Tamiflu sucks

The folks came up to visit and to take me out to dinner this past Monday. It was great to see them and have a good meal down at Suggins.

The next morning though, I woke up around 2 am vomiting, I barely made it into the bathroom. I spent the next few hours being sick and debating whether or not to go into work. Around 8 am, after having showered and gotten ready I finally realized there wasn't a chance I was going to make it to work. I called in sick, although I made it in that afternoon for a little bit.

I was off Wednesday as well and although I went in Thursday, I was worthless. Friday I felt better but nowhere near 100%.

I went to my doctor on Thursday, he didn't think I had anything major. He offered to prescribe me Tamiflu just in case. I said sure, thinking I would take anything to be well once and for all.

Come to find out Tamiflu has major side effects. Nauseua, dizziness, vertigo etc. The upside is Tamiflu can cut short the flu by *one* day. Are all of those side effects worth the freakin *one* day? I don't really think so.

Tamiflu made me feel awful so I quit taking it. Since then I have felt better and better.

Who thought Tamiflu was a good idea?

Easter

Easter is here!

The Great Vigil of Easter

Tonight I attended the Great Vigil of Easter service at church. Two years ago this was the service where I was baptized. I was originally told back then it was the greatest service in the church year and the church would be packed and the service would last at least two hours etc.
Well, to be honest it didn't live up to it's billing. And last year I was running the sound so I didn't really connect with what was going on.
Tonight, I wasn't optimistic but I went. Considering it's supposed to the highlight of the year for the church and all. I was ok starting out, nothing special. But I have to admit something happened midway through. I won't go so far to say anything drastic, but it was special.
The service starts in darkness and moves into light. As we have been in Lent and dwelling darkness. And especially since Good Friday where we have been dwelling in death, lonliness and whatnot. The Vigil of Easter is special.
Like I said at the beginning, I wasn't quite sure about this one, even skeptical. As it began and continued I was ok, but still not moved. We sat in darkness with our candles, listening to the Old Testament readings. Then the lights came on and everything was supposed to be glorious. I did find my glory though. As we moved from darkness into light I realized the bonds, the weight, the cross even, that we were all supposed to bear for the last 40 days, were gone now. We were free, we could be happy, even rejoice in church and not have to kneel and grovel and ask for forgiveness. When I realized that, I could barely keep myself from smiling and indeed almost laughing out loud at the joy I felt. Thank God it's Easter!
Right now I'm worn out and would love to sleep in tomorrow, but I still feel the need to get up to back to church. Not just because Tom's sister might be going and is expecting my phone call but because it completes the cycle.

Maundy Thursday

The Thursday before Easter is traditionally referred to as Maundy Thursday in the Anglican church, and I believe the Roman Catholic church (although they tend to refer to it simply as Holy Thursday).

The term Maundy comes from "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you"), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet. (from wikipedia).

This is also the day which we signify that Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist in the form of the Last Supper.

Within the Episcopal Church we also signify this day by the descent into darkness as associated with Good Friday. At the end of the service the altar is stripped and the lights are slowly turned down to the point of darkness. At the end the congregation is left in darkness with an empty and stark altar, no choir, no clergy. Just themselves and God.

I think the dogs are out.

Dogs went crazy

The dogs managed to get hold of a couple of branches of the palm trees (even though all the plants are barricaded from them) and the results ended up in the middle of the living room floor.

When I went to vacuum (and upstairs on the white carpet I normally just vacuum up similar looking leaves with the vacuum) I started to see bright green streaks on the carpet. The palm fronds were leaving stains!!

Luckily with the carpet cleaner I was able to get everything up. I had a heart attack for a moment thinking the carpet was stained.

I noticed that Kaiser actually had to (it could only have been him - Zelda doesn't have the length) rear up on one of the chairs and actually bite a couple of the palm ends off.

Oh well, I suppose it's better than destroying the furniture.

The dogs had a heyday

This picture doesn't do it justice, but after we went out for just a little bit for dinner tonight, we came home to find the dogs had spread dirt and fronds from one of the palms, throughout the house.

Kaiser

Kaiser is out tonight.

The bishop of San Joaquin deposed

The bishop of San Joaquin has been formerly deposed (i.e. defrocked). This has been coming for awhile.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jDZX3K59yZ25znkruveYwlCs3VmgD8VC7O004

Work

Sometimes things just look bleak.

At work my manager is going to be out an additional week. The supervisor won't be back until Tuesday.

We are all way stressed about everything. And to boot next week is the Sweet 16 basketball tournament which means extra work for everyone.

Tom's stocks are in the hole, his work is crap too.

Sigh.

A pic from our Italy trip 06

I thought I'd post a picture from our Italy trip (now almost two years ago). This is a picture of a cloister from an old monastery. The monastery is no longer in use, but you can begin to imagine the monks walking through these corridors decades and centuries ago.

Obama wins Mississippi

Obama is going to win Mississippi. Probably by a good margin. What does this mean? Well, he's stepping more and more towards the nomination. He's building his lead in: the number of states he's won, the number of delegats he's won and the popular vote margin.

Dry bones

Today's reading from the old testament was about the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37).

From the first time I heard this passage at the Great Vigil of Easter where I was baptized (and am sure to hear it again on the upcoming Great Vigil), I have always thought this one of the most provoking passages of the Bible.

An entire valley of dry bones, 'very dry bones'. No life had been present there for a long time. But yet God breathed life into these bones.

So much we learn about our faith is centered on the idea of dying to our old self before we can attain our new self. Here we have a direct representation of that. Death becomes life. The old becomes new. Dead, dry bones take on new life.

Are we (am I?) truly ready to become dry and dead so that we may attain new life?

Obama wins Wyoming

Obama has whipped Hillary in Wyoming.

After her surprising success on March 4th, he appears to have slowed whatever momentum she was experiencing.

I've said this to everyone who asks, I like them both. I prefer Hillary, but at this point, from a mathematical standpoint, Obama is going to win unless he makes an absolute historical blunder, a la Gary Hart in 1987 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Hart

I know this won't make me popular with some people I know, but I'm trying to figure out Hillary's motive here. If she were to hang on, win Pennsylvania, probably Kentucky and a couple other states that are left, she would still trail in the pledged delegate count. Is she hoping to swing the super delegates? I guess she is, but as much of a fan as I am of hers, if she were to somehow convince the super delegates to go her way and give the nomination to her (thus overriding the will of the people who voted in the primaries and caucuses), it would destroy the democratic party and any hope for a victory in November.

Zelda is out

Jason

Sent from my mobile device=

Tom w/ his new phone

Tom playing with his new phone.=

The kids tonight, finally at rest.