Thursday, June 4, 2009
Pumping Iron
Got deferred (turned down) at my apheresis appointment this morning because my iron levels were too low. Big bowl of spinach and red meat with a glass of red wine, here I come!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
C25k and DMB
Starting Week 4 of the C25k tomorrow morning. Did my last Week 3 run last night, and it didn't go all that great. I'm having some shin pain. I can't tell if it is muscle or bone pain, but it hurts like an mneffer. I tried to do some good stretching last night after the run, and again this morning before and after my elliptical, but it was lingering. I'm going to keep my eye on it.
We had a great weekend. Uncle Bennycakes stayed over with Ellen so John and I could go see Dave Matthews at Fenway and stay in the city overnight. We had a room down at the Hilton Boston Financial District. It was a beautiful hotel. Our room had recently been redone, and it was pretty glorious, if small. The hotel was a bit of a pain to get to, being as it is 5 or 6 blocks from the nearest trains. It's also pretty far down into the financial district (um, hence the name), so there's not really a lot going on down there in the night. Not a huge deal, but as we were planning to return to it fairly late, we definitely could have stayed somewhere safer. After the concert (which was pretty fun and great, thanks Guy and Shai!), we decided to forego going back to Cambridge to hang out with the crew in lieu of an earlier bedtime and more shut-eye. We couldn't get a cab back to the hotel, so we walked to Back Bay and hopped on the green line there. We walked down from Government Center, and toward the end we encountered some shadyness. There were two angry, large men arguing about a half block from the entrance of the hotel. As we approached, a lady of the night fled in the opposite direction. We had definitely interrupted something. I should have expected as much from a hotel that requires a key for re-entry after sundown. Anywho, we fairly ran into the hotel after inserting our key, and we were able to avoid being gunned down. (Phew!)
We went upstairs and ate Wendy's, watched some college softball on ESPN, and were asleep by 12:30.
We arose at the break of 10am (man, that was nice!), and scurried home to see Uncle Bennycakes and Miss Ellen. Ellen had had a great night. Uncle Ben took great care of her, despite the fact that the dogs went into a frenzy at midnight and 5am, waking her both times. He handled it with grace, however. All in all, it was a great success!
We had a great weekend. Uncle Bennycakes stayed over with Ellen so John and I could go see Dave Matthews at Fenway and stay in the city overnight. We had a room down at the Hilton Boston Financial District. It was a beautiful hotel. Our room had recently been redone, and it was pretty glorious, if small. The hotel was a bit of a pain to get to, being as it is 5 or 6 blocks from the nearest trains. It's also pretty far down into the financial district (um, hence the name), so there's not really a lot going on down there in the night. Not a huge deal, but as we were planning to return to it fairly late, we definitely could have stayed somewhere safer. After the concert (which was pretty fun and great, thanks Guy and Shai!), we decided to forego going back to Cambridge to hang out with the crew in lieu of an earlier bedtime and more shut-eye. We couldn't get a cab back to the hotel, so we walked to Back Bay and hopped on the green line there. We walked down from Government Center, and toward the end we encountered some shadyness. There were two angry, large men arguing about a half block from the entrance of the hotel. As we approached, a lady of the night fled in the opposite direction. We had definitely interrupted something. I should have expected as much from a hotel that requires a key for re-entry after sundown. Anywho, we fairly ran into the hotel after inserting our key, and we were able to avoid being gunned down. (Phew!)
We went upstairs and ate Wendy's, watched some college softball on ESPN, and were asleep by 12:30.
We arose at the break of 10am (man, that was nice!), and scurried home to see Uncle Bennycakes and Miss Ellen. Ellen had had a great night. Uncle Ben took great care of her, despite the fact that the dogs went into a frenzy at midnight and 5am, waking her both times. He handled it with grace, however. All in all, it was a great success!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Today is Monday
Ellen and I had a full day.
