Catching Up

I took my Visual Analytics final today which felt good to get over with. It made me remember why they named me Diderot, Most likely to write my own encyclopedia, in high school. Poor guy has to grade essay questions, and he is working toward a paper deadline himself. At least my handwriting isn't microscopic like it used to be in middle school. I just finished editing my paper and creating my slide presentation for my final project in the class. So, I am caught up with my class, but now I have to catch up with my research.

Happy to report that Mike has been feeling better. Still headachy and spasmy, but able to get some work done and do some of his own driving. I kicked him out of bed early this morning because I couldn't get any sleep because he was snoring so freakin' loud. I seriously had ear plugs in and still couldn't sleep! I was about to go sleep on the couch myself, but he was a sweetie and realized that I had to take my final today, so he let me stay in bed.

We have both been diagnosed with sleep apnea, but I don't know about the whole CPAP thing. Since I also have restless legs, I pretty much dance around too much in my sleep to be able to keep an oxygen mask on all night. They have other surgeries and appliances, but they aren't they most widely accepted treatment, so I know our insurance won't pay for them. Trying to get A's in my classes while I am getting a low B in sleeping. :-)

We have officially decided that we are too poor right now to continue eating out so much. So if anyone has any good recipes, let us know.

Done with Christmas shopping, I think. We aren't going to do Christmas cards this year, but I am going to try to convince Mike to do a mini Christmas video with me. We will see how that goes. He is pretty much a sucker for me, so I sure it will be posted on here in a few days.

In the meantime, here is a video of the cats and their Christmas presents from Autnie Kim. Thanks, Auntie Kim - we loved them!

Sluggy

Well, Mike is sick with a cold now, but the ironic thing is that I think it is actually helping him feel a little better from his other symptoms. His uncontrollable muscle spasms are now happening mostly in the morning and evenings only, and he hasn't been feeling dizzy. So between the cold, the prayer blanket his aunt sent him, Tom's acupuncture, and the new medication, Mike is at least feeling well enough to drive to his own appointments now. Yay! He is still getting pretty bad headaches, so we are going to continue with the additional testing. The weird thing is that he can have multiple headaches at once. A dull headache in one place, another headache in another, and a sharp headache in another place. Weird. Oh, and I just looked up his medication Amitriptyline which says it is used for migraines and vaginal swelling. We have a lot more serious problems if he is having vaginal swelling!

Me, I am feeling pretty exhausted and stressed. I am behind in what I need to do for school, and I really just wanted to hit the ground running after we got back from the honeymoon. After all the set backs I was having with my old department, my new department has been a breath of fresh air. I just don't want them to think I am a slacker. :-( It has been difficult the last few months because we weren't sure if Mike could keep working, weren't sure if we would need to change our plans to have kids in a couple of years, etc. The economy crashing in the middle of it all didn't help much either.

But, overall, things are looking up. Mike is able to do more on his own now, and he is slowly getting back to work. I know money isn't the most important thing in the world, but it sure makes things worse if you don't have any.

Ugh, I am seriously about to fall asleep as I sit here typing. I swear coffee makes me sleepier than it does more awake. I hear that is a symptom of ADHD, but I am not going to bother to get diagnosed. I mean, all they would be able to do is give me Ritalin, and I already tried that for my hypersomulence, and it didn't do anything for me. It was supposed to help me stay awake/alert during the day, and I could take one and immediately take a nap. Sigh. Sometimes I think medication does more harm than it does good.

Core Dump

Empty Sad Lonely Helpless Numb Pointless Ungrateful Bored Confused Scared Fuzzy Annoyed Cold Fat Achy Aimless Misunderstood Dark Meaningless Tired Angry Crooked Pensive Hopeless Negative Crash Dry Passionateless Cowardly Detached Isolated Void Broken Mundane Stiff Worry Shame Pitiful Baffled Insignificant Mistaken Unworthy Repetitive Oxygen Dull Sore Random Guilty Naked Aware Effort Dumbfounded Unhealthy Wrong Different Waiting Lost Doubt Concern Fallen Breathe God Intangible Distant Contradiction Circles Old Foreign Yearn Flail Avoid Need Complex Questions Lacking

Flopsy the Snowman

Christmas 006
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

We call him Flopsy because he keeps falling over. We figured that we have been a bit depressed over Mike's illness, so we tried to show a little Christmas cheer. Comment from my sister:

Looks great outside ;-)
Inside you're a wee bit Scrooge-y. ;-)

Another Non-Update

Monday - Mike went for an EMG. Came back normal but hurt a lot.
Tuesday - Mike went to Baptist/Wake Forest for 3rd opinion Neurologist Appt. She didn't run any tests, but she is sending his doctor here a list of about 3 more tests he can run. Kinda disappointing but not a complete dead end.
Wednesday - We went to see Nona Patterson, a psychologist just to make sure we are staying healthy emotionally at least. It went pretty good for a first visit. There must've been a major pressure change with the rain today, we both had horrible headaches in the afternoon.

So, still no diagnosis for Mike. Good news: his dizziness is going away. Bad news: he is still getting bad headaches and muscle spasms. Overall though, I think he has gotten to the point where he is getting better instead of worse.

Got my new laptop. Exciting. Still using my old one until I can get everything transferred over.

The Absence

Well, after more doctor's appointments, all we have been able to find out is what Mike does not have. He doesn't have Huntington's disease, West Nile, Syphilis, HIV, Diabetes, Lime disease, MS, Epilepsy, heavy metal poisoning, brain tumors, heart problems, Meningitis, restless leg syndrome, antinuclear antibodies, paraneoplastic syndrome, a drug problem, Cryptococcus, brain hemorrhages, or intra-axial abnormalities of the brain. So that's good.

Today's Update

We went to CMC to see a Toxicologist this morning. Boy, I must love Mike. First, I hate driving. Second, I had to wake up at 7 AM this morning. Third, there was frost outside (and I am from Florida). Fourth, I had to drive in I-77 traffic. I hate I-77 traffic. Fifth, I have to do it again tomorrow. We are going to CMC Neurological Clinic. Not sure what new stuff they can tell us, but we didn't get anything useful from his Neurologist in Concord yet, so might as well try.

Thank God for health insurance.

Mike has pretty much stabilized so at least he isn't continuing to get worse. He can do 1-3 hours of work from home a day (maybe). After that, he is headachy, spasmy, and dizzy. He has taken up eating a banana a day. Maybe he is turning into a monkey . . .

I am doing okay. I have been scheduling Geoviz participants and writing my paper for my final project for Visual Analytics. Other than that, I have just been getting stuff done around the house that has to get done. Cats and dog are doing well. They don't particularly like having to go to the bathroom in the cold (dog outside, cats in the garage), but they haven't revolted in the house yet.

I feel 60 years old. We actually went to K&W Cafeteria this evening for dinner because I didn't feel like cooking. We went to church on Sunday, but we haven't been getting out of the house much (minus doctor's appointments), so I am missing socializing with my friends. Hugs to everyone! Feel free to stop by; we would enjoy some company. Don't worry, we will kick you out before you over stay your welcome. :-)

Thankful

Things I am thankful for:


God - He gave us everything we have that is good or perfect.

My family - Mike, Ra, Scuro, Ru, Mom, Watson, Kim, Tony, Max, Lisa, Steve, Rachael, Ryan, Emily, Mike's mom, Mike's Dad, Julie, Michelle, and our extended families.

My friends - Matt, Amy, Haya, Mahdi, Amber, Chris, Melanie, Angela, Tausha, Liz, Randy, Dave, Pedro, Jamie, Orson, Donna, and too many others to list.

My PhD advisors - Heather and Dave. They are awesome even though I have been sucking at the PhD program lately.

