just a week left ...

... till Christmas is here. Well, that's the case for me anyway. Most of you folks have a whole 7-1/2 days! LOL

I've noticed a lot of people that are exhibiting a bit of holiday stress — at the office, at stores, on the roads, etc.

As for me ... I'm feeling extra Christmassy this year. Today I watched "Love Actually" and "It's a Wonderful Life" and it jacked up my level of holiday happiness. I wrapped a few more presents ... only have about 5 or 6 left to wrap. I need to take a pic of the pile sitting out in my living room ... adn I need to make sure I get the ones for godkids and whatnot delivered over to the house early for once, instead of the night of the opening of presents! LOL

I've been listening — and singing along — to Christmas carols most of this weekend ... OK, and even during the week, especially at work. I really like Andy Williams' take on most of them ... just bought an Elvis Christmas CD recently and need to upload that to iTunes.

That being said ... I miss having Christmas at HOME.

I do Christmas now at other people's homes. I love them and they're like family, but it's not the same.

I guess that's why I've never bothered to go beyond my tiny little fiber-optic Christmas tree sitting on top of a corner shelving unit. I mean, I could go out and get a tree tomorrow — they're on sale because this is a glut year for the island. Here, because everything has to be shipped in by container — can't just be trucked up or down from another state — there are two kinds of Christmas tree years: 1. The trees sell out after about 2 weeks after Thanksgiving and there are no real trees to be found anywhere; 2. There are so many trees that you kick yourself if you spend $70 on a tree because about 8 days later, that tree is only $25.

So right now, most trees are about $25. A stand would cost me another $12 or so. But I would also need tree lights, ornaments and other things, like ribbons or garland. That's far too much effort and cost for a tree that will just sit in my living room and not really be for anything.

Maybe next year. Maybe.

OK ... I'm going to go watch "Love Actually" again and do some manly weeping.
Judy to Jack: "All I want for Christmas ... is you."

Jamie: "It's my favorite time of day, driving you."
Aurelia (in Portuguese): "It is the saddest part of my day, leaving you."

Daniel: "Well, you know — I thought it might be something worse."
Sam (incredulous): "Worse than the total agony of being in love?"
Daniel: "Oh. No, you're right. Yeah, total agony."


Mark (on posterboard) to Juliet: But for now, let me say ... Without hope or agenda ... Just because it's Christmas ... And at Christmas you tell the truth ... To me, you are perfect ... And my wasted heart will love you ... Until you look like this ... (holds up picture of a mummy)

Random Guam Fact Of The Day:
• It's unclear exactly what the original name of Guam was, since the Spanish really didn't go out of their way to understand or preserve the original Chamorro language. Chamorro activists like to use "Guahan," but some have argued that the name was actually "Baum." We'll never know ... unless/until we find a way to go back into time.

DZER has got some set of balls!!

Well, the appeal has been successful!

On Friday, Dec. 2, I put up the post all i want for christmas ... which was about how I really, REALLY wanted to get a set of the holiday balls from Jack in the Box.

A lot of you promised that you would get some balls to me. I'm happy to report that the very first set of balls has come in!! WAHOOO!!!!

This is a complete set of balls: the three holiday balls — rudolph jack, snowman jack, and new year's jack — as well as a new, normal jack.

MAD PROPS go out to grainne, my fabulous friend from Florida! She's proven to me that it's not just psycho hosebeast superslut liars that come from Florida, that there are good people there too. LOL

A little backstory on the wonderful, brilliant, superstar that is grainne: The only person I've known longer is Chrissie. I met and befriended both at a chat site, though in different rooms. *sly wink* I lost touch with grainne for a while until she stumbled upon my blog, and I'm glad she did. *goofy grins*

I'm also sure she is probably a little embarrassed and teary eyed reading this ... *pinching her butt* ... but probably also heavily relieved that I haven't been too detailed in what I revealed about her. LOL

Now, not to say that I doubt any of the many other promises to hook me up with holiday balls, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see what else comes in. If you have sent me some, thank you very much, and I will post a pic of me with your donated balls once they come in ;) ... wow ... that sounded WAY dirtier than even I intended! LOL

This set is going into the office with me for holiday display on top of my monitor ... I will take a pic of that once I get it set up.

Happy holiday balls to all, and to all a good balling!!

remember when you were young?

Bonus points to whomever knows the song and artist from whence came the above title. Wow. That was a LOT of proper-ass English! LOL

What are your first memories?

When I cast my mind back, the earliest cohesive memories I have are from about age 3. I have some flickers of memories from when I was 2-1/2, but none of them very pleasant.