Before lunch we rode over to the post office to mail off our first batch of pretzels. On the way home, we stopped by the park at Elsie Hastings. First, we tried the swings. They don't have infant swings there, so I just hopped on one and held her on my lap. After an initial smile, I couldn't really tell if she was digging it, so I put her down in the grass near the swing and got back on myself to see if I could get a feeling for her vibe. She was smiling away in the grass, so I picked her up again. Then she started scowling a bit, so I cut it out with the swings. Maybe next time.
Next we went to try out the teeter-totter-y thing. It's not truly a teeter totter, because no one goes up or down, though there are seats on each end. Essentially, you can make the other person bounce a little. There's a rubber tire-like thing in the middle that the whole she-bang rests on that allows it to bounce. Anywho, I sat her on one end and sat on the ground next to her and bounced her. She loved it. Smiles all around. She would get really into it and then do this whole "No hands!" thing where she would let go for a half second. So cute. A real hit! I was looking at it and realized that the motion was a lot like riding a horse would be. Between this and her love for her horsey jumperoo, we might have to get this kid on a horse once she is old enough!
Finally, we went over to the big playground and I sat her on the articulated bridge (the bouncy bridge.) It was made of this plastic with little 1 inch diameter holes in it. She thought it was very cool that she could see through to the ground below. She also thought the holes were excellent fingerholds to use for climbing. She clambored up the (fairly steep!) side of the bridge to the platform above (which was a little scary, as I had to scramble up behind her post-haste!) Then she crawled around on the platform for a while until she decided to slide back down onto the bridge and do the climbing bit again. It was very nice to watch her explore.
Afterward, we went home for lunch (broccoli, cottage cheese, whole wheat pasta with parmesan, avocado, and blueberries) and a nap. After her nap, we played outside for a little while and then went to Target, where Ellen misplaced my glasses. She was getting antsy, so I gave her my sunglasses to play with. She must have put them down on a shelf or dropped them and I didn't notice. As we were leaving, I went to get them back from her and they were no where to be found! Ahh, well.
Then we went home for dinner (broccoli, cottage cheese, whole wheat pasta with parmesan, avocado, and yogurt.) After dinner, we walked to Roche Brothers to find dinner for Dad and me. Then Dad came home and I went to the gym and he gave her a tubby and put her to bed.
All in all, a great Monday.
Before lunch we rode over to the post office to mail off our first batch of pretzels. On the way home, we stopped by the park at Elsie Hastings. First, we tried the swings. They don't have infant swings there, so I just hopped on one and held her on my lap. After an initial smile, I couldn't really tell if she was digging it, so I put her down in the grass near the swing and got back on myself to see if I could get a feeling for her vibe. She was smiling away in the grass, so I picked her up again. Then she started scowling a bit, so I cut it out with the swings. Maybe next time.
Next we went to try out the teeter-totter-y thing. It's not truly a teeter totter, because no one goes up or down, though there are seats on each end. Essentially, you can make the other person bounce a little. There's a rubber tire-like thing in the middle that the whole she-bang rests on that allows it to bounce. Anywho, I sat her on one end and sat on the ground next to her and bounced her. She loved it. Smiles all around. She would get really into it and then do this whole "No hands!" thing where she would let go for a half second. So cute. A real hit! I was looking at it and realized that the motion was a lot like riding a horse would be. Between this and her love for her horsey jumperoo, we might have to get this kid on a horse once she is old enough!
Finally, we went over to the big playground and I sat her on the articulated bridge (the bouncy bridge.) It was made of this plastic with little 1 inch diameter holes in it. She thought it was very cool that she could see through to the ground below. She also thought the holes were excellent fingerholds to use for climbing. She clambored up the (fairly steep!) side of the bridge to the platform above (which was a little scary, as I had to scramble up behind her post-haste!) Then she crawled around on the platform for a while until she decided to slide back down onto the bridge and do the climbing bit again. It was very nice to watch her explore.