My stuff - I just did two-sided printing with my new wireless printer. Quite nifty. Something I have wanted/needed for some time now. I also am thankful for my car Pearl. My heater Marvin who is keeping me warm right now. My home. My office. I really like electricity and running water too.

The ducks - We enjoy feeding the ducks in the back yard.

The Internet - Admittedly, I am addicted. I am not thankful for porn or cyber-crime though.

My ex-boyfriends - People who I will always love and want the best for but may not talk to anymore.

My health - Mike's condition reminds me that even though I am not the healthiest person in the world, being able to do normal daily life type stuff is a blessing.

My safety - Living in the US has allowed us to not live in fear of war at our doorstep. Although there is crime here, we live relatively safe lives.

Kindness of Strangers - Sometimes when I grieve over the cruelty and selfishness of humanity, someone does something to remind me that goodness still exists.

Vertigo

No new news from the doctors. Mike has his current symptoms and now a new one - vertigo. When he gets headachy and spasmy, he now gets dizzy. We are kind of thinking it might be Parkinson's, but it is hard to diagnose. I saw that there is a Parkinson's Center in Charlotte, so I am going to call them to see if they have more information.

We have an appointment with a Toxicologist early Tuesday morning, a counseling appointment the next week, and an appointment with a Neuromuscular doctor the next week. Mike's short term disability is giving him a hard time because they haven't found out what is wrong with him yet, so the insurance company doesn't want to pay benefits. They want test results that are out of range, and we try to explain to them that the biggest problem is that we don't know why he is sick. Argh. Stressful. Luckily, so far, his boss is working with him so he doesn't have to rely on the short term disability yet.

Thanksgiving was quiet but good. Mike's mom came over, and we all made dinner. We didn't expect the turkey to take NINE hours to cook, so we ended up eating all of our sides around 7 PM and our turkey came out (minus the wings which we were able to have with dinner) of the oven around 9 PM. Darn fresh turkeys. Next time, we are just going to get a Butterball.

Friday Mike

Yesterday, Mike had a follow up appointment with his Neurologist who sent him in to the hospital to get a blood patch for his spinal tap headaches and nausea. So we spent most of the day getting that done. His brain is feeling better which is good. His back and hips are hurting from the blood that was pushed back into his spine to clot the original puncture. It was a little concerning when the doctor who did it said something to the effect of "Well, we aren't exactly sure what it does, but we think . . ." So now he is getting better from the procedures used to try to figure out what was originally wrong with him in the first place.

His doctor put him on Depakote which seems to reduce the uncontrollable muscle spasms. It is a medication used to treat bi-polar, epilepsy, and migraines. The weird thing is that his doctor already ruled out epilepsy, but he doesn't know what the muscle jerks are from. Depakote has some serious side effects such as liver problems and pancreatitis so I don't want him on the medication if he doesn't have to be. We will have to see how he is doing over the next few days. His general doctor is working on some other referrals to hopefully help figure things out without having to wait until March.

More Mike

Mike's Neurologist can't get him into Duke or Baptist for a second opinion until February or March which is pretty depressing. He is scheduled for an EMG on December 8th. We went to his general doctor today, and he is going to try to get referrals for us to get into a Neuromuscular doctor and a Toxicologist sooner is possible. He said that Mike have to go back and get another spinal tap to get a blood patch if he doesn't stop getting nausea and headaches from the first spinal tap. Something about maybe leaking spinal fluid. I don't want to think about that too hard because it grosses me out. He is in good spirits, but he is still visibly hurting. He hasn't been able to keep down all his food, and he was dizzy most of the day yesterday. I don't like leaving him for very long because he forgets that he gets dizzy. I don't want him to fall down the stairs or something when I am away.

We decided that it would be best to also see a counselor together to help us both cope with the stress right now. I am going to call a few after typing this update. I do better some days than others. I was really geared up for both of us to get off to a good working start at his job and me at school after we got back from the honeymoon and the whole wedding thing behind us. I want to start saving up for having kids in about 2 years. I guess it is a little disheartening that right after we get married, we are dealing with strange medical problems instead of being able to enjoy one another. We have been lucky if he feels good enough to get out to dinner with friends.

Everyone is praying for us, so I know everything will be okay.

Status Quo

Mike is feeling a little better from the spinal tap, but his back is hurting him, and he is still getting nausea and said he is dizzy. Last night his armpit was sore, so I think his lymph nodes might be swollen. According to him, he is "super spasmy" today. We are calling his regular doctor to schedule an appointment. I am getting annoyed with his doctor's lack of responsiveness, so we may try to change primary care physicians for him if his doctor keeps being a dork.

In other news, we don't know what happened to grey duck who was sent back to the waterfowl rescue. Black duck is now limpy as well. However, he still has all his feather, so I think he will be okay. Ru is healing up just fine. He is no longer a satellite dish dog.

I have a physical therapist appointment in half an hour. She will tell me that I need to actually do the exercises she gave me to have them work. At that point, I will break down crying and run out of her office it a total panic of stress. Well, maybe not. She is pretty nice.

Matt's birthday was yesterday, and we were actually able to make it to dinner to see him and a few friends. We also got to meet Stephen (Baby Campbell) for the first time last night. What a cutie pie. Seems like we are a few years behind our friends on the whole having a baby department. Hopefully, we won't be too far behind. Mike has to get better first though.

No Update

Mike has a spinal headache (if it sounds painful, you should see him) from the lumbar puncture. Doctor has him on bed rest as he can't sit or stand for very long. Been difficult getting through to his regular doctor and neurologist today. Waiting on outstanding test results. Poor guy asked me what Huntington's disease was because that is the latest test the doctor is sending in. I gave him a print out from wikipedia, and it freaked him out. We are seriously hoping and praying that that test comes back negative. Other than that, we are just trying to take care of each other. My back has decided it wants to start going out again. I have a physical therapist appointment next week.

Mike Update 3

They released Mike from the hospital late yesterday afternoon. They still haven't found out why he is sick. He is still getting really bad headaches, involuntary muscle jerks, nausea, tightness in his chest, and pain in his neck. The doctor is running another test for Huntington's disease. He has been in bed since he got back from the hospital. Sitting up makes him feel worse. He is happier at home, so it doesn't make sense to keep him at the hospital if they aren't running more tests. He will probably have to go up to Duke for more tests. He will probably have to go on short term disability at work for a few weeks at least. I am calling school to see what I need to do to get leave for a while to take care of him.

Thanks for all the prayers and kind words. It is good to know we have a lot of friends and family who love us very much.

Mike Update 2

Well, they didn't release Mike today; they are keeping him another night. Still no results to help figure out what is going on. Strangely enough, his spasms have really slowed down - probably because he is in bed all day. I am staying the night with him. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

It was sweet; my mom tried calling about 7 hospitals to find Mike and talk to him. She doesn't even think to try a cell phone. :-)

Mike has electrodes stuck all over his head with paper mache (how do you spell mache?). His room is also video surveillanced 24 hours/day. I guess I should have remembered that when I changed my pants.

Mike Update

Mike was admitted to the Concord hospital this morning. Hopefully it will just be overnight so they can observe him and run more tests. He is going to get another MRI, a spinal tap, and some other tests. I am picking up some clothes and stuff for him and will be driving back to the hospital shortly. I will report any new news as I can.

