Train ride art: Casa de Fausta

After I bought a wireless card I did this during the train ride back from DC (when I should have been answering emails instead) but forgot to post it:


Click here to view my house

Based on your drawing and the 10 answers you gave this is a summary of your personality:

You are sensitive and indecisive at times. You are good at making friends and when the joyful moment arrives, you make the most out of it. You love your house and family. You are a gifted artist as well. Once you have a problem, you need a friend with you. Your life is always full of changes. You are very tidy person. There's nothing wrong with that because you're pretty popular among friends. Your life is always full of changes.

You will avoid being alone and seek the company of others whenever possible. You love excitement and create it wherever you go. You see the world as it is, not as you believe it should be.

You are not a romantic person by nature. It also safe to say that others don't see you as a flirt. You don't think much about yourself.

You can draw your own house and add it to Avenida Fausta.

You can blame The Anchoress.

Seymour

The Anchoress passed a kidney stone so large she named it Seymour. And then the trouble started: she had complication and ended up in the emergency room. We all prayed for her.

I've never had a kidney stone, and I'm glad I haven't. Yes, that is a selfish thought. Kidney stones scare the p*ss out of me.

In the mid-80s The Husband and I lived near where he worked, and since I used to commute to New York, I was out of the house well before it was time for him to get up to go to work. Imagine my alarm when one Spring morning I wake up really early because I was hearing groaning coming from the guest room, and when I called The Husband's name he didn't answer.

Now, I'm not the bravest blogger around (or should I say, pre-blogger since the web wasn't yet), but I jumped out of bed, put on a robe over my pajama as I gathered my courage, and rushed into the guest room. The Husband was grey-pale, bending over in agony over the twin-size bed, unable to speak.

I had never, ever seen him in such a horrible state. That's the only time when I've seen him in such pain. It was awful to see.

I immediately said I'd call an ambulance, but he Did.Not.Want.An.Ambulance. I said nothing, got dressed and told him I was taking him to the hospital. At this point he was so nauseous he was holding a small garbage can on his hands since he knew he wouldn't make it to the bathroom, so he couldn't argue.

While I got the car out of the garage and next to the nearest door, he managed to put on a pair of slacks over his pajama and a brand-new very nice pair of shoes. Big mistake, those shoes.

We get to the emergency room which was only 10 minutes away from our house, I stop the car exactly by the entrance, help him get out (while he put down the little garbage can) and walk with him leaning on my shoulder to the nurses' station. "Kidney stone", says the nurse just from looking at him.

I went and parked the car. After I found a parking spot and walked back to the building The Husband was lying on a stretcher in full view of anyone coming into the Emergency Room, wearing only an IV on his arm, a plastic ID bracelet, and one of those little hospital nightgowns with 2 strings that tie on your back. If it weren't for the sheet they (mercifully) draped over his naughty bits, it would have been a full-nudity situation. The Husband's 6'4" and on the hefty side, and those little nightgowns leave nothing to the imagination. I completed the hospital paperwork, and he looked glad to see me as they carted him away for lab tests. I told him I had to go home to call our respective employers so they knew we would be absent, and our parents. Back then in pre-cell phone days I had to go home and call.

When I got back to the Emergency Room I had some trouble finding The Husband, but sure enough, he was still there, heavily medicated. He was still grey but wasn't groaning. The doctor came over and told me that it was one small kidney stone, said we could go home, gave me a small sieve for when the stone passed, a list of instructions, and told me to call him back when The Husband passed the stone.

But where were his clothes, I asked? The doctor said, "They're in a bag right next to the bed." After a pause, he muttered, "There's no bag," and disappeared.

I would have left without the clothes - had the hospital been amenable to lending us a sheet for modesty - since the particular trousers were old. But the shoes were new, and The Husband hates shopping for shoes because he wears a size 13 wide and those aren't easy to find.

It took me over an hour and I canvassed every person - patients included - in the emergency room but found the shoes, along with the clothes.