Afterward, we went home for lunch (broccoli, cottage cheese, whole wheat pasta with parmesan, avocado, and blueberries) and a nap. After her nap, we played outside for a little while and then went to Target, where Ellen misplaced my glasses. She was getting antsy, so I gave her my sunglasses to play with. She must have put them down on a shelf or dropped them and I didn't notice. As we were leaving, I went to get them back from her and they were no where to be found! Ahh, well.
Then we went home for dinner (broccoli, cottage cheese, whole wheat pasta with parmesan, avocado, and yogurt.) After dinner, we walked to Roche Brothers to find dinner for Dad and me. Then Dad came home and I went to the gym and he gave her a tubby and put her to bed.
All in all, a great Monday.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Butcher Shop
Apheresis is not the most fun thing I've ever done. My first nurse, Kim, infiltrated the vein in my left hand. Pretty badly. It hurt. Kind of a lot. But I wasn't going to blame her. Hey, people make mistakes. But then I got dressed down for being "dehydrated", even though I drank about 3 litres of water last night before bed and had a big glass of milk this morning before the train. I must say that being accused of sabotaging the procedure as the humongoid bruise is forming in my sore, sore hand is kind of a kick in the balls.
Anyway, the good thing I can say about Kim is that she knows when she's reached the limits of her phlebotomy talents, and apparently my tricksy little veins tax her past her abilities. There's nothing worse than watching a nurse shake with fear after she's already blown up a couple of your veins, trying to figure out where to try next. Kim did the right thing. She called over George, a phlebotomist at the donor center who must have been working there for about 108 years. He placed the iv in about 12 seconds, then moved on to do the one in my right arm.
I watched about 2/3 of The Devil Wears Prada after they got me all hooked up. All in all, it wasn't terrible, though I definitely think that the people at the donor center could be a little nicer. I don't expect a red carpet or anything, but a little kindness to their donors would go a long way.
Just sayin'.
Anyway, the good thing I can say about Kim is that she knows when she's reached the limits of her phlebotomy talents, and apparently my tricksy little veins tax her past her abilities. There's nothing worse than watching a nurse shake with fear after she's already blown up a couple of your veins, trying to figure out where to try next. Kim did the right thing. She called over George, a phlebotomist at the donor center who must have been working there for about 108 years. He placed the iv in about 12 seconds, then moved on to do the one in my right arm.
I watched about 2/3 of The Devil Wears Prada after they got me all hooked up. All in all, it wasn't terrible, though I definitely think that the people at the donor center could be a little nicer. I don't expect a red carpet or anything, but a little kindness to their donors would go a long way.
Just sayin'.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Goodbye, Sweet Platelets...
I gave whole blood for many years at various mobile MGH facilities. It doesn't take long, and I am a good candidate, as I have type O positive blood, which is the universal blood type. About four years ago, I got a letter from MGH that went a little something like this:
Thank you for donating at one of our mobile units. That was great, but you can do something even better. It turns out that you are a fabulous candidate for this little thing called platelet apheresis. This is a process by which your blood is removed from your body, the platelets are removed, and then your blood is returned to you, minus your sweet, sweet platelets.
The reason why you are such a good candidate is because you have the universal blood type and you are negative for Cytomegalovirus. CMV is a virus that is present in the blood of most people, and it causes them no harm. However, there are people, like cancer patients and premature babies, who can not receive blood that is positive for CMV.
In sum, cancer patients and preemies need your blood. If you don't care about helping cancer patients and preemies, don't worry about responding to this letter. If you do, please come do platelet apheresis at our donor center.
What could I do? I did the apheresis, but only once. It was a little scary, compounded by the fact that during the process of hooking me up to the machine, they discovered a faulty tube. It wasn't clamped where it should have been, and the resultant blood bath (literally, my blood sprayed everywhere, all over me, the nurse, the chair, the pillow my arm was resting on, and the tv screen) was a bit of a turnoff.