The Unknown

I've been stressed because Mike hasn't been feeling well. He started getting really bad headaches in July, but they couldn't get him in the see a Neurologist until October. Since then, he has developed tightness in his chest and mini seizures that make his whole body spasm. At first, it was only right before bed, and now it is pretty much all throughout the day. It has continously been getting worse. His doctor has advised that he not drive or travel which makes it hard for him to do his job. So he might have to go on short-term disability at work if they can't figure out and start treating the problem this week. He has already had 3 MRIs, CT scan, echo-cardiogram, a sleep deprived EEG, an EKG, a 48 hour EEG, a sleep study, and blood tests for all sorts of stuff (blood sugar, West Nile, Yellow Fever, Lime disease, etc.). They haven't found the cause yet. They have him on 2-3 new medicines. One is for seizures which helps his convulsions but makes him dizzy. At first they got rid of the muscle jerks, but then they came back. He is taking 2 in the morning and 2 at night, so he can't really increase the dosage. The other night, he got out of bed and just fell down on the floor because he was so dizzy. So I have been driving us around because he hasn't been feeling good enough to drive. Whatever it is has also been affecting his mental faculties where he just tells me sometimes, "I can't think." It also makes him depressed and anxious, whicvh I am not sure if those are symptoms or just a result of the symptoms. Either way, he has been having a very tough time of it the last few months. Of course, it gets me frustrated sometimes because I am not the most patient person, and having a fuzzy-headed newlywed husband can get pretty stressful. I know being sick isn't his fault, but it does put quite a bit of a burden on me when I am not generally the healthiest person in the world myself. I try to just be supportive, but I am definitely not perfect at it. The latest theory we have is that he had some fillings removed earlier this year, and he possibly could have gotten mercury poisoning which would cause all the symptoms he is experiencing. The other possibility is Parkinsons disease. His dad just reminded him that his great grandfather had Parkinson's. I am really hoping that it is mercury poisoning over Parkinson's though. I was trying to get him into the doctor Friday afternoon, but no one would see him. He didn't feel up to waiting in the Emergency room for hours to get seen - to probably be told that they wouldn't be able to run any of the tests until Monday anyway. So, I am driving him to the doctor early in the morning (Monday). He is scheduled for a spinal tap which I have heard can be excruciatingly painful. My poor honey. If they can't figure out what is wrong by doing testing, then he will need to be checked into a hospital, or we may have to go up to Duke so they can figure out what is going on. So we have been praying that he will feel better soon. I guess I wish this wasn't how we had to spend the first few months of married life. I will definitely stay true to my vows in sickness and in health, but I guess we all would wish that we didn't have to be tested right away. Mike is a sweetheart, and I just feel so helpless that I can't make him feel better. Overall, we are happy and love each other. He asked me the other day if I would have married him if he was having all of these problems before we got married. I told him of course. I am still lucky to have him even if times are a little tough right now.

The Real Crisis

I cried so hard last night, and it wasn't about the election. I was crying because of the shear meanness and anger that so many people have toward one another. I see more and more evidence of bitterness and/or apathy, and I don't know if it is because I am getting older or because the world is just progressively getting uglier. Thanks to the anonymity of the Internet, people have forgotten that respect is a virtue. And after some get accustomed to being nasty at the comfort of their keyboards, they grow more easy being that way in crowds and then so with individuals.

There is no use in being mean. None. Somehow being nice has become equated to weakness. One can be strong and resolute without being caustic and cruel. It seems like everything society worships are the things Jesus reviled. It takes more strength to be humble than to overflow with pride. It takes more courage to be wrongfully rebuked without retribution than it does to lash out in revenge.

I cried because I was so sad for humanity. I wanted to just love everyone so hard and all at once in some attempt to quell the hatred that seems to ooze so easily and out of no where. As if I were somehow important enough to get heard long enough to say, hush, just be nice, love one another, respect one another, comfort one another - or just be quiet. If they actually listened, would there just be silence?

I know I am an idealist to the core, and that will never change. I would rather die than turn stoic and cynical. I continue to seek the good in people and refuse to believe that anyone is a lost cause. I refuse to believe that changing the world is up to someone else and not up to me. I take the crises of humanity personally, but I don't know if it is me who is flawed or those who don't mourn personally for the loss of the moral character of each and every one of us. I don't know.

Transparency

People probably think I am too transparent with my life. You can pretty much find everything about me online. Although I don't tell everyone everything, I think if I am asked, I have little that I would actually hide. Mike has found it a little difficult to adjust to - being outed publicly every time he turns around. :-) Luckily, he loves me, and he has learned to just consider it cute.

I've been struggling lately to be productive. I have been tired, like usual. Mike has been less than 100% for quite some time now. I try my best to be understanding, but sometimes I get frustrated because when he is too tired to get anything done, it makes it hard for me to make myself do anything. It gets depressing when he just doesn't feel good all the time and there isn't anything I can do to help him.

He finished up his 48 hour EEG today, and we also requested that his doctor test him for Yellow fever and West Nile. They both have similar symptoms to what he is experiencing - if they get to the point of encephalitis. He had the Yellow fever vaccination earlier this year when he was traveling for work, and there was a minute risk that the vaccination could have the side effects of the actual virus. Also, he got completely eaten up by mosquitoes while we were helping clean up the pond before the wedding. However, only animal instances of West Nile have been reported in North Carolina. Leave it to Mike to get some strange disease - skin eating bacteria, diverticulitis, esophageal rings, and now whatever this is. You marry a guy, and he falls to pieces. Other than feeling like crap all the time, Mike is in good spirits. He is a sweetheart, and I have just been praying that he feels better soon.

Ah, now he walked into the room so I will be caught blogging about him. Mind went blank. Change subject.

The weather is getting cold here; it is a nice change for now, but I think it will get old after another month. I keep seeing pictures of Max growing up, and I am itching to go to Chicago to go see my newest nephew, Kim, and Tony. We also have to find some time to go see mom and Lisa and family.

Mike had bought me a new laptop for my birthday, but it sucked so we returned it. I was going to buy a tablet notebook, but since my brokerage account is down by about $20K, I think my old Dell laptop will have to suffice for a few more months. We still have credit card bills to pay off from the wedding. At least gas prices are in a normal range again - and there are actually gas stations with gas. We were stuck at home for a while.

Anything else interesting in my life to report? Hmmm. No, not really.

My Family is Broken

Ru_Daddy 004
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

I couldn't resist taking this picture. Mike is hooked up to an EEG for two days. His doctor thinks he might have epilepsy, and we also came up with it possibly being Yellow Fever or West Nile today because the symptoms match. Still don't know. Ru's diagnosis is clear: he loves too much, and the rottweiler did not love him. :-(

Just When You Think Your Neighborhood is Safe

Ru 007
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

So, Ru was in the backyard yesterday while we were logged in to the McCain Super Saturday phone call. The arborist left the gate open. Well, Ru usually is a good boy about staying in the backyard even if the gate is open. However, he saw a guy walking his dog, and got excited. He ran to go play with the dog (a Rottweiler) and this is what happened. Poor Ru. We are going to get springs for the gates to make sure they stay closed from now on. Ru has a satellite dish on his head and a drain because the bite was so deep. :-(

Racism

I am scared for our country. I feel more racial tension today than when I lived in Mississippi, and they called me Ching Chong in junior high. They thought my family and I were witches because we had a black cat and that we ate dog because we were Chinese. I feel more racial tension than when I moved to St. Petersburg, Florida shortly after the St. Pete riots. And this just feels wrong. It doesn't feel like hope.

I know racism existed before this election, and I know it will exist after this election. But the problem is that somehow this Presidential election has become all about race. Even if you aren't racist, you are now considered so. Even if you have fought against racism, all your efforts were in vain.

I wrote a response to an accusation that white people don't get why Obama is so important for blacks. I said that Obama doesn't represent the black people I know. The black people I know work extremely hard for their money - as hard or harder than white people I know - and would never think about forcing wealthy people to give the government money to give them a hand out. But, then that comment is considered racist as well.

I am angry that this election has made this country take a step backwards. No matter what color you are, you should be allowed to question both candidates and get intelligent answers. The mud slinging by the American citizens has gotten far more caustic than the ads run by either of the political campaigns. That's when you know when something is drastically wrong.

How do we fix this? Will it all just go away after the election or will it just get worse?

