Any Intelligent Fool

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.

It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction

- Albert Einstein

Main Swine Flu Home Page and Case Counts

At 1:00 Eastern you can attend the H1N1 Webcast here, here or here.

HHS Secretary Sebelius and DHS Secretary Napolitano will host a Webcast to answer questions from the American people regarding the H1N1 flu on Thursday at 1:00 PM EDT.

Best Interests

This weekend I will be very busy. This is the weekend where we celebrate and focus our energy on CASA and our collective goals for our children. The children that are in our system here in the United States. The children in your local community who need your help.

The children who will grow up and be adults in your community.

CASA is a volunteer opportunity like no other.

This is about giving children a voice.

A voice in the foster system.



At times, it is the CASA volunteer who is able to best assess the unique needs of the child and help the court in assessing what is in the best interests for this child.

I have yet to meet a CASA volunteer who regrets their decision to be involved.

I have yet to meet a CASA volunteer who has felt unchanged after working with these children.



Please check out this link for ways that you can help.

There are many ways of giving.

You can give your time and work as an advocate.

You can make a one time donation or an annual pledge.

You can attend local fundraisers for CASA programs in your community.

You can make a difference.

Consider taking the time to look into this very valuable program.

I thank you.

Sometimes acting for anothers best interest is in your best interest.

Too Many Thoughts

So many things are going on right now. It feels like too much.

Eva Luna is back home from the hospital. This is excellent.

We are still waiting on pathology reports and such,

but things look good, and she seems good.

There is even a possibility based on the analysis of the tumor that she might be able to skip chemo and go straight to hormone therapy.

We don't know much other than the surgery is done and things are moving forward.

The Ta-Ta Party is a coming though.

Our neighbors did an amazing thing this week.

For her homecoming they tied pink ribbons up and down the street,

on all the trees and posts...very cool...very nice...

Alpha started a new contract this week and that is exciting.

Last Saturday I rode 40 miles with 2,993 climbing feet with Smiles.

It was freezing the entire ride.

We were focused on the availability of coffee when we got back to town.

Every pedal stroke I was thinking about food and coffee.

Met this awesome family that brought out about 30 or so riders to have a pre-Easter bike ride with one another.

I thought that was fantastic.

Watched The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters.

On Easter Alpha wanted to go on an easy mountain bike ride.

I agreed.

Turned out to be

a whole a lot of climbing...

No really, I mean climbing...

and then some more climbing...

and just a bit more climbing...

We stopped right after getting to the top of this picture.

I was absolutely obliterated by this point.

Yes, the ride down is better.

But...still that was a lot of climbing.

Oh and Saturday it was freezing (to those living in CA)...

Sunday - hot.

So in love with the manic depressive swings of Spring.

I have spent the past week or so in an emotional limbo.

We had a bit of an adoption "are you kidding me" event.

We had an opportunity to meet a sibling set that we had heard about for the past 8 months.

There is a very long story here that I do not have the energy to talk about right now.

The kids were flipping amazing.

But...

we have concerns about the emotional attachments with the current foster family.

Both the foster family's emotional attachment and behaviour

and the children's emotional attachment.

In sum, we felt that if the system is truly about the best interests of the child,

then the foster family needs to move forward with adoption.

Because to move to an adoption placement will create crisis...

and we have concerns that it could be very detrimental to the siblings.

We are not "cold feet" freaks...it wasn't that we panicked over responsibility...

it wasn't that the kids "had issues,"

we have concerns that the foster family has essentially performed a de facto adoption

and the resulting trauma to the sibling set may be unnecessary.

We met with the social workers and family coordinators and such about our concerns and issues,

we were told that the sibling set must be placed,

and that they "will watch for the behaviour that we identified."

They agreed that some of our observations might make this situation more problematic.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...

Who knows where we are now.

All I know is that Eyes of My Eyes, had to extensively use her Ears of Her Ears for hours while I was an emotional wreck over the whole damn thing.

[Thank you again and Happy Birthday!]

So, I feel a bit let down and upset by this recent issue,

and feel like I am losing steam.

I feel like my hormones are betraying me a bit

and interfering with my ability to deal with all of these life events

appropriately.

I desperately want to deal with all of this crap

appropriately.

I am coming up on one of those painful infertility anniversaries soon

and none to happy about it.

I thought about registering for an Ironman to distract

and refocus myself and my energy.

I thought some distance might help with perspective.

This idea met considerable objection from Alpha.

He is none to happy about it.

He is worried about my foot...I keep having issues with my foot.

He wants me to be able to walk and not be injured when I am older.

Blargh to that...

I reminded him that I am not doing speed work now,

won't do it for speed...

stay slow, super slow...

still a no go for him.

I thought when I was an adult I could make these decisions myself.

This whole partnership marriage thing seems to work against that some...

I know, I know...always worth it.

So, now I am trying to figure out what to do next.

In all areas of life...

oh, and where to go to lunch...

I am starving.

Swimming over a mile and a half in the morning makes me killer hungry by lunch.

Killer hungry.

So, as for status:

Eva Luna - good
Training for May tri - good
Training for IM or 1/2 IM - all activities pending approval
Racing this wknd @ sprint tri - somewhat set to go
Work - arghity, arghity, argh
Adoption - arghity, arghity, argh

Lunch plans - good

Her Morning Elegance

Adopting Orthodoxies

If you have an hour or so to kill and find a panel discussion on adoption as fascinating as me, then check out the following link:

Battle of Ideas: Adopting Orthodoxies

To Make You Smile

I know...you are just not feelin it...but still,

I give you this:




Enjoy.

Marley

An old story but still good.

I love it.

Thought I would share it with you.

Help Pass The Night

Thank you, thank you, thank you (times 1,000) for your good wishes, positive thoughts and prayers. Thursday was a very long day for Eva Luna. Originally, the surgery was anticipated to be around 6.5 - 7 hours. At the close of the day, Eva Luna was in surgery a little over 13 hours.



That, my friends, is a long day.



Friday was very rough on her because she was in a substantial amount of pain.



Saturday still painful.



But Sunday, she was starting to feel like herself and doing everything to avoid using the pain medication.



Today she is on the floor - out of the ICU. Extended periods in ICU are never much fun.



(Sorry, ICU, we love you and you are great - but we want to move on.)



So, what we know now - for a highly invasive surgery for breast cancer we got the best possible news confirmed.



There was no presence of cancer in her lymph nodes. This is a HUGE deal!



For that we are ecstatic and overjoyed.



Now it is time for healing so that her body will be ready for chemotherapy next.



So, after 6 months of chemotherapy and 5-10 years of hormone therapy, Eva Luna could quite possibly [knock on wood] be done with this whole ordeal.



This is all good news.

Then he said to Scheherazade:
"Sister, for the sake of Allah, tell us a story that will help pass the night..."

- A Thousand and One Tales of the Arabian Nights

Thank you for you.

Eva Luna's Day

Today is Eva Luna's mastectomy day.

Today is her first surgery.

Today.

Dear Universe,

Please send only positive thoughts, blessings and no sudden insurmountable surprises.

Thanks,

Filoli