On the way home, The Husband remembered that we were scheduled to travel to England with his mom and his sister the upcoming Saturday (it was Tuesday), and asked me to leave him home and go on the trip without him. "Out of the question!" I said, before he even finished his sentence.

He passed the kidney stone two days later, recovered immediately and hasn't had any other occurrences. The trip to the UK was a success and we had a great time.

I'm praying that The Anchoress has as great an outcome.
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Dr. Sanity has the Carnival.




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Good news from Iraq, and other items,

Coalition Forces Are Making Progress On The Ground In Iraq With More Tips And Gains Against Al Qaeda, While The Iraqi Government Passed Over 50 Pieces Of Legislation Under Difficult Circumstances.

Security Is Improving In Iraq . U.S. and Iraqi forces have:
· Seen a substantial drop in sectarian murders and attacks in Baghdad since January.
· Seized more weapons caches in the first six months of 2007 than in all of 2006. (Rear Adm. Mark Fox, Press Briefing, 7/30/07)
· Received 23,000 tips in June, four times the monthly average at that time last year. (Rear Adm. Mark Fox, Press Briefing, 7/30/07)
· Seen signs of life normalcy in Iraqi neighborhoods and communities like Haifa Street - vibrant markets, more economic activity and increased security. (Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner, Press Conference with U.S. Embassy Baghdad, 8/1/07)

Coalition Forces Have Done Enormous Damage To Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda in Iraq has been dislodged from its former stronghold of Ramadi and is finding that its methods and goals are creating a backlash among Iraqis.
· On August 2, Coalition Forces killed senior al Qaeda terrorist leader Haythem Sabah al-Badri east of Samarra . (Rear Adm. Mark Fox, Press Briefing, 8/5/07)
o Badri was al Qaeda’s emir of Greater Samarra and is believed to be the mastermind behind the 2006 Samarra mosque bombing, and to have been involved in the bombings of the Kirkuk courthouse on June 23, 2006, and the attack on a Samarra checkpoint that killed 29 Iraqi soldiers on August 28, 2006.
· In Mosul , Iraqi Army soldiers recently killed the al Qaeda emir of Mosul known as ‘ Safi ’ and two other members of al Qaeda Iraq . (Rear Adm. Mark Fox, Press Briefing, 8/5/07)
· Among the many terrorists Coalition forces captured or killed in May and June were 26 al Qaeda leaders. (Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner, Press Briefing, 7/11/07)
o 11 of those captured or killed were city or local al Qaeda leaders; 7 were facilitators who smuggled foreigners, weapons, and money into Iraq ; 5 were cell leaders who commanded terrorist units that worked for emirs; 3 were vehicle-borne IED network leaders

In Ramadi, A Former Al Qaeda Stronghold, The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Has Worked With Iraqis To Achieve Successes In The Anbar Province . (Col. John Charlton, Press Briefing, 8/3/07)
· Attacks per day have dropped from between 30-35 in February to one or less.
· Approximately 6,000 U.S. forces are partnered with more than 12,000 Iraqi security forces.
· Approximately 7,400 police officers are operating in more than 30 police stations and substations throughout the area compared to less than 200 operating in two police stations a year ago.
· More than 1,200 Iraqi army recruits enlisted over three days in late March.
· The Coalition has provided more than $5.5 million in aid to day labor programs and employed more than 18,000 Iraqis, all in about three or four months.
· The Coalition has joined efforts with organizations like the Iraqi-American Chamber of Commerce & Industry to help revitalize small businesses in Ramadi.
o Company commanders went throughout every neighborhood and collected over 500 assessments of all small businesses in Ramadi, to help jumpstart the small business grant program.

Other Reports From Elsewhere In Iraq Are Positive. For example, the Provincial Reconstruction Team in al Qaim - located northwest of Baghdad near the Syrian border - is highlighting progress such as:
· A “spectacular” drop in insurgent activity over the last two years.
· Local tribes now providing tips to coalition forces, joining police, and staffing municipal offices.

