginia" the Greenbrier Valley Theatre in 2002 with subsequent productions in 2003 and 2009, and I'm sure there will be more modern interpretations of this story, it really is true, life is stranger than fiction!!!!, sounds like a production that Lily and i should star in, I could be Shue and Lily could be Zona, yup, perfect casting!

I know all of you won't appreciate my little recap of The Greenbrier Ghost, but I put it in today's post, because, well, yes it is timely, but not only that,  I think we all need to try and accept things based on tuition and faith, and not just believe in things that we can only see and prove.  That's how I feel folks, if you don't like it, tough!

I don't know if any of you saw the Canadian Figure Skating Champtionships on television, but the Canadian champions are: Patrick Chan (men,s) , Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier (dance pair), Cynthia Phaneuef (women's already reported,) and Kristen Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch (pairs,) congratulations to everyone!!!!!

Well that about does it for me this morning, I think I'll go back to bed now.    Have yourself a great day!

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Cover of Royal Wedding