Just recently I started thinking about it again, though. I don't know if I am still CMV negative. I could have picked up the virus by now. But if I am, who am I to keep my sweet platelets from finding a new home among the sick and the brand-y new? Plus, I haven't paid much good into the karma-meter lately. Here I am in the catbird seat: sweet, healthy baby; kind, handsome husband; a nice house in the suburbs; a secure job; plenty of food to eat, etc. etc. etc.
So, I talked to my boss about taking some time off during the summer to find my platelets new homes. Unlike whole blood donation, you can donate platelets 24 times a year. She was kind enough to donate the time that gives me the ability to donate platelets 8 times this summer, and tomorrow will be my first donation.
I'll catch the early train and arrive at the donor center. I'll check in, and they'll screen me. Then they'll hook me up to a machine that sucks the blood out one arm, spins it through a machine, and replaces it in the other arm. All the while (about an hour and a half), I'll be sitting in this cool, comfy chair that has a tv screen that pulls down in front of it. I can watch tv or a movie. I'm a little nervous, but I figure it's the least I can do.
Thank you for donating at one of our mobile units. That was great, but you can do something even better. It turns out that you are a fabulous candidate for this little thing called platelet apheresis. This is a process by which your blood is removed from your body, the platelets are removed, and then your blood is returned to you, minus your sweet, sweet platelets.
The reason why you are such a good candidate is because you have the universal blood type and you are negative for Cytomegalovirus. CMV is a virus that is present in the blood of most people, and it causes them no harm. However, there are people, like cancer patients and premature babies, who can not receive blood that is positive for CMV.
In sum, cancer patients and preemies need your blood. If you don't care about helping cancer patients and preemies, don't worry about responding to this letter. If you do, please come do platelet apheresis at our donor center.
What could I do? I did the apheresis, but only once. It was a little scary, compounded by the fact that during the process of hooking me up to the machine, they discovered a faulty tube. It wasn't clamped where it should have been, and the resultant blood bath (literally, my blood sprayed everywhere, all over me, the nurse, the chair, the pillow my arm was resting on, and the tv screen) was a bit of a turnoff.
Just recently I started thinking about it again, though. I don't know if I am still CMV negative. I could have picked up the virus by now. But if I am, who am I to keep my sweet platelets from finding a new home among the sick and the brand-y new? Plus, I haven't paid much good into the karma-meter lately. Here I am in the catbird seat: sweet, healthy baby; kind, handsome husband; a nice house in the suburbs; a secure job; plenty of food to eat, etc. etc. etc.
So, I talked to my boss about taking some time off during the summer to find my platelets new homes. Unlike whole blood donation, you can donate platelets 24 times a year. She was kind enough to donate the time that gives me the ability to donate platelets 8 times this summer, and tomorrow will be my first donation.
I'll catch the early train and arrive at the donor center. I'll check in, and they'll screen me. Then they'll hook me up to a machine that sucks the blood out one arm, spins it through a machine, and replaces it in the other arm. All the while (about an hour and a half), I'll be sitting in this cool, comfy chair that has a tv screen that pulls down in front of it. I can watch tv or a movie. I'm a little nervous, but I figure it's the least I can do.
"Week 3" continues...
I took "Week 3" of the C25k program pretty slow. I had been having quite a bit of knee pain, so I wanted to ease up on the high-impact workouts a bit. I did the second run of week 3 this morning, and it went really well. My best run to date. I even ran an extra 2 minutes at the end just because I felt like it. Pretty great overall.
Last night Ellen did indeed chow down on some London broil and potatoes, as well as some sweet potatoes, some rice, and some yogurt. She also threw down some cheerios for good measure. Man, that kid can't get enough of her os.
This morning, Ellen blessed us by staying asleep as I left for the gym. She has been waking before dawn these past few mornings as I leave the house. As you can imagine, this does not a happy Daddy make. There were beginning to be murmurings of not being able to go to the gym so early, which did not a happy Mama make. So, I tried to be extra, extra quiet today, and it looks like it worked!