The Iraqi Parliament Recently Finished A Busy Session Under Difficult Circumstances.
· Parliament passed more than 50 pieces of legislation in their most recent session, including laws creating an electoral commission, military courts, a $41 billion budget, and laws allowing formation of larger federal regions and easing rules for investment in production of gasoline and diesel fuel. (Letter from Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Jeffrey T. Bergner to Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, 7/26/07)
· Political leaders of all the major blocs in Iraq ’s Parliament are staying in Baghdad throughout August to continue negotiations.

Oil Money Is Being Distributed To The Iraq People Even Though The Proposed Oil Law Is Still Being Negotiated.
· $2.116 billion in oil money has been allocated for FY07.
· $848 million in oil money has been obliged.

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Fair but Unbalanced: How the media promote false pessimism about the economy. (via Larwyn)

After all, the economy is closing in on six straight years of growth and the stock market is up more than 80% since its bottom in October 2002. It is true that the number of shares sold short on the Nasdaq rose to a record of 9.3 billion last week, but this only equals the number of shares that change hands on the Nasdaq (on average) every 4.9 days. There are way more bulls than bears. It's not a 50/50 world.

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Via Memeorandum, CAIR Identified by the FBI as part of the Muslim Brotherhood's Palestine Committee

In testimony Tuesday, FBI Agent Lara Burns reported before the jury in the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) trial that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was listed as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee, right alongside HLF, the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), and the United Association for Studies and Research (UASR). Agent Burns further testified that CAIR received money from HLF - a claim that Nihad Awad blatantly denied in a congressional testimony in September of 2003.

Burns also said that both Omar Ahmed and Nihad Awad, CAIR co-founders who today serve as CAIR’s chairman emeritus and executive director, respectively, were also listed as individual members the Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee in America.

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In a lighter vein,
As a Coach stock holder, I'm sorry to hear that The Anchoress doesn't like Coach handbags. (h/t Larwyn)

British Faculty Association Votes to Boycott 2 Israeli Universities, and today's round-up

UK lecturers support Israel boycott call British Faculty Association Votes to Boycott 2 Israeli Universities

Today's round-up:
Malasia's highest court denies a woman the right to convert from Islam (h/t 762 justice)

"My carbon footprint's a lot bigger than yours" - way bigger!

Is this picture from Atlanta? North Carolina's reseach triangle? Someplace in Florida?

News The Husband probably won't want to hear: the new Saks 5th Ave shoe department will be so big it'll have its own zip code, and a VIP room, too. Ferragamo's right across the street, also ready and waiting.

Run, Fred, run!

A group of Cuban doctors working in Namibia who sought asylum in the US had to go into hiding... oh, wait, but let's keep an open mind!

Janet-my-personal-trainer has nothing to fear.

What an Anchoress does

1986 Redux: Proposed Senate Immigration Reform Repeats Past Failure

Robbing Rector
Does the WSJ read before they editorialize?

Bush Finally Fires Up the Base

The Anchoress is watching Couric, Gore and the Clintons

As I said in my February 12 podcast, there are four bloggers I always visit. The Anchoress is one of them.

Yesterday she shredded to bits the ever-obtrusive Couric, Gore and Clintons, and she starts with,

We need new names in both our politics and our news broadcasts. The same damn people have held sway over everything for too damn long.

Read the whole post.

Yet I know exactly how she feels:

These people all make me tired. I'm tired of looking at them, reading about them, listening to them blab on and on. I'm tired of their tired excuse-making and double-talk. I'm tired of hearing that these people are greatest of people and that only haters could not absolutely adore them, at all times.

ShrinkWrapped posts on abortion

ShrinkWrapped continues his series on abortion, Abortion on Demand: Reverberations and Vicissitudes (Part II) I can not do justice to his post if I cut and paste a fragment, so please read the whole post.

Following that, I read Sigmund Carl and Alfred's devastating account of his experience. I did a brief post on it and later deleted it because I could not come up with any words of consolation.

Which is why I so admire The Anchoress.

Update: ShrinkWrapped has posted Abortion on Demand: Reverberations and Vicissitudes (Part III)