How sure are you?

Little "Grace Kelly" was confident that the game she wanted to play would boot up and run without any other disc. At question was...did she have the correct disc. She was certain. Finding some amusement in her confidence since she hadn't actually even looked at the disc I was inserting I made her a deal...if you're right...you can play the game..."if you're wrong though, I get to tickle you mercilessly for 5 minutes". She was unshaken, "push it in". But there was a brief pause as she jumped up from her chair and said on her way out of the room, " I've got to go to the bathroom first just in case".

Betsy (who has been renamed "Buffy") had to undergo yet another emergency Starter replacement last night...that makes about her 5th starter, bet they hate selling crappy stuff with lifetime warranties to local folks...but they still have the easier end of the deal, though I have gotten to where I can change out the starter in the dark. Still wear my safety goggles though, just hate getting grease and oil dripped into my contact lens.

M-80 is still recovering from the "decompression surgery" which in plain speech means they router around on the discs and bones that the spinal nerve passes thru to give the nerve more room, they found it was very pinched off in one spot so it took quite a while longer than expected. When she finally came around after the surgery she was very pale and very cold. She remembered being someplace where the light was very different, very soft and as if the air was lit up without the sun being the source, and there were doors...there was a man there talking to her and inviting her to continue on in and she would have no pain ever again, but you have to leave your family behind.

She told him "no, I want every day I can have with my husband and my family" and he said "its your choice" and the next thing she remembered was someone was saying something humorous and it woke her up and she was feeling cold...but she was back.

Her mother and even her grandmother had once told her that if she was ever in such a position and someone she knew was reaching out their hand to her , calling her in, "don't take their hand unless you are ready/wanting to go". But in this event, the man speaking to her didn't reach out his hand, just stood there and spoke. I'm thankful to have her back, and hope it is a very very long time before she's gotta make that decision again.

The surgeon has high hopes that it may be a good long while before the next surgery though the disc just below where he was working was pretty deteriorated, the rate of degeneration is hopefully something that can be very slow or even stopped. So far the postoperative recovery has had its ups and downs...I'm convinced that the anesthesia world is still pretty archaic in their knowledge of the residual after affects of shorting out the brain circuitry like that, between anesthesia and major surgery..thats alot of messing with mother nature, and in these modern times...they send you home the same day.

She should be back up to walking 3 miles a day within a few weeks...sooner if possible but there is no penalty for gradual increase, like there is for trying to increase too quick. Reminds me of something my dad told me when I was young and in awe of everything and how the world worked...I don't remember the exact setting of the question but it was something to the affect of me admiring how fast something was constructed...."10 years from now when someone looks at the work, if it is built well, it will still be admired, but if it is built fast and shoddy and falling apart nobody is going to say 'ya but it sure was impressive how fast they built it' ".

As most of you know this is an intensely busy time for me right now while I undergo a major shift in trying to prepare for my Adobe CS3 certification before going completely broke. It is a tough race, not sure at my age if my concentration can handle it but I'm giving it my best shot. Tough part for me is I'm not really a "visually oriented" learner...always did my best with auditory...even most of my studies and test preps in days gone by were made successful when lectures or memorization notes were recorded and played back over and over...many of the really good tutorials for learning CS3 are on video..(without captions). But sooner or later I hope to get it mastered.

If my old brain can get this computer stuff up and running, I'll be able to work without depending on my deteriorating hearing and won't be having to scrape by on my disability insurance for very long....if its ever approved in the first place. Strange to have to fight for something while still fighting to not need it.

Even though physical work is more enjoyable for me, the torn muscles in my abdomen and the torn thoracic nerve in my back and the pinched sciatic nerve where it passes thru the too-small portal in my shoulder blade...has about shut me down from that angle of income. Not to mention the dangers involved in not being able to hear car horns, warning sirens, and other helpful sounds.

So like my older brother has been trying to get me to do for years...it may be time to try to use my brain to make my living with, if I haven't waited too late..LOL. (Since he is nearing retirement, maybe I can convince him to now learn the joy of physical labor , but somehow I figure thats just one fork in the road he's ok with leaving unexplored..).

Back to work. Will I make it to the CS3 certification ..."how sure are you?" ...I better go to the bathroom first, just in case.