Random Thoughts

Thanks for the love and concern you've been sending my way as the sorrow in Aurora unfolds.  I was heavily sedated immediately after January 8, 2011, so this part brings back no personal memories for me. The loss, the devastation, only exacerbates what's always so close to my heart. 

Time passes, and the wounds become less raw, less omnipresent, but never less painful.  I hope that those Coloradans are as enveloped in love as my family and I were; that's what got us through the darkness.
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There's an interesting discussion on BlogHer about purple backpacks and long division and the Lands End back to school catalog.  People are all over the map in their responses, but the tone of it all is civil and intelligent while "agreeing to disagree" through gritted teeth.  It's just what on-line conversations should be all about.
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While I'm on that subject, I tried raising gender neutral children and, except around the edges, I don't think it's possible. Kids are who they are and as long as they are accepting of differences it doesn't matter to me whether they are wearing pink or not.

As TBG said, as our little boy stared at him in disbelief, "I'm man enough to wear a pink shirt to work!"
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The Euphorbia rigida (gopher plants) have settled in nicely but haven't grown into a hedge as I had hoped.  Today, amidst the light sprinkles on our edge of the monsoon, whose deluge we can see to the south and the east, I went back to Rillito and purchased 9 more.  The originals were 5 gallon containers; these newbies are 1 gallon.  As usual, the size of the plant is almost the same.

I hope that the originals' success was not due to the larger root system they'd developed in the nursery.  I'll tend these new ones lovingly, right up until the wedding.  After that, they are on their own.  We'll see just how tough desert hardy really is.
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My primary care physician is now sending prescriptions to the pharmacy electronically. This is a good thing; it's faster, more accurate, and requires one less stop at the front desk for slices of dead trees. 

On the other hand, the intricate lab request for my blood work is sitting on my desk, boxes checked off in typical medical professional writing style... which is to say, it's messy.

Slow steps, sure.... but this is creeping along glacially.
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Tucson Bloggers had a CPR class on Saturday night.  The four women sitting behind me laughed with me as we noted that none of our spouses had joined us to learn how to save a life.  We joked about calling one another for assistance.... though the southeast corner of Tucson is quite a ride when seconds count.

The instructor was young and smart and entertaining and serious.  Check for alertness - Call 911 and get an AED - 200 chest compressions ... it's not that difficult.  The Heimlich Maneuver isn't called the Heimlich Maneuver any more but the motion hasn't changed.  2" above the belly button - press up and in hard.  If you're home alone, look for an edge not a corner and do it to yourself, remembering that, if you choose to use a chair with wheels, be sure it is pressed up against the wall before you impale yourself on the armrest.

TBG is still laughing at that image.
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