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Health Issue

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Monday morning after breakfast, I was talking to my dog and realized I was slurring my words. Got to the emergency room and they started tests. Turns out I had a very small stroke. The only thing affected seems to be my speech; I have to speak a bit slowly and must be careful to enunciate clearly.

Got home yesterday afternoon. Spending this morning trying to set up all the follow-up visits with neurologist, cardiologist, primary care doctor, etc.

I was, of course, supposed to be going on a 33-day cruise starting next Wednesday. Another task for today will be cancelling that and talking to the insurance company about getting some money back.

I have a lot of thoughts about this whole situation, but I find I’m not ready to put them down yet. Mostly just thankful for all the people who have offered to help out.

Dear Govenor Lombardo

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A year ago this month, my mom celebrated her 99th birthday. During the week of her birthday, we went out one morning for her favorite chocolate-chip waffle and on another day, a chocolate milkshake. We had cupcakes on the day itself with her friends at her assisted-living home.

On that day, I told mom that her doctor was already making plans to throw her a big party for her 100th birthday. Mom looked at me, shook her head, and said “No, I’m not going be here for that.” Four days later, I got a call to say she had fallen and had been taken to the hospital.

Turns out her right femur had broken. Her left one had broken back in 2019 and she had surgery and recovered well. But now, at her age and with some heart irregularities, fixing the leg was just not possible. She was sent back to assisted living to spend the rest of her days lying in bed, unable to move, in constant pain, and perfectly conscious of all of these facts.

As you can imagine, she was not happy with that state of affairs and wished she could do something about it.

The Nevada legislature earlier that year had passed SB239, which “would have allowed terminally ill Nevadans to self-administer medication to end their own lives. The bill contained a number of steps to ensure the decision was not influenced by others, as well as legal protections for medical personnel involved in the process.”

Govenor Lombardo vetoed that bill, stating: “SB239 allows for physician assisted suicide in the State of Nevada. End of life decisions are never easy. Individuals and family members must often come together to face many challenges — including deciding what is the best course of medical treatment for a loved one. Fortunately, expansions in palliative care services and continued improvement in advanced pain management make the end-of-life provisions in SB239 unnecessary.“

My mom is now left with the certainty of never getting out of bed again, having to be catharized, being in incredible pain (in spite of heavy-duty pain meds) whenever they have to roll her from side to side and there is nothing, nothing, she is capable of doing about it.

My family has always been very proactive about preparing for end-of-life issues: trusts, wills, financial power of attorney, medical power of attorney, and POLST (Portable Medical Orders). Amongst other things, Mom’s POLST specified that was not to be resuscitated, not to be given a feeding tube, and was to be given palliative care.

Mom, at this point, is perfectly capable of stating that she does not want to live any longer in these circumstances. And yet there is nothing proactive that she can do and nothing that I, or anyone else, can do about the situation.

Mom’s response was to quit eating and, eventually, to quit drinking. Some 18 days after she fell, she passed away in the morning of the 31st.

It pisses me off that I wasn’t there to hold her hand, because I couldn’t be there 24/7 for the several weeks if took her body to fail. It pisses me off that I have more options for taking care of my dog than I had for taking care of my mom. It pisses me off that some politician gets to decide what is right for me and my family in situations like this.

One year later I obviously find it incomprehensible that in spite of the explicit instructions given by my mom, she had to suffer unnecessary pain for weeks.

How about letting the person and family members involved make their own decisions! My politest response to you, Govenor Lombardo and your “advances in pain management”, is to “get stuffed”.

Voting and the Burghers of Calais

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I voted today! Make sure you vote too; it’s important!

I’m not sure when I first saw Rodin’s sculpture of the Burghers of Calais, but rarely have I been so blown away by a piece of art and the story behind it. I used to have a membership to the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena and always stopped at the statue when I was there.

If you don’t know the story, here’s the Wikipedia version:

In 1346, England’s Edward III, after victory in the Battle of Crécy, laid siege to Calais, while Philip VI of France ordered the city to hold out at all costs. Philip failed to lift the siege, and starvation eventually forced the city to parley for surrender.

The contemporary chronicler Jean Froissart (c. 1337 – c. 1405) tells a story of what happened next: Edward offered to spare the people of the city if six of its leaders would surrender themselves to him, presumably to be executed. Edward demanded they walk out wearing nooses around their necks, and carrying the keys to the city and castle. One of the wealthiest of the town leaders, Eustache de Saint Pierre, volunteered first, and five other burghers joined with him. Saint Pierre led this envoy of volunteers to the city gates. It was this moment, and this poignant mix of defeat, heroic self-sacrifice, and willingness to face imminent death which Rodin captured in his sculpture, scaled somewhat larger than life.

According to Froissart’s story, the burghers expected to be executed, but their lives were spared by the intervention of England’s queen, Philippa of Hainault, who persuaded her husband to exercise mercy by claiming their deaths would be a bad omen for her unborn child.

What does this have to do with voting? Well, one of the questions I ask myself when deciding where my vote is going is this: Do I believe this person would sacrifice themselves to save their city/state/nation as these men were willing to do?