I get the day off from the gym tomorrow as I will be visiting MGH in the early morning to do some platelet apheresis. Drinking lots of water today to get my blood ready to be extracted, spun, and put back minus the platelets!
Last night Ellen did indeed chow down on some London broil and potatoes, as well as some sweet potatoes, some rice, and some yogurt. She also threw down some cheerios for good measure. Man, that kid can't get enough of her os.
This morning, Ellen blessed us by staying asleep as I left for the gym. She has been waking before dawn these past few mornings as I leave the house. As you can imagine, this does not a happy Daddy make. There were beginning to be murmurings of not being able to go to the gym so early, which did not a happy Mama make. So, I tried to be extra, extra quiet today, and it looks like it worked!
I get the day off from the gym tomorrow as I will be visiting MGH in the early morning to do some platelet apheresis. Drinking lots of water today to get my blood ready to be extracted, spun, and put back minus the platelets!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Memorial Monday
We had a nice Memorial Day. John was off from work (his first holiday of the year! Yahoo!), and Ben, Eli, and Miss Melissa were visiting. In the morning, John woke up with Ellen from 6:30 and let me sleep until 8:30, and then he went back to bed. Ellen and I went outside and watched Ben, Eli, and Miss Melissa play hide and seek. It was a fun morning.
They left around noon, and we had lunch and then Ellen and I both took a nap. Around 2 we took a trip to iParty to buy stuff for Ellen's upcoming birthday. We bought plates, napkins, cake decorating stuff, tablecloths, and some decorations.
When we got home, John went out to plant his peppers and Ellen and I followed. Aunt Amber had recommended that I get Ellen outside with her shopping cart walker so she could have some practice unimpeded by furniture and walls. It was a good recommendation, because she loved it! She did a bunch of laps from the back door to the woodpile and back. She was barefoot and didn't seem so bothered by the grass, although she still wasn't a fan of touching it with her legs, arms, or hands. Afterward, she practiced standing on her own while I sang "You are my sunshine." She boogied down pretty hard and clapped for me a lot. I'm pretty sure that she learned quite a few moves from Eli when he was here this weekend.
We ate dinner and had a tubby to wash off her dirty feet and then I left her with Daddy while I went to the grocery store to get some food to prepare for the week. When I got back, she was out cold. This week she'll be eating sweet potatoes, carrots, cottage cheese, deli turkey, yogurt, and probably some London broil and potatoes (in the crockpot as we speak.)
I got home and prepared her food while John washed the bottles and then I sterilized everything for good measure (it's probably been a good month since we did it, so I figured we might as well.)
All in all, it was a great Monday. Back to the grind tomorrow.
They left around noon, and we had lunch and then Ellen and I both took a nap. Around 2 we took a trip to iParty to buy stuff for Ellen's upcoming birthday. We bought plates, napkins, cake decorating stuff, tablecloths, and some decorations.
When we got home, John went out to plant his peppers and Ellen and I followed. Aunt Amber had recommended that I get Ellen outside with her shopping cart walker so she could have some practice unimpeded by furniture and walls. It was a good recommendation, because she loved it! She did a bunch of laps from the back door to the woodpile and back. She was barefoot and didn't seem so bothered by the grass, although she still wasn't a fan of touching it with her legs, arms, or hands. Afterward, she practiced standing on her own while I sang "You are my sunshine." She boogied down pretty hard and clapped for me a lot. I'm pretty sure that she learned quite a few moves from Eli when he was here this weekend.
We ate dinner and had a tubby to wash off her dirty feet and then I left her with Daddy while I went to the grocery store to get some food to prepare for the week. When I got back, she was out cold. This week she'll be eating sweet potatoes, carrots, cottage cheese, deli turkey, yogurt, and probably some London broil and potatoes (in the crockpot as we speak.)
I got home and prepared her food while John washed the bottles and then I sterilized everything for good measure (it's probably been a good month since we did it, so I figured we might as well.)
All in all, it was a great Monday. Back to the grind tomorrow.
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