What we do and do not know . . .

Burr, Richard
217 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510

Dole, Elizabeth
555 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510

Dear Senators Burr and Dole,

We know all about Joe the Plumber. We know that his real first name is Sam and that his last name is Wurzelbacher. We know that he doesn’t have a plumber’s license, owes back taxes, and may even have a case against him for domestic battery. And all Joe did was ask, “Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn’t it?”

What we don’t know is if Obama violated the Logan Act which declares it treason to confer with foreign governments against the interests of the United States when he campaigned and possibly raised money for Odinga in Kenya whose rise to power ultimately resulted in the death of 1,500 people. Odinga’s campaign was for radical socialist change with wealth distribution in Kenya.

We don’t know how much money was funneled into (and for what causes) liberal organizations such as the Chicago Woods Fund, ACORN, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, and Trinity Church during Obama’s 10 year relationship with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers or 20 year membership at Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s church. Trinity Church preaches Black Liberation Theology and radical race separatism. Wright once said, “Racism is how this country was founded and how this country is still run! We [in the U.S.] believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God.” Interestingly enough, the far left sentiments I read on the church’s website last week have been replaced with a completely new, mainstream website I found today. Other files associating Obama and Ayers have also been removed during the past week from the Woods Fund and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) websites.

We don’t know if Obama is truly an American citizen eligible to run for President. His birth certificate was filed under Barry Soetoro, the surname of his adoptive father from Indonesia. There are claims that Indonesia did not allow dual citizenship until 2007 which means Obama would have had to give up his US citizenship to attend school in Indonesia.

We don’t know the extent of Obama’s 16 year involvement with Tony Rezko, a Chicago slumlord who campaigned for Obama and was indicted for soliciting kickbacks in 2006. We don’t know much about his relationship with John McKnight except that McKnight got him into Harvard Law School, gave him his first job as a community organizer, and was a disciple of Saul Alinsky, radical Socialist. We also don’t know much about his relationship with Rev. Jim Wallis, Fred Davis, Rahid Khalidi, and other radical liberals.

We do know that Obama endorsed Bernie Sanders, the first publicly declared Democratic Socialist elected to the US Senate. This is where I first heard Obama talk about change: “Sometimes we get disheartened and sometimes we pullback and we say you know what nothing is going change and yet when you look a these two men standing beside me it's an indication in fact that things can change.”

We do know that Obama believes that “we've got to make sure that people who have more money help the people who have less money,” and “we need to spread the wealth around.” He ensures us that when he is President, “we’ll ensure that economic justice is served."

We know that Obama’s tax plan guarantees a distribution of wealth where the top 1% of the nation would pay more tax that the bottom 80% of Americans combined. However, less than 50% of the "middle class tax break" actually goes to the middle class tax payer. The rest goes to people who pay no taxes at all or those making $93,000 to $192,000 a year.

We know that two-thirds of small business (sole proprietorships, partnerships, S-corporations, and family farms) profits are earned in households making more than $250,000 per year and that Obama’s tax plan may tax their earnings up to 54.9% (the individual tax rate will climb from 35% to 39.6% and the Social Security/Medicare tax rate could climb from 2.9% to 15.3%. Put those together, and you get 54.9%). This 54.9% tax rate would be the highest since the Carter Administration, when America suffered through double-digit inflation and unemployment. America's 26 million small businesses employers give a paycheck to 116 million employees. When small business taxes go up, millions of these employees will be at risk of being laid off.

Intrinsically, we know that radical Socialism is not superior to reformed Capitalism. We know that the US is founded on the idea of the “American Dream” which is the belief in the freedom to achieve our goals (often wealth as a form of prosperity) through hard work. We also know that the economic growth of our country is more important than the fact that we might get an extra tax break of our own.

We all know that Obama has a charismatic personality with a decisiveness and power not found in his political opponents. He makes promises of a new nation and of change. But do we really know what that change really means?

During no other time in history has the background of a Presidential candidate been so controversial yet so glossed over. It took a Plumber from Ohio to say the covert word “Socialism” that we had all been thinking before McCain could even question his opponents’ stance on the issue. Because, we all know, if McCain had said it first, he would have surely been accused of treachery. Socialism is a policy, not a character flaw. We need to know the extent of Senator Obama plans to impose this ideology on our country before he is elected President (which I can only hope he is not). Yet all probing questions have simply been silenced. I have been respectful of Obama supporters, have not used fowl language, and have refrained from any personal attacks. However, when I have questioned Senator Obama’s readiness to be my President, Obama supporters have called me racist, dumb, fat, uncompassionate, a liar, a brick wall, out of my mind, greedy, undesirable to men, and a whacked out bitch. After simply comparing timelines for Palin and Obama’s experience, I was told that “I hope you die a slow and agonizing death you worthless piece of shit.” I guess I know how Joe feels. Is this what Senator Obama meant by, “I want you to argue with them and get in their face?”

Senators Dole and Burr, as my representatives in Senate, I am counting on you to make sure Obama is thoroughly put through the vetting process, and that we can still invoke our First Amendment rights to free speech. Currently, there is no law requiring background checks for President of the United States, yet in some states felons are stripped of the right to vote. Therefore, men and women who do not even have the privilege of voting could in fact run for President. I am not suggesting that Senator Obama has a criminal background, but I do want answers to all the questions concerned citizens have been asking about his socialist ideologies and troubling entourage of friends and business partners. I believe an FBI investigation is not only appropriate but necessary. With his practically unlimited source of funding and media’s bias slant, I simply don’t know the truth. However, I refuse to accept ignorance as comfort and will continue to search for the facts; hopefully, I won’t be alone. Americans have the right to an informed vote, and unfortunately, it may already be too late for that. I am truly concerned about my families’ future and the future of this great Nation.

*** Note: This letter was originally written by me (Pamela Karr Wisniewski). However, you are welcome to copy the letter to send to your state's US Senators. ***

We Will Call Her Limpy

Poor Scuro has to go to the vet tomorrow because she has been limpy for about a week now. However, she is a tough little kitty and continues to perform her nightly duties of mashing and fluff-heading us as we sleep.

In other news, we adopted some ducks from the Carolina Waterfowl Rescue for the Ferguson's pond.


Let's see, what else? Mike had an echo-cardiogram today and is all hooked up to a heart monitor. He won't be very cuddly tonight.

I am happy with my new department at school. It doesn't make me cry, and I feel like I am actually getting help to be productive.

My 29th birthday went over without a hitch - other than the fact that I am now another year older. :-(

I joined the National Arbor Day Foundation for $15, and they are going to send me 10 flowering trees. I thought that was pretty cool. You should get some free trees too!

I think Mike will be watching his Notre Dame game as I read qualifying exam articles tomorrow. This, of course, will be after we take Scuro the Limpy to the vet. Boy, will she be mad at us.

82% of Statistics are made up on the spot . . .

Some issues with the 90% statistic referring to McCain voting with Bush:
-The majority of Senate votes are unanimous consent votes
-Obama leaves out 2005 when McCain only voted with Bush 77% of the time
-Based on the same comparison, Obama votes with the Democratic party 97% of the time, rarely showing bipartisanship. On the other hand, McCain has voted with his party (since 1987) only 83% of the time.

77% for a Republican voting with Republicans seems reasonable to me. Obama has voted with Bush about 40% of the time and Biden 52% of the time, and they are Democrats. And when they say McCain voted with Bush 90% of the time, that only includes 22% of the votes during Bush's presidency. I agree that the term "Maverick" is a marketing ploy that is getting annoying, but the fact that McCain has shown bipartisan leadership is noteworthy. Democrats made up 55 percent of his political partners over the last two Congresses, including on the tough issues of campaign finance and global warming. For Obama, Republicans were only 13 percent of his co-sponsors during his time in the Senate, and he had his biggest bipartisan successes on noncontroversial measures, such as issuing a postage stamp for Rosa Parks.

