January 2

Poor Matt. He suspected he had kidney stones after suffering some pain on the harbor cruise. Then the pain continued off and on all day yesterday. At 5:00am this morning, he shook me awake and said the pain had gotten substantially worse and he couldn't take it any longer.

They gave him some pain meds, verified he had an 8mm kidney stone after giving him a CAT scan and some x-rays...and then they almost gave him a heart attack.

The doctor sauntered in and informed us that Kaiser said Matt's coverage was terminated in JULY. We both stared at him in disbelief because Matt had set up automatic payments specifically so this situation would never happen. Turns out, there was a limit on the amount that could be taken from his bank account so, when his premium increased above that limit, they didn't process the automatic payment. He never noticed, didn't get a letter from them and, hence, no insurance. Thank heavens they let him back pay for 7 months of coverage so this emergency room visit should be covered. Fingers crossed!

As we were (FINALLY) leaving around 9:30am, Matt said he had to visit the restroom. They had given him this strainer that he has to use when urinating so he can collect the stone when it passes. Not sure why but they want to see it. Anyway, it took him a while so I was waiting down the hall and this man goes into the restroom next to Matt's. I have never heard someone vomiting so loudly. It was almost like he had a bullhorn. There was another man bent over in the hallway just groaning in pain. I have to say, I'm glad I don't have to spend much time at the emergency room. You should have seen the bathroom I thought about using. Ew.

Matt finally emerged from the restroom and said, "I think part of it passed because there was a little grain of sand in the strainer". He hasn't been in pain since. It's crazy that something so tiny could cause such massive pain.

January 1

I know this image is blurry but it was the one that most accurately conveyed our evening...Matt and I standing around like normal human beings with Scott going crazy in the background.

This is shortly after midnight on the New Year's Eve Yacht Party Cruise. There were 3 levels. The bottom had current music and dancing (blah). The middle had an 80's cover band with dancing and unexpected sing-a-longs (fun). The top had a clear tent for protection but the rest of the deck was open (freezing but where we spent about 10 minutes at midnight with beautiful views of downtown San Diego).

All in all a fun evening with friends...Scott and Cindy, Yuma and Felicia, Ti and Wendy. Happy New Year!

2011 Resolution

I'm trying something a bit different this year. I've been toying with the idea for several years but I know I'm pretty lazy so I just waived it off. However, I'm not getting any younger so this is the year.

At the risk of looking like a complete flake, my resolution is a new blog for 2011 that centers on photographs. My idea is to post one photo per day (I know!) that represents something that happened or affected me in some way that day. This can vary from the obvious, as the first post will show, to the obscure. My hope is that this will both stimulate my creativity and provide an interesting and introspective album of my year.

Wish me luck!

Dignan's Guide to Life

People use Cetaphil cream for dry skin. I find it is a delicious appetizer, although it does give me gas.

"Drop it" means shake the toy harder and yank on it incessantly. "DROP IT" means drop it.

The postman is out to kill us all and must be stopped.

At night, it's so cold out of the covers but it's so hot under the covers so it's best to alternate every 5 minutes. Continue until your owners yell at you.

It is possible to catch a lizard and, one day, I will prove it.

Learn how to make saucer eyes. It is a very useful tool.

There is no such thing as sleeping too much.

"W-A-L-K" means walk. Don't let them fool you.

Bummer

Two weeks ago, I was again amazed by Alex Wong on So You Think You Can Dance. Keep in mind that he is a classically trained ballet dancer and he pulled Hip Hop out of the hat. Ballet is so precise and formal; Hip Hop is so loose and grounded. I had a bad feeling that he wouldn't be able to pull it off. Imagine my sheer amazement when he blew it out of the park. Oh my gosh, he was so great! I don't know why I ever doubted him. He is the most amazing dancer I've ever seen. I'm not exaggerating.

Then last week...

he injured himself and had to leave the competition. What? No! I waited a whole year to see him dance and he moved me every time I saw him perform. I couldn't wait to see what he'd do week after week. And now it's over. I don't even care about anyone else. Sure, others can dance and different performers have their moments but he was pretty spectacular every time he got on that stage.

