refried.org

I know, I know, its been a long time since I've updated about my health. I usually try to do anything to NOT think about my health...things have just been crappy lately! The last surgery that I had (just about 2 years ago) was on my lower back. They went in at the L4/L5 level and snipped my 'tethered' spinal cord. In doing this, they damaged the nerves that go to my bladder and legs. I've had trouble with my bladder since the nerves were damaged. Tomorrow I will have surgery at the Lahey Clinic in Massachusetts. The problem I've had is that I can't fully empty my bladder; this causes it to stretch and high pressure that could back up into the kidneys (really bad). So, I'm having a tube put through my abdomen, into my bladder to help empty it fully. Sorry if this was "too much information", I just thought I'd share what's going on.

I'm not one to go out and spend $50 on a game, but I just might have to for this one. I just watch this video regarding a disc golf mode coming to Tiger Woods 10 for the Wii. I enjoy golf games but I haven't gotten one for the Wii yet. This might be the one to get.

I've been taking painting lessons off and on since November. I have started many projects, but this is the first on that I finished!! I'm really enjoying the class. Mom and I are going to AC Moore for our class on Friday evenings. Its a fun way to spend time with Mom and create some artwork!

We stopped by the local Circuit City to see if there were any clearance items worth picking up. I had been in there earlier looking at Digital SLRs, but they only had picked over display models. There was a Nikon D80 there which Heather wanted, but it was still $627 and it didn't include any accessories, not even a battery. We did find some bookshelf speakers for under $30 and a TiVo HD for $220. The sales guys even found me a power cable and a remote. So now I have a TiVo which can play Netflix and YouTube!

Usually when Baxter pulls his blanket out of his crate, he whips it around and pulls out the stuffing. Today, I found him using it as a pillow.

I went from being a highschool student and athlete, to a college student, to a mechanical engineer, to a neuro-surgical patient, to what-ever I am now... that's what I need help with. What am I now??

When I run into people I haven't seen in a while, I'm often asked these ever-so-common questions.

• "what are you doing these days?"
• "what do you do for work?"

I never know how to answer them. I've come up with some answers, but I don't like any of them..

• "I'm a stay-at-home mom with no kids"
• "I'm a house-wife, but my husband does most of the cooking and cleaning"

So, I'm looking for suggestions... What am I?

It's two degrees below zero outside, we're expecting 12-20 inches of snow in the next 24 hours, and we are still getting new flowers from the hibiscus Heather bought last spring.

We decided it is time to disconnect our T-mobile phones which we've had for four years. We picked up a TracFone for traveling and emergencies, but our primary number will be our land line.

The best part about this is that we're removing about $60 from our monthly budget. It was really frustrating to spend that much for 500 minutes which we didn't come close to using. The TracFone will cost only $80 a year to keep it running. Add to that if we actually need to use it.

Our long distance calling will move over to our land line. We just committed to a year of service to get unlimited long distance calling for the same price we were already paying. For the next three months, we'll even get a discount. I'm impressed to see a phone company giving us a better deal. Thank you, FairPoint.

Last week I bought the first four seasons of "House M.D." from Amazon VoD for a total of $20. It only took a little over a day to download all 22 episodes to our TiVo. We talked about starting to watch the series before, so when I saw this deal, I couldn't pass it up. Needless to say, we're addicted to it and we're watching at least one episode every night.

One thing we noticed immediately is that the video is so much clearer than anything we record off our analog cable. I've been thinking about subscribing to Netflix just to watch movies with good video and surround sound. Perhaps watching "House M.D." will push me far enough to just do it.

My little brother, Caleb was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was only 8 years old. Type 1 diabetes is the kind that is insulin dependent, so he wears a pump that administers insulin when he needs it. He was done a great job at learning about counting carbohydrates in the foods that he eats and then figuring out how much insulin he needs. He is not letting the diabetes get in the way of anything that he wants to do! He plays soccer, baseball, and of course basketball. He LOVES basketball! Just in the short time that Caleb has had diabetes, the technology has improved (he went from injecting himself up to 6 times per day with shots of insulin, to just programing in the number of carbs that he ate into his pump). Just think of the improvement he will look back on when he gets older! That's why fundraisers like this are important.

The American Diabetes Association is having a fundraiser this Sunday in Augusta Maine called 'Step Out: walk against diabetes'. For more information, check out Caleb's Team page.

I'm surprised that I haven't written about The Big Bang Theory yet. It was our favorite new show from last season and this season has started off great too. It's totally hilarious, especially for a geek like me. I highly recommend it.

The Amazing Race 13 starts tonight. It has been a long time since we've watched TAR. We didn't see last season because we moved when it premiered and didn't want to start it part way through.

While I was checking on my credit card spending for the month I noticed an understated attachment to my online statement, Global Change in Terms. In it they state that effective in October my rates will be going up to the max. I can refuse the change in terms, but then they will close my card. So I guess it's time to shop for new credit cards after enjoying the Chase customer experience since 2005.

My top priority was to transfer my high balance card, one that won't be paid off in the next 12 months, to something with good balance transfer terms. About half of it is at a 4% promotional rate which won't change, but the other half could change from 8% to 26%. I settled on American Express Blue which approved me online and accepted the whole balance transfer with a $99 fee and a new interest rate of 4.99% for the life of the balance.

Next I need to replace my month-to-month rewards card. I already maxed out my $300 rebate for the year so I was going to look for another one anyway. Time to find one so I can ditch Chase. I liked getting cash back and I liked getting a high percentage from gas and groceries. I'm open to recommendations for my next card.

We have a frog that hangs out by our back porch light. He's really good at climbing the walls and things.

Last weekend we went up to my parents' place in Prospect Harbor with both Baxter and Rex. We got to see Uncle Jim, Grampy and Joy, and Tim and Sarah were there with their puppy, Scout.