Obama and Socialism

"We've got to make sure that people who have more money help the people who have less money," Sen. Obama said. "If you had a whole pizza, and your friend had no pizza, would you give him a slice?"

Definition of Socialism: Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and the creation of an egalitarian society.

Dell Complaint

**** UPDATE ******

In all fairness to Dell, after we wrote and sent them this letter, they allowed us to return the laptop. They said it would take 30 days for the refund to go through, so we are still waiting for that. So, the moral of the story is, write to customer service- don't bother trying to talk to one of the customer service reps over the phone. I don't think they have the autonomy to issue refunds and are impossible to talk with.

**** UPDATE ******

Michael Dell
Dell Corporate Headquarters
Dell Computer Inc.
One Dell Way
Round Rock TX 78682

“It's through curiosity and looking at opportunities in new ways that we've always mapped our path at Dell. There's always an opportunity to make a difference.” –Michael Dell

Michael Dell/Customer Service:

As an IT professional, I have been a loyal Dell customer for over six years; my last four laptops have been Dell. I purchase a new laptop approximately every 2-3 years, and that system is usually close to the top-of-the-line available on the market. My husband is also an IT professional and has purchased numerous Dell products. In the past, we have been very happy with your product and your customer service.

We recently purchased a Dell XPS M1530 on 8/25/2008 which we received on 9/9/2008. We previously contacted Dell because we were unhappy with the glossy display, and they told us that they couldn’t help us. Today, 9/28/2008, we contacted Dell because the hard drive failed, and the computer will no longer boot properly. Overall, we are extremely dissatisfied with the system and would like to replace it with a different Dell system. However, we were informed that we could not return the system because the 21 days from invoice date (9/5/2008) had expired (by two days). It has been less than 21 days since the receipt of the laptop (9/9/2008 – 9/28/2008). We received an email confirming purchase of the system on 9/6/2008, but at no time did we receive a document that was entitled “Invoice.” Since the term invoice is ambiguous and the dating of the invoice is rather random, it only makes sense to honor the return based on when the system was signed for and received. Furthermore, Dell should handle this problem because a brand new laptop hard drive should not fail within the first month after it was built.

You are about to lose a loyal customer of six years over a dispute of two days. I am losing valuable data and software applications due to Dell’s poor product quality of this particular system. We have invested a lot of time and money getting this laptop up to working condition, and now all that is going to waste.

I am also unhappy with your level of customer service. Previously, when I dealt with Dell customer service, they were always able to help me resolve my problem. Now, all I keep hearing is no and why nothing can be done. Your representatives have difficulty understanding even basic issues that we want resolved because of language barriers, and we keep getting put on hold and passed around to the next representative because no one takes the accountability to do the right thing. That is unacceptable.

I would like to see the Dell I used to know come back and remedy this situation. I switched from IBM brand laptops to Dell because of an IBM customer service failure with a lemon of a laptop. I encouraged family, friends, and colleagues not to buy IBM ThinkPads (while they were still on the market) due to my experience. I don’t want this to happen with Dell because of my experience with the new XPS M1530. I am actually typing this letter on my old laptop, a Dell Latitude D610. If this issue is not resolved, I will be filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and Consumer Affairs. And, I will no longer be a Dell customer. I would like to continue my relationship with Dell as a loyal customer, but I would like to see that Dell is still loyal to its customers as well.

“Our business is about technology, yes. But it's also about operations and customer relationships.” – Michael Dell

Sincerely,
Pamela Karr Wisniewski


**** UPDATE ******

In all fairness to Dell, after we wrote and sent them this letter, they allowed us to return the laptop. They said it would take 30 days for the refund to go through, so we are still waiting for that. So, the moral of the story is, write to customer service- don't bother trying to talk to one of the customer service reps over the phone. I don't think they have the autonomy to issue refunds and are impossible to talk with.

**** UPDATE ******

What you would do as president to lead this country out of the financial crisis?

McCain

• Well, the first thing we have to do is get spending under control in Washington.


• Examine every agency of government


• Eliminate ethanol subsidies


• Defense spending - do away with cost-plus contracts and have fixed-cost contracts


• Spending freeze on everything but defense, veteran affairs and entitlement programs


• Obama has $800 billion in new spending programs. I would suggest he start by canceling some of those new spending program that he has.
  

Obama

• We've got to grow the economy from the bottom up. What I've called for is a tax cut for 95 percent of working families, 95 percent.


• We have to have energy independence


• Invest in alternative energy, solar, wind, biodiesel


• Making sure that we're developing the fuel-efficient cars of the future right here in the United States


• Fix our health care system


• Make sure that we're competing in education


• Invest in science and technology


• College is affordable for every young person in America


• Rebuild our infrastructure


• Have a new electricity grid to get the alternative energy to population centers


• Investing in energy in order to free ourselves from the dependence on foreign oil


• Increase early childhood education


• We have to look at bringing that war to a close

What I don't get is how Obama is going to fund all of this amid a financial crisis - unless he is going to raise taxes or is making empty promises.

Quote of the Day

''These two entities -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- are not facing any kind of financial crisis,'' said Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee. ''The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.'' Representative Melvin L. Watt, Democrat of North Carolina, agreed. ''I don't see much other than a shell game going on here, moving something from one agency to another and in the process weakening the bargaining power of poorer families and their ability to get affordable housing,'' Mr. Watt said.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E3D6123BF932A2575AC0A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print

My Footprints

Tuesday, Hey!

9 AM: Woke up, ate breakfast, checked email
10 AM: Paid bills, decluttered office space, uploaded more wedding pictures
10:45 AM: Contacted Atlas ti support, emailed professors
11:10 AM: Added Arc Map design flaws based on yesterday's coding (which may have all been in vain)
11:45 AM: Updated wiki and Google Docs organization
1 PM: Stopped for lunch, sigh, we really need to go to the grocery store. Lunch meat and no bread. Not much else to eat for lunch. Loaded dishwasher, faxed UNC health center to transfer medical records. Yay! Got my early birthday present in the mail - a new laptop, on hold with Walgreens to transfer prescriptions, updated to do list
2:45 PM: Get ready to go to class
3:30 PM: Class
5 PM: Home, went shopping for baby shower supplies, ate dinner at Panera
7 PM: Home again, Mike's tummy is hurting him, we took a nap
8:30 PM: Woke up, watched some tv, did some set up stuff on my new laptop, checked email, planned some for tomorrow


Pam!

Not so Manic Monday

9:45 AM: Woke up, checked email, read headlines, drank diet Coke with Splenda
10 AM: Breakfast, made bed, showered
11 AM: Data analysis
1 PM: Ate lunch, back to analysis
8:30 PM: Ate dinner, back to analysis
10 PM: Stopped data analysis

(9.5 hours logged for school)

Pam!

Another Day

8:30 AM: Woke up, Mike feeling better (must have been a stomach bug instead of the flu proper)
8:45 AM: Ate PB&J and coffee for breakfast
9:15 AM: Showered
12:30 PM: Lunch at Bear Rock Cafe
Most of the Day - Not much
6:30 PM: Had Mom, Jackie, and Phillipa over for dinner

(0 hours logged for school, 10 hours logged for week not including weekends)


Pam!

Sick Honey Head

8:30 AM: Woke up, checked email
9 AM: Ate PB&J for breakfast with Diet Coke, filled out Dr. paperwork
10:30 AM: Dr. appt, had to get blood drawn :-(
11:30 AM: Home, Mike back from his Dr. appt. sick with the flu, I have a bad headache, both resting
1 PM: Emailed advisors that I am staying home today
3:30 PM: Ate some gyoza
4 PM: Did some laundry
7 PM: Couples' massage
8 PM: Ate Wendy's hamburger and fries
8:30 PM: Watched Republican Convention, posted bamboo place card holders on eBay
11:45 PM: Went to bed

(0 hours logged for school)

Pam!

