May 10: Lots of new stuff!

Well, I've had a busy couple of weeks. Tons of stuff going on. But first, I want to thank my friends Kim & Rick from Fellowship, who drove all the way out here and spent the day doing things around the house for me. Kim gave the house an incredibly thorough cleaning (she actually LIKES cleaning other people's bathrooms--I told her she's a freak of nature!) while Rick did loads of other things. He did lightbulbs and checking the flourescents in the garage, put in three room air-conditioners complete with filling the holes, got my outside/inside thermometer up, cleaned out under the stairs in the basement to allow for more storage and re-stacked dozens of boxes to allow for the fuel tank to be replaced. They were here for almost 10 hours, although we did break for dinner and ice cream, stumbling on an Irish Festival that closed Phoenixville's "town center" with music and stuff. They had an incredibly productive day here!

The big announcement: I got a new car!! It was, of course, after lengthly debate and information gathering. As much as I wanted another Audi, I just couldn't justify the gas and the problem of re-selling in another few years as gas prices go up. After reading Consumer Reports (CR), calling my insurance agents, calling my bank, downloading a special report from CR and many thought processes: I got a '09 Toyota Camry Hybrid. In a gorgeous red. I just picked it up yesterday, so still getting used to it. It drives differently, and is a little larger. Still keeping my beloved '99 Audi with 152,000 miles on it. This puts more pressure on getting the garage cleaned out so I can use both bays for cars. What a thought!

Smaller announcement: I got a new vacuum cleaner. This might not sound like much, but it represents important things. It's a Riccar, which I've never heard of, but highly rated in CR. And only NINE pounds. So I can do more to keep the house clean, especially important with not finding a regular cleaning person. The cats hate it just as much as the heavy one, however. Chester only hissed at Kim once today and all she had to do was touch the new vacuum for him to dive out onto the porch!

Regarding Kevan's comment: Yes, virtually everyone says that I'm totally back to normal, at least mentally. And I know that's how it seems, but obviously I know the things that are still missing. And if you see me after a full day's work, even just in the office, you know how tired I still get. It boils down to this: after the third surgery I feel about the same, but no worse.

On the worrying side: I'm now cracking down on studying, because I have to re-certify my Board Certification. I was due for this last year, and you can even take the exam the year before the certification expires. But, as you all know, I was otherwise occupied with things in both 2006 & 2007, so I got a medical dispensation and an extension. It's terrifying to me, because it's a comprehensive exam, so it includes things like orthopedics, Ob/Gyn, infectious disease and pediatrics. Rather daunting, especially with some brain leaks.

And, lastly, regarding the "You need a man" comment: Bah, humbug!! There is no comfortable position for any, a-hem, frolicking. Despite any man's assertions that they could make me ignore any pain: no, they couldn't! And, honestly, it's all just too much work. We'll re-examine in another six months, OK?!

Thanks for checking in, Laurie