When I was that age, I fell down at a beach. Had pain in my extremities and wouldn't eat. I don't remember any of that — it's what my mom's told me — you know something is wrong with one of the George boys when he won't eat — and what I've read in my medical records, which, unfortunately, aren't totally complete.

7SEP1971: Stomach ache x 3 days. 2-1/2 y.o. has complained of intermittent abd. pain over the weekend. Pain last short periods of time perhaps 3/day. ..... T cult. clear liquids. observe & ret.
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13SEP1971: Fall approx. 2 weeks ago. complaining of back pain. ... prob. back spasms
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18SEP1971: Still has back pain. walks w/ shuffling gait. .. child has been @ bed rest ... walk legs hurt. will get xray auth.
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20SEP1971: (patient) can't walk
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What I remember from this time is being in the hospital. It was a Naval Hospital here on Guam that was used to treat military personnel who suffered head and/or spinal wounds in Vietnam, so I was lucky in that there were top-flight surgeons there to operate on me. Even then I was giving a 50-50 chance of never walking again.

It was a traumatic time for me. I was the only kid there and was put in a ward all by myself — like 20 or 30 beds with just me there in a quiet hospital. My parents visited when they could, for the hours they could, but I ended up being alone and scared a lot.

I believe this is why I have a hard time eating certain foods. OK, I CAN’T eat certain foods — peas, lima beans, mixed vegetables, stew, beans … it was all stuff served up regularly by the hospital’s chow hall. So I mentally tie that food to the painful, lonely memories of a dark hospital. It’s not as bad now as it once was, when I would vomit at the taste — and sometimes even just the smell — of these dishes.
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29SEP1971: The patient was placed on the standard operating table in the prone position and the mid thoracic area was prepared by shaving it and scrubbing it with tincture of Betadine. It was draped in the usual sterile manner. The incision was made from T8 down to T11 in the midline and carried down through the subcutaneous tissue. The skin edges were maintained in a retracted position by means of Weitlaner retractors. The paravertebral muscles were dissected off the spinous processes of T8 down to T11 on both sides. These muscles were maintained in the retracted position by means of Weitlaner retractors. The interspinous ligament was cut. The spinous procees of T8 down to T11 was removed. Using sharp and blunt dissection, the lamina of T8-T11 was removed. At this point it was noted that there was vascular necrotic tissue at the area of T10 which was enveloping the dura. The tumor was limited outside the dura and it was occupying the vertebral canal. The capsule of this tumor had completely strangulated the dura at this level.
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That’s where the surgery records get cut off. I guess they were misplaced during one of the many moves the Air Force put us through over the years.

Basically, they cut out a tumor. Luckily, it turned out not to be malignant.
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7OCT71: three year old with 2 weeks history of progressive weakness in both lower extremities and back pain. X-Rays show vertebra plana; myelogram showed complete block at T-10. Biopsy compatible with eosinophilic ganuloma enveloping cord.

From 30 Sept to 7 Oct the patient received 6 x-ray treatments over a period of 8 days. the daily dose was 200 r.

50% reduction in size of mass, no reaction, no complication. Will follow with neurosurgery service.
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(from a letter written by the commander of the Orthopaedic Department at the Naval Hospital in Oakland)

25SEP1973: Postoperatively his neurologic symptoms were corrected and he has done well; he was held in a brace for an undisclosed period of time. Apparently the brace has either broken or the patient has outgrown it.

On admission to this facility the patient was a well-developed, well-nourished 4-1/2 year old who was in no distress. There was a well-healed 6” midline scar over the mid-lower thoracic spine. There was no clinical kyphosis nor palpable defect underlying the scar. Neurologic examination was normal with no evidence of long tract signs. Deep tendon reflexes and sensation were intact, sphincter tone was normal. NO muscle wasting was evident, no pathological reflexes were noted. There was no marked increase in lordosis nor was any pelvic tilting evident on standing.

The rest of the letter is about putting me in a body jacket made of Orthoplast to prevent spine curvature, and how they had to send it from Oakland to Guam because my father and I had to return to Guam prematurely because of a death in the family (my grandmother, my dad’s mom).

On the previous brace, my mom has told me that I was a holy terror in that thing. I was supposed to be restricted in movement and not go overboard … so of course I ran around all the time and climbed trees and what not. My mom broke a toe on the brace once when she tried to give me a little swiping ass kick to make me slow down. Heh.

Random Guam Fact Of The Day:
• The construction of the current Naval Hospital on Guam began in 1953 and opened in 1954. In September 1965, the hospital began receiving casualties from Vietnam via medevack flights. Within three months, the average patient load increased from about 100 to more than 300, and in 1968 and 1969 often exceeded 700.