Sucks to be Me

My sister Kim's first published book, buy it on Amazon.com!!

More Video Trascription Day

8:30 AM: Woke up, ate breakfast
8:45 AM: Checked email
9 AM: Showered, got ready
10 AM: Chiropractor appt
10:45 AM: Back from Chiropractor, scheduled monthly massage, scheduled car inspection for tomorrow morning
11 AM: Started watching geovis videos and transcribing
11:30 AM: Took a break and opened packages that came in the mail
11:45 AM: Back to video transcription
2:30 PM: Mike brought me Nutella on toast with milk for lunch, continued transcription
3:15 PM: Starting getting ready for my appt on campus
4 PM: On-campus appt
4:30 PM: Drove home, called Tausha
4:45 PM: Got home, created web poll for group
5 PM: Napped
7 PM: Ate dinner (Mike cooked duck)
7:20 PM: Back to video transcription
7:50 PM: Finished participant 6 video
8 PM: Added Tiffany as a friend on Facebook, played around on Facebook for a while
8:20 PM: Started transcribing participant 7
10:45 PM: Finished participant 7, uploaded Google docs, wiki, and this blog
10:50 PM: Went downstairs to spend time with Mike

(7 hours logged for school)

Pam!

Tuesday

9:30 AM: woke up (couldn't get to sleep last night), had coffee and cereal
10 AM: Checked email, packaged up eBay item that I sold, tried to upload photos to Snapfish to make a mug (their site seems not to be working)
11 AM: Started watching Geovis videos
2 PM: Ate PB&J for lunch (side of Nutella)
3 PM: Got ready for class, talked to Lisa on the phone
3:30 PM: Visual Analytics class
5 PM: Talked to Tony on phone, got home, took a nap with Mike
6:20 PM: Woke up, Mike made lamb chops and I made red potatoes - ate them
7:30 PM: Finished dinner, finally got Snapfish to work
8 PM: Went to the Ferguson's to check on the lights, went to Coldstone for ice cream
8:45 PM: Picked up prescriptions at Walgreens, talked to Mom on the phone
9 PM: Got sucked into House, procrastinating on watching video, checking tomorrow's schedule to see if I really need to watch the rest of it tonight
11 PM: Went to bed

(3 hours logged for school)


Pam!

Sleepyhead Log

7:45 AM: Woke up, checked email, read some political news
8:15 AM: Coffee, pizza, Created shipping labels for wedding albums
9:30 AM: Went back to bed with Mike after he got home from Dr. appt
10:30 AM: Woke up again, packaging up wedding albums to send, uploaded Kristin's pictures from CD to Flickr
12:30 PM: Ate pizza for lunch
1 PM: Continued working on mailing stuff
2 PM: Showered and got ready
3 PM: Research seminar
4:30 PM: Got home
5 PM: Took a nap
6:45 PM: Woke up hungry, made Melting Pot reservation for 8 PM, looked at large turtle swimming in pond
7:30 PM: Went to the Melting Pot for cheese and chocolate (yum)
8:45 PM: Called mom on the way home, hung out with Mike
11:15 PM: Ate wedding cake (yum), checked email, paid credit card bill

(1 hour logged for school, 6.5 hours for the week not including weekends)

Goal for this weekend: watch 2 geovis videos


Pam!

Wordle

Time in a Bloggle

It seems like I never have time to get everything done. Of course, I am sure that this isn't a problem isolated to just me. So, I am going to try to keep a daily log of what the heck I actually do every day, starting today.

8:30 AM: Woke up, checked email
9 AM: Checked class website, downloaded Tableau
9:30 AM: Ate breakfast (Pizza Hut pizza, later Lucky Charms), showered, made bed
10 AM: Paid Dr. bill, made Dr. appt. (why are my big toes numb?), Created plan for watching Geovis videos and reading qualifying exam articles, looked at baby shower cakes for Amy and Angela
10:45 AM: Cuddled with Mike in big chair, drank a cup of coffee
11 AM: Reread CHI paper outline
11:30 AM: Sent in PhD progress report, mailed panoramic X-Ray to TMJ specialist
12 PM: Lunch (PB&J sandwich), installed Tableau
1 PM: Met with Erin and Okan
2 PM: Geovis meeting
2:30 PM: Checked GASP
3:30 PM: Class
5 PM: HCI meeting
6:45 PM: Got home, Mike made dinner
7 PM: Ate dinner, vegged on couch
8:30 PM: Tried to nap, cuddled with purr-head Scuro
9:30 PM: Got up from nap, Mike fed Ru, squeezed a huge zit starting to form on my chin
10 PM: Packaged wedding photo books for bridal party, updated blog
10:30 PM: Figured I should get off the computer

(5.5 hours logged for school)

Pam!

Hottest Picture of Mike EVER!

Here is a picture of my *husband* when he was either in the last years of high school or first years of college. Sorry, just had to share this yumminess. ;-)


Sorry for not updating this blog lately. Too much going on. Take a look at the wedding blog.

Seasons

ARE YOU A REASON, A SEASON, OR A LIFETIME?

(Note from one of my best friends)
This is a message you sent me ages ago, I found it
while digging through old emails and it made me smile.
I just wanted to share that smile with you. To me
you have always been and always will be a friend for a
lifetime. You have taught me more than you know,
brought me greater joy than I can express, and I love
you more than any words I will be able to find.

When someone is in your life for a REASON. . .
It is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty,
to provide you with guidance and support, to aid
you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They
may seem like a godsend, and they are! They are
there for the reason you need them to be. Then,
without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an
inconvenient time, this person will say or do
something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met,
our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer
you sent up has been answered. And now it is time
to move on.

Then people come into your life for a SEASON.
Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace, or make you
laugh. They may teach you something you have never
done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount
of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a
season.


LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime
lessons: things you must build upon in order to have
a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept
the lesson, love the person, and put what you have
learned to use in all other relationships and areas
of your life. It is said that love is blind but
friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life!!!
Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
And dance like no one is watching.

Catching Curly

Curly lives on the window sill in the living room. Muhammed gave him to me as a housewarming present. Well, I was trying to open the window, and off falls Curly. So, I try to catch him; however, I was unsuccessful. Alas, you see, Curly is a cactus.

Now I have little cactus thorns embedded in my fingers. They go well with the poison ivy I have on my thigh. Then some large spider or other scary bug bit me right on top of my poison ivy. I think I have a leech suck spot on my ankle that also got bitten by a mosquito. Mike and I both have mosquito bites all over from camping and from dredging the pond. We are a mess. :-) Just in time for the wedding!

Cats are on the office floor bathing.

One Month

We have exactly one month until the wedding. While most things are done, we still have quite a few things to do. Ahhh!

In other news, Mike sold his Porsche, and we bought a 2005 Nissan Xterra. After we recoup from the wedding expenses, we can actually get kayaks now!

Research with my new advisors in the SIS department is going much better. I feel like I am actually making a contribution. I will definitely have to ramp up the time spent on research after the wedding.

The animals are doing well. Ru is a lot less crazy than he used to be. Ra is currently sitting on my lap purring with his chin on my left hand. It looks like he is reading what I am typing. Scuro has been a little pukey lately, so we took her to the vet. She is on an antibiotic for a few days. I need to go get her some better flavored hairball medicine.

A few weekends ago, we went for a quick camping trip in the Smoky Mountains. You can go to our Flickr photo gallery to check out the pictures.


Mike has made friends with Mr. Ferguson who lives behind us. We have been trying to help him with the algae problem in the smaller pond. Here is a picture of him rowing in the pond and spraying the weeds. You can go to Flickr to see the rest of the pictures.