They have invited him back for next year but I don't know that he will do the show again. I may never get to see him dance again. What a bummer.

Dance

I love to watch "So You Think You Can Dance". I don't know what it is about that show but I love it. It makes me want to take dance lessons. Actually, I wanted to take Hip Hop but there aren't a lot of classes for adults in my area. They do have classes at Culture Shock Dance Theatre but it's kind of far away and I'm pretty intimidated to go there. It is the premiere Hip Hop dancing center in San Diego. So, I will just have to rent the SYTYCD workout DVD's to get some hip hop moves for now.

This season just started and there is a guy from Miami who I first noticed last year. He was my favorite to make the Top 20 last year but, in the end, he had a contract with the Miami City Ballet and they would not release him. Bummer. This year, however, he is in the competition and he is my favorite. They called him a robot last week so I was worried. Then, he drew a modern jazz routine with one of my favorite choreographers, Sonya, this week. She looks just like she choreographs...quirky, tough and fun. She did a routine to Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" which is different for her. It was beautiful. I can't say it was my favorite routine ever but, immediately, I just sighed and said "Alex is so awesome". He was. Stunning. My eyes teared up. Apparently, I wasn't the only one. The judges also showered him with compliments.

The other guy I love this year is an 18-year-old kid from a little farming town in middle America. He is so out of his element but so honest. I just love him.

Anyway, I'm happy that my two favorite reality shows are back on TV. Top Chef just started up again also. Nothing will beat last season but I still like to watch. Hmmm, just when I thought I could escape from the grasp of TV for a while.

In other good news, those 3 San Diegans FINALLY returned their copies of "The Postmistress" so my copy is en route to the Rancho Bernardo branch. Hurray!

Henry House

I just finished this book called "The Irresistible Henry House". It was about a practice baby and his life growing up. Apparently, back in the day, Home Economics programs at certain colleges (like Cornell) included a "Practice House" where women would care for a baby. The baby was supplied by the local orphanage and the women would each live in the practice house for a week at a time and learn how to do everything involved with raising a child and running a home. There was an instructor living in the house full-time. After the end of the school year, the baby would be returned to the orphanage, supposedly a prime candidate for adoption...since they were so expertly raised and must be the perfect little children.

What they found in the end was that these children actually had problems bonding with parents because they had such a revolving door of caretakers in their early life. This novel asks how one of their lives might have turned out because of this.

I thought it was a really interesting book and I loved that he went to work at Disney Studios on Mary Poppins. Then he went to London and worked on Yellow Submarine. To me, the best part of the book was living vicariously through him in different decades. I have felt many times that I was born at the wrong time in history. I love reading books that give me an idea what it might have been like to live at another time...whether that be good or bad. I want to experience that slice of life. That is one reason I like period pieces and noir.

At the same time I was finishing up this book, I had to drive to L.A. for work and I popped in a new audiobook. I like to listen to a book when I travel and then finish it by reading the actual book. I thought I was safe because I'm #3 on the waiting list for the book version of "The Postmistress". I've had the audiobook for a while so I listened to it on my last trip. Of course, I am totally into it and now I have to wait for these other San Diegans to return their copies of the book so I can get one. Come on already!

I don't like reading 2 different books at the same time because I find myself confusing them. For instance, there are similar characters in both "The Irresistible Henry House" and "The Postmistress". It's the personalities that I find similar so, as I listened to "The Postmistress", I kept thinking about Henry House. Oh, wait, he's not in this story. Ugh! I guess I could read a completely different type of book. For instance, skip the fiction and read a biography or dog training book. Only, I just want to read "The Postmistress". I don't know if it was the woman narrating the book or the actual way it was written or both, but I really like the flow of the words. It is beautiful. And, once again, it is a slice of life from a different time and place.

I am happy to be so excited about reading again. I turned away from it for many years but now I am embracing it whole-heartedly.