View From the Tenth Level

Sunday, October 26, 2008

I don't usually get political in this blog (hey - politics makes strange bedfellows and all that), but I can't resist this video from Ron Howard:

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

posted by Melanie O. at 10:17 AM - 2 comments

Friday, October 24, 2008

Unfaithful

My camera died. My wonderful Canon Powershot A95 - with manual and auto exposure, 12X zoom, 5 MP images, and articulated LCD display. It died just in time for me to receive my new vintage clothes. My camera was fine one day, and then the next....nothing. No LCD display and no photos, not even with the display turned off. I sobbed. I threw things. I stamped my foot.

It didn't help.

So, one week later, after I discovered the clumps of hair in the bath that had fallen out from the stress, I decided to *gasp* ... replace my camera. I feel like such an adulteress! How can I be so disloyal to my beloved Canon? And to make it worse, I bought

A KODAK.

Yes, a Kodak Z812 IS with 12 X zoom, 8 MP images, image stabilization and HD 720 pixel video. It is more powerful and has more features than my little Powershot A95, but at a lower cost.

I can't wait for it to be delivered! I'm such a tramp.

Labels: camera cuckoldery

posted by Melanie O. at 6:50 PM - 4 comments

Sunday, October 12, 2008

The "C" word

I've gotten to a point in my life, where I finally know more cancer survivors than cancer victims. This is good news for all of us, but especially for my family, as my son Stephen may have oral cancer.

My son smokes and has since he rebelled as an adolescent. When cigarettes got to $6 a pack, he switched to chewing tobacco (dip) to get his nicotine fix at a price he could afford. So much for the cost of cigarettes motivating people to kick the habit. Nicotine addicts just feed their habit in increasingly dangerous ways.

Stephen noticed a lump in his mouth and made an appointment with a dentist to have his teeth cleaned and the lump checked out. The dentist spotted precancerous cells and told Stephen that he'd have to have a biopsy on the lump to determine its nature. Stephen went in last week to have it done. It will probably be a few days before we know the results of the tests.

When Stephen mentioned the dentist's findings to his friends, they all pooh-poohed them. In their opinion, no one my son's age can develop oral cancer. I guess no one told them about Sean Marsee, who died at age 19 from dipping snuff.

Of course, I am worried sick about what the results of the biopsy might be... but I'm hopeful because I know several cancer survivors. I wouldn't have been as hopeful 30 years ago when my father died from cancer. When you become a parent, you sign up for hazard duty (although no one ever tells you this.) There's really nothing in life that can prepare you for this sort of thing.

I work with someone whose infant son was just diagnosed with retinoblastoma. His son may lose his eye to save his life. It's been a month of sadness all around - so I try to think of all the people I know who are cancer survivors, and I say thank you to them for sharing their stories. It makes the "C" word a little less scary.

Update: Stephen's first biopsy (a cheek swab) has come back clear, so now he just has to have a needle biopsy of the lump. Keep your fingers crossed!

Labels: cancer

posted by Melanie O. at 11:43 AM - 3 comments

About Me

Name: Melanie O.
Home: Durham, North Carolina, United States
About Me: Female, American health and beauty-conscious professional who has rekindled a childhood love of dolls.
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