Sleepy Pam

The results of my sleep study came back. Evidentially, I have obstructive sleep apnea and limb movements which resulted in an average of 3.2 brief arousals per sleep hour. (Mike did his Beavis and Butthead impression when he read "arousals," but that was NOT what the sleep study was referring to.) According to the study, I am only 82.5% sleep efficient and awoke 34 times during a night's sleep. Also, they did not record any REM sleep, but they said that was probably due to medications I am taking. So that is at least some explanation to why I am so sleepy all the time. Now I just have to see what they can do to fix it.

Hair and Make Up

Makeup 021
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

Here is a picture of Mike and I after I got my wedding hair and make-up consultation.

Double Tree Room 668

Well, I am sitting in bed at the Double Tree Hotel near South Park Hotel being observed for my sleep study. They are going to attempt to wake me up at 6 AM in the morning. Hehe. I splurged the $9.95 to buy Internet access for the night. I wonder if they will let me browse the Internet when I wake up at 4 AM. I wasn't supposed to nap today, but I think I accidentally napped for a little while after my personal training session. My upper body is going to be really sore tomorrow. I will miss Mike, Ra, and Scuro tonight. However, I brought Job and green blanket with me.

Been working on getting participants for a study we are running in my new department. Also been doing some wedding planning. Need to do some more. We are almost done with RSVPs. Right now, we have 124 adults and 20 kids.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Argh. I am either too sleepy or can't sleep. No happy medium. Oh well. My bridal shower is later today, and I am excited about that. Went to the YMCA yesterday for my first personal trainer appointment and to set up my FitLinxx account.

New Orleans Smells Like Pee

Mike had a NCTA trade show (broadcast industry - I warned him to stay clear of all the naked people) in New Orleans, so I went with him this weekend. He was starting to get in trouble for being away on business trips so often . . . I started a spreadsheet. Anyway, on Sunday, we went on a bus tour which went through some of historic New Orleans and ended in the 9th Ward showcasing some of the disaster left in the wake of Katrina. It was pretty crazy.

After the tour, we took a nap (always the highlight of my day), then we walked around the French Quarter. We found a Lush store and bought some fizzy balls, a discovery that I first made in Los Angeles and have only been able to buy off of Amazon ever since. We ate at a restaurant called Mr. B's Bistro which was awesome. While there, someone mistook me for "Diane from idol." I gave her a confused look and said who? I looked it up on the Internet, and the closest thing I could find is a girl named Diana DeGarmo who was on American Idol (born in 1987 - a baby!).

I stayed in the hotel on Monday, and after Mike got back from the trade show, we went to Luke's which is a not-so-good restaurant near the hotel. Especially compared to the restaurant we ate at the night before, it was more expensive and not as good. Yuck.

I woke up having weird nightmares, so here I am blogging at 3 in the morning.

Yesterday, May 19th, was Tausha's birthday. I usually call and leave her a message on her birthday, but I missed it this year. She is one of my best friends from junior high school in Mississippi.

Rain Barrels

CharMeck is selling rain barrels from $85-$100 which is a little cheaper than you can get them at the local home improvement stores. The drought conditions in Charlotte, NC seem to reoccur annually so I thought this was a good idea.

However, we bought rain barrels from another company called RainBarrel.Net because we thought their rain barrels were a lot prettier.


So this was just a short blog about how Pam and Mike are going a little greener.

My Sleepyhead

All is right in the world again. Mike got home this morning, and he is currently sound asleep in bed. And when I say sound, that means sound - kind of like a little kid pretending he sunk a battleship in the bath tub. Hehe, he is soo cute.

Email Thread I Came Across

From: Pamela Karr [mailto:pam@pamspam.com]

We dinn all the time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: RE: Painter

;) you are a dork, its kinda cute

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Pamela Karr [mailto:pam@pamspam.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 1:44 PM
Subject: RE: Painter

Main Entry: 2din
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): dinned; din·ning
intransitive senses : to make a loud noise
transitive senses
1 : to assail with loud continued noise
2 : to impress by insistent repetition -- often used with into


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 1:38 PM
To: Pamela Karr
Subject: RE: Painter

No I was thinking more like the dinning room actually

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Pamela Karr [mailto:pam@pamspam.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 1:36 PM
Subject: RE: Painter


How about the dining room?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 1:32 PM
To: Pamela Karr
Subject: RE: Painter



I emailed him about it…we will finish the dinning room tonight


GW

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Pamela Karr [mailto:pam@pamspam.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 1:02 PM
Subject: Painter


Can you get the painter name from Andrew?

Wisniewski-Berry Trip

We went to Grand Rapids, Michigan this weekend to visit Mike's family. It was a great trip! Above are pictures of Mike and his grandparents. If you want to see all the pictures from the trip, click here!

100

We officially only have 100 more days until our wedding! We received our guestbook in the mail today, and it looks great! Yay! Things are moving along quite well.

I switched from BISOM to SIS, and I am so far very happy with the change. I feel like I will actually be able to get my PhD after all.

Mike's job is going pretty well, and the house is looking good. However, the yard still needs more work. Hopefully we will have grass again by August.

Recommended Contractors in Charlotte, NC

Keith Sellers - Painter (704) 451-4774. He and his team can edge better than any other painters I have ever worked with.

Stan Johnson - Electrician (704) 458-7751. He does work for the Charlotte-Douglas airport. His prices are very reasonable.

Jim Bridges - Plumber (704) 746-1645. He has done a great job on all the projects he has done for us.

Erica Anders - Pet Sitter (704) 340-6603. She takes care of Ru, Ra, and Scuro when we are out of town. Very professional.

BTR Roofing - Roof Repair (704) 537-7837.

David Medlin - Land Survey (704) 454-5541.

Vachik - Charlotte Concrete Resurfacing (704) 975-0466.

Jeff Moss - Countrywide Refinancing (704) 724-2875.

Greg with Molly Maid - Housekeeping (704) 536-6243.


These are contractors that we have experiences problems with. Therefore, you may want to hire them with caution.

Ronnie Hedgeco
Clayton Landscaping
PetSmart Pet Grooming
Time Warner Cable
Sprint
Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens special events
Mama Ricotta's Catering
Favors Frenzy

Smile

Some things that make me smile:

-Hearing from a friend after losing touch for some time
-Ra snoring
-Scuro bringing us fluff heads
-Ru's wiggle but
-Being silly with Mike
-Talking to my nieces and nephew on the phone
-Seeing new pictures of baby Max

Yay!!

Mike is coming home from Las Vegas tonight! He will find that the landscaping people have made a mess of the yard, but hopefully they will be making more progress in the next few days.

Here is a picture of my nephew Max - just because he is soo cute.


Mike and I want to have two kids starting in about 2-3 years. Ru, Ra, and Scuro are keeping us busy enough in the meantime!

Updated Kitchen

House 005
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

Here is a picture of our newly updated kitchen. Mike did it all himself! We still have to put in the tile backsplash, but I think it looks awesome! I need to find a before picture to show the difference . . .

Charlotte 052
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

Okay, here is the before picture of the kitchen. See the difference?!

Wedding Stuff

You can read all about this on our wedding blog, but here are our highlights . . .

Engagement Portraits - We had our portraits made yesterday, and they came out really well. Yay!



Gift Registries - We are registered at Amazon.com, Target, and Lowes

Guest Information - Everything our guests need to know about our attending wedding

Guest List - So far, we have 84 friends and family attending our wedding. We are still waiting for all the RSVPs to come in!

Another Pam List

Things that are not so good:
PhD program
Pam's health
Pam's weight
Mike's health insurance program

Things that are okay:
Liquid finances
Relationship between cats and dog
Mike's health
Pearl's tires

Things that are good:
Home improvements
Wedding planning
Mike's Job
General finances
Mike's weight
Pets' health
Porsche in Boots

Things that are great:
Mike and Pam
My nephew Max
God

Reasons

Reasons to be thankful.

