Odds and Ends

I’m actually blogging this from the train on the way home from work.  I’ve got a bit of writer’s block getting going on my next book, and thought, what the heck.  Writing is writing.

We’ve got two sick kids at home right now.  Reece was feeling better until last night, and then he overate at dinner and spewed it all back up.  Lorelai threw up yesterday morning, then started running a fever, and had other ‘gastro-intestinal distress symptoms.’  Her fever was down this morning, but she was throwing up again, and was on the ‘a teaspoon of water ever five minutes’ regimen today.  I really hope that this passes soon.  It’s really hard to see two very happy, outgoing kids just curled up on your lap, too weak to stand up or walk around the house.  Let me rephrase that. It’s not hard.  It’s heartbreaking.

Changing topics completely now.

I found a really cool tool at www.PocketDresser.com.  I’ve had problems doing up buttons for years, to the point where I only wear button up shirts when I have a lot of extra time to get ready for work.  I have CMT (Charcot Marie Tooth Disease), that has greatly reduced the strength in my thumbs to the point where my right thumb is completely useless.  I had to stop playing guitar because I could no longer hold a pick, nor could I work the fret board with my left hand.  My grip power in my right hand is less than a pound.  Most people have 25-30 lbs of grip force.  But with this tool, buttons become a… snap?  I highly recommend it for anyone who has problems with their wrist or hands.  Its a little bit pricey, but I’m thinking of getting a second one, one for home, and one for travel/work.

It’s in the upper 90’s (F) today here, and supposed to top 100 tomorrow, the hottest day ever in Seattle.  Not for the 29th of July.  Ever.  That’s just wrong.  The air conditioning at work was busted on Monday morning, and temps crept into the eighties in the office, and are still pretty warm and muggy today.  It’s nothing like the summers on the farm baling hay and straw, but back then, I wasn’t such a wus either.

Lisa and I both got IPhones a few weeks ago.  I had a lemon at first, and had to take it back after 4 days, but now I’ve got one that works.  I know for sure that I will never be a power user, but it did come in handy for checking email when my project was going live at work.  I do try to surf with it once in a while, but I’m pretty sure I could live without the web feature at this point if I had to give it up.  I guess I reached the end of the internet a while ago.  There are very few sites I check every day, and I’m close to a real computer often enough that I already hit sites that way.

Anyway, I’ve now reached the end of my brain.  Catch you later.