Of the two major candidates running for POTUS this year, there is one I am quite sure would not.

Cook Unity

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I generally don’t promote products or services, but I’m making an exception because I’ve been so happy with Cook Unity.

I just haven’t felt much like cooking the last few months. When I do fix something, I usually make enough for 4 meals or so. Then I either eat it all week or freeze it, which doesn’t always work that well. And I just don’t want to clean the skillet and/or pots after I’ve cooked. Also, I’ve been going out a lot, mostly as a way of getting out of the house and into the world.

I’ve seen all the ads for services that will delivery ingredients and recipes to your door, but that doesn’t solve my current unwillingness to wash up. Then I started seeing ads for a meal service called Cook Unity.

According to their website, Cook Unity is a community of more than 70 independent chefs cooking in New York, LA, Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Seattle, and Miami. Cook Unity provides the kitchens and all the logistics, and the chefs come in and cook the meals. Then, once a week, meals arrive at my door that are fresh (not frozen) in compostable, recyclable, or reusable packaging, with expiration dates, heating instructions, and nutrition information

I just finished ordering my meals for next week:

  • Farro, Beets & Greens Salad with Roasted Chicken by Chef Dustin Taylor
  • Dijon Braised Pork Shoulder with Glazed Apples by Chef Andres Mendez
  • Greek Grilled Chicken Salad by Chef Dustin Taylor
  • Sweet & Spicy Chicken by Chef Brandon Kida

Almost every meal I’ve had has been absolutely delicious. Some I wouldn’t order again but that is just because I didn’t like some of the ingredients. I’ve been trying a lot of flavors I wouldn’t cook with on my own, like the beets in one of the above meals.

Here’s what I’ve had so far:

  • Chicken in Mole Poblano with Rice & Corn and Glazed Brussels Sprouts by Jose Garces
  • Sabzi Rubbed Chicken over Pearl Couscous Risotto with Crispy Shallots & Brussel Sprouts by Einat Admony
  • Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Onions & Gorgonzola Sweet Potato Gratin by Chris Ratel
  • Soy-marinated Pulled Pork with Spinach and Bean Sprouts by Esther Choi
  • Chicken Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice by Andres Mendez
  • Rigatoni in Vodka Sauce with Herbed Ricotta by Dustin Taylor
  • Mediterranean Grilled Shrimp Grain Bowl with Avocado Green Goddess Dressing by Chris Ratel
  • Crispy Pork Cutlet & Vegetable Fried Rice with Spicy Soy Vinegar Sauce by Nora Nolasco (This one was freaking delicious! I don’t know how it managed to be so juicy and yet so crispy)
  • Caramelized Mushroom Quesadilla with Salsa Chipotle & Crema by Akhtar Nawab
  • Middle Eastern Marinated Chicken Shawarma with Pickled Cabbage & Couscous by Einat Admony
  • Braised Pork & Sweet Potato Stew with Cilantro Lime Rice by Dustin Taylor (This is the only one that was a total miss for me. It was a soup, not a stew, and just not that great)
  • Stewed Moroccan Lamb Meatballs with Brown Rice and Herb-Yogurt Sauce by Dustin Taylor (Excellent)
  • Andouille & Kielbasa Smoked Sausages with Mashed Potatoes & Cornbread by Dustin Taylor (Really good, I’ve already ordered it again)
  • Belgian Chicken with Rice Pilaf & Creamed Kale by Ludo Lefebvre
  • Pepperoni Naan Pizza with Hot Honey Drizzle by John DeLucie (Fabulous pizza! Another reorder)
  • Grilled Chicken with Carrot Thyme Purée and Sautéed Mushrooms by Andres Mendez
  • Japanese Chicken Curry with Kabocha Squash & Fresh Chives by Brando Kida
  • Plant-Based Massaman Curry with Brown Rice and Peanuts by Anne Thornton

Each order has a minimum of 4 meals. You generally order every week but can skip weeks at any time. Without any discounts, the meals probably cost about $15 each including tax and delivery. Cheaper than what a decent meal would cost me if I went out.

If this sounds at all interesting to you, here’s a link you can use to get discounts for yourself and for me! If you have any questions about my experience with the service, feel free to ask me in the comments.

https://www.cookunity.com/landing-referral?referral_code=katko46632

Bewitched Bungalow: Component Parts

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Not only does this Bungalow have 200+ parts, it also requires most of those parts to be embossed and/or inked. Here I have just started inking the bottom of the shingles with black.

Embossing pieces entails putting them in an embossing folder and whacking them with a mallet. My phone kept warning me that I was being subjected to sustained loud noise as I pounded away. I was wearing hearing protection, however, and ignored it.

Here’s the beginnings of the dormers and all the inked shingles.

And here are the finished dormers, the base, and some structural elements for the tower.

Next up were all the “wood” parts. Every one of these had to be embossed. The inking will come now that they are glued into shape. Making the window casings wasn’t too difficult, but making the beams was finicky work, especially the ones that are L-shaped.

I think most of the components are now done. Next step: putting them all together!