Mike. He is absolutely and completely wonderful. He loves and supports me in everything I do. I came home upset the other day, and he canceled his meetings at work to take care of me. He is sweet and intelligent and is always there for me.

Max. My new little nephew. He is completely adorable, and he makes me excited about the kids Mike and I will have in a few years.

My mom. I probably talk to her on the phone at least once a week. Although we have a rocky past, I completely just love her and want her to be happy. I love talking to her and sharing my life with her. I have learned to appreciate the good things that make her her. She is funny and a warm person. She works really hard, and she loves her daughters very much.

The animals. I am never alone. I just turned around, and sure enough Scuro is laying on the ottoman behind me. Sometimes it is Ra snoring on the floor or the wiggle-Ru waiting at the foot of the stairs to greet me. They are all beautiful and have adjusted pretty well to living together.

God. Mike and I pray together at night, and we just have to thank God for all the blessings he has given us. I don't think we could have ever found one another without Him. I look back at some of the obstacles in my life, and I realize that God was letting me go through them to shape me into the person I am now. He has always brought people into my life at the right times to keep me going.

Friends. I am not the most social person, but I have soo many friends. They might not even be people I talk to for years, but I know there are people I could call right now who would be there for me if I needed them. It is the fact that people care. There is a connection. No matter how busy everyone gets, there is acknowledgment of existence and mutual love.

Alternatives. Even though I have struggles right now, I am not painted into the corner. The world is a blank canvas, and I just have to decide what I want to do with it. So many people don't have options because something limits them in some way or another. It is good to know you have multiple positive choices even when you don't know which one is the right one to choose.

Qualifying Exam Update

I passed 2 out of 3 parts of my qualifying exams. I need to retake the closed book portion of the qualifying exam. I expected that since I didn't take 3 out of 4 of the classes that were being tested on for that section. Originally, the department waived those classes because they thought I had taken similar courses during my masters program. However, without actually knowing the content that was covered in my courses or me knowing the content covered in the UNCC courses, it was impossible to really make that call. It turns out that much of the material had no overlap, and I was trying to learn material that I had never seen before. So I am happy with the results. I guess I won't be ditching the PhD program just yet.

Pam Ra Ru

Here is the picture I sent Mike in San Diego to show him what he is missing here at home. The picture quality is pretty bad because I took it with my phone in a really low light.

He's Here! He's Here!

My new little nephew Royce Maxwell Pauley was born yesterday! Yay!! Kim and Tony are doing well and should be able to bring him home tomorrow. Love you guys!

In my world: I took the first section of my qualifying exams today. Ugh. I did okay on parts and not okay on some other parts. As long as they average over 70%, I get to pass. If not, I have to try again (or decide not to get my PhD afterall) next semester.

My hand is killing me! I don't think I ever learned how to hold a pencil right. Man, I am not used to actually writing anything anymore in pencil. I think my carpel tunnel is acting up. I have to figure out if I am supposed to use heat or ice on it.

Mr. Karr

Hehehe! Mike and I have pretty much combined all of our accounts in some fashion or another. Well, he keeps getting called Mr. Karr by people who call the house because a lot of the bills are in my name. I think it is neat that he gets a taste of this perspective so he can understand how women feel when they get married and change their names. I have been feeling a little insecure because I quit my job, and he is basically the "bread winner" in the family right now. I don't think he gets how it makes me feel, but then I just remind him about "Mr. Karr." (Love you honey!)

On the sister front, Kim is about to pop. Max will be here any day now - definitely by Monday. See gratuitous belly shot lifted from Kim's blog below:



I have qualifying exams next week. Need prayers, say lots of prayers.

And check out our wedding blog when you get the chance. We should have hotel information posted soon. Most people should have gotten their invitations by now. It was like pulling teeth to get Mike to round up all the addresses for his family. I guess that is one advantage of having a close-knit Chinese family. Everyone knows where everyone is at all times.

Growing up Poor, in the South

Here is a very picturesque scene of two young girls sharing one ballerina outfit and leaning on a Winnebago. Ah yes, growing up poor in the South. Such fond memories . . .

I was just scanning a few baby photos for a wedding slide show. I came across this one and couldn't resist posting it. :-) Love ya, Kim.

Honey Head!

Mike gets home at 7 AM in the morning. He has a urologist appt in the morning, and I have one at 10:30 AM. Boy, that is when you know you are getting old. I bought him some geraniums and crotons for the pots on the patio in the backyard as a surprise. However, it is 24 degrees out right now so they might be frozen by the morning. Oh well.

I am studying for qualifying exams. Say a prayer for me that I do well. I am pretty stressed out about this.

I am going to go to bed so I can wake up to see my honey in the morning.

If I had a million dollars . . .

1) Buy mom and Watson their own house
2) Pay off all our credit card debt
3) Help pay for Liz to get a bachelor's degree
4) Travel all over the world (with Mike of course)
5) Save money for sending our two (future) kids to college
6) Donate to some meaningful charity
7) I don't know

Mike making pretty

Mike making pretty
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

Before leaving from San Francisco for business, Mike was working on refacing the kitchen cabinets. The new doors and veneer looks great. He added under cabinet lights as well. He is almost done and will probably finish up next weekend.

Someone is supposed to come by and dig up the hollies today.

Snuffalufagus

I am sick again. Ugh. I am all stuffy. I am not sure how I caught this cold since I just got over one a few weeks ago. Poor Mike. It is his birthday/our anniversary (of meeting), and I am all snotty-nosed.

Happy birthday Mike!

You are the most wonderful person in the world!

You are smart, caring, loving, cuddly, handy, silly, funny, handsome, and altogether perfect for me! You make me feel happy, safe, and secure. Thank you for loving me! I am excited about all the years to come!

(Let's see if he reads this.)

Busy!

Between nurturing my health, taking care of the house, studying for qualifying exams, working, and planning the wedding, I haven't really had time to update my blog lately. Although we are busy, things are great. Life is good. I just wanted to tell all my friends and family that I love them!

January 2008

Wow, I can't believe it is 2008 already. 2007 went by really quickly, and here we are. So here are some big headlines for 2008:

• Mike turned 30
• Pam & Mike got engaged
• Kim is pregnant
• Kim is getting her first book published
• Mike resigned from IBM after 8 years
• Pam resigned from Lash Group after 2 1/5 years
  
• We got Uluru (Ru)
• Joel got married
• Auntie Dot passed away
• Mike sold his house
• Chris and Amber got engaged
• Pam and Pearl had their first wreck (fender bender)
• Pam & Ann took a cruise through the Caribbean
• Mom and Watson moved into Jay's townhouse
• Rachael started high school

I think that covers the major life events in 2007.

Pam & Mike at Biodome

Pam & Mike at Biodome
Originally uploaded by pamela_j_karr

Hehe, I have been playing with Photoshop. :-)

Blogging

I think one reason people blog is because they feel alone and want to feel like someone out there is listening to them. I guess I haven't been very lonely lately. Mike and I are really enjoying our lives together. He is very supportive of me and all of my idiosyncrasies. Thank God. We have been really busy the last few months.

Brief Summary . . .

September - got engaged!
October - visited Kim and Tony, my birthday, getting his house ready for sale
November - Thanksgiving (Mike in Europe), accepting an offer on his house, Mike moving in
December - Pam presents at a conference, house closing, Christmas, Mike changes jobs
January - Mike starts new job, Pam studies for qualifying exams

And to Come . . .

February - 1 year anniversary (Mike's birthday), Visit Florida & San Francisco
March - Qualifying exams, Kim's baby is due
April, May, June, July - A possible break??
August - Wedding, Honeymoon, and all that jazz!

Whew!