Posted by: Kathy at 09:25 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Holy Crap! Doug's back!

And it's a good thing, too, because way back in July, he linked to my baldie picture---and then had the gall not to post anything for six months, meaning that I was still getting hits from that damn post until a few days ago, when it, mercifully, was pushed down the page.

Despite this egregious error, I'm nonetheless glad to have him back at the keyboard. If for no other reason than I can give him loads of shit about Nebraska's faltering football program.

Heh.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:49 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Hey, you Romney for Minnesota bastards: don't say I didn't warn you.

I've decided that while Mitt does have some fabulous hair, he needs to switch it up.

And I'm just the girl for the job.

Here's Mitt with Don King's hair. Kinda suits him, for some strange reason.

Who's hair should we appropriate for Mitt next, kids? Any ideas? I'm thinking Zsa Zsa Gabor, but I'm not sure.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:53 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Well, here we are again, my devoted Cake Eater readers. Another year has passed, and in time-honored holiday fashion, I'm going to post everyone's favorite photo of me...

...if for no other reason than my hair was longer in this photo than it is now. Perhaps if I have enough spiked egg nog tonight, I'll let the husband take a photo of me and I'll post it for comparison purposes. But only if I have enough spiked egg nog. We'll just have to see how things on that front progress.

My hair aside, I realized earlier this month that I really didn't need any Christmas presents because I'd received a pretty big present this year, in the form of my survival from ovarian cancer. Whenever anyone asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I honestly couldn't come up with anything to tell them. And while my reply frustrated the Cake Eater Mom, I'm fine with it. I want for nothing. I've got my life, and my health, and that's all that really matters. While my survival required some rather large sacrifices, we're coming to terms with the situation. We're not healed yet, but, just like everything else, I have faith that we'll get there. Someday. That's enough for now.

I have so many blessings in my life. I have my fabulous family, who really stepped up this year to keep me buoyed up during my incarceration in the hospital and at home, afterwards, and during my treatments. We've had illness and adversity in our family before. We're no different than any other family in that regard. Yet, as the first of our immediate family to be diagnosed with cancer---a disease that has done a number already on our extended family---I know I scared the shit out of them. I'm so sorry I scared them. I couldn't really help it, but I'm sorry nonetheless. Instead of running away, like some of my real-world friends did, however, they all stepped up and did what they could to help, even if that was just sending the occasional e-mail telling me that they were thinking of me. That's no small thing. I'm thankful for them. I am also thankful for my in-laws who, despite having their own massive battles to fight this year, took the time, of which they didn't have much, to help out in their own way.

I also have my fantastic friends. My real-life friends, like Mr. H. and ML and the Doctor, just to name a few, have been there with incredible amounts of support, Louis Vuitton scarves, friendship, and much-needed laughter. They're incredible people and I'm truly blessed to have them in my life. I also have my online friends, people like Chrissy, who sent marvelous pick-me-up presents and emails, but who also made and shipped a SHITLOAD of gooey cakes to help out with my nephew James' JDRF fundraising efforts and never got a proper 'thank you' note from moi for her efforts, but who, somehow, doesn't think bad manners are a reason for cutting off friendship. For that I'm REALLY grateful, because she's truly an extraordinary person and I'm grateful for her presence in my life. I'm also grateful for the Llamas for their friendship. Steve-o kept up with the usual harassment, which made it feel much like things were still the same, and for Robbo in particular (and who just sent me the sweetest Christmas note, which completely made me blubber.) for plenty of things, but mostly for making me laugh like nothing else had in a long while with his "chemo pr0n" comment when I posted this picture. A certain "Just Me," with whom most of us are familiar, has also been a rock, and who graciously allowed me to make something useful out of all the knowledge I gained from my hysterectomy. Surprisingly, despite the fact I'm full of shit, she even took some of my advice and, in the process, made me feel useful for the first time in a long time.Phoenix, Cal Tech Girl, Eric, Zonker, Mitch , RP, and SO many others that I'm undoubtedly forgetting to mention, have also been just fantastic. But, last but not least, I cannot forget my devoted Cake Eater readers from Winterset, Russ and his wife, the Lovely Janis, who sent not only many, many emails of friendship and support, but who also sent a sleeve of cups from Kelly's, which I've been meaning to blog about, but haven't quite gotten around to doing yet. The internet truly does make the world a small place, but it makes my world so much bigger and richer because of the people I've been fortunate to meet through it.

And, finally, I have my incredible husband, who has been such a gift this year, that I really cannot express how grateful I am for him. I married a good man. I've written before that he's a wonder, and that I'm grateful for the knowledge of him, but really, kids, he's gone so far beyond and above the call of duty this year, that, well, I get all weepy thinking about him and all he's done for me for no other reason than that he loves me. I feel humbled and undeserving of his love and devotion. I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

And now, because I have other things I have to do this Christmas Eve Day, I will wrap this post up with a golden oldie recommendation for tonight. I wrote this little bit way back in 2003, during my very first Cake Eater Christmas, and I've always been particularly proud of it, unlike most of my writing. I always struggle to get things right, and usually after I post something, I think of a million ways I could have gotten something across better. This is one of the few instances where I think I got it just right the first time around:

Make the time tonight, between glasses of wine and obnoxious relatives, to go outside. Enjoy the peace and quiet, albeit temporary. Enjoy the cold for a few minutes. Breathe deeply and, for a brief moment, enjoy the icicles forming in your lungs. Shiver copiously. And then look up at the night sky, and if Rudolph's honker isn't too distracting, gaze at the stars.

Then, think of a young couple who on this night, roughly two thousand years ago, gave everything over to their faith and a God who demanded difficult things of them to fulfill His will. Know that they submitted without hesitation. Think of the gift they gave us this night and know that they gazed at the same stars you're looking at.

And know that the world is a wondrous place.

Merry Christmas, my devoted Cake Eater readers.

UPDATE: I'm also incredibly thankful for YouTube.

And Linus.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:30 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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A crying shame.

Outraged family and friends are blaming a medical insurer's heel-dragging for the premature death of a California teenager who died awaiting a liver transplant.

Nataline Sarkisyan, a 17-year-old from Glendale, Calif., died Thursday just a few hours after her insurer, Cigna Health Care, approved a procedure it had previously described as "too experimental" and that dozens of Sarkisyan's supporters protested at the Cigna's headquarters.

{...}The Sarkisyan family claims that Cigna first agreed to the liver transplant surgery and had secured a match weeks ago. After the teen, who was battling leukemia, received a bone marrow transplant from her brother, however, she suffered a lung infection, and the insurer backed away from what it felt had become too risky a procedure.

"They're the ones who caused this. They're the one that told us to go there, and they would pay for the transplant," Hilda Sarkisyan said.

Geri Jenkins of the California Nurses Association said the teen had insurance, and medical providers felt comfortable performing the medical procedure. In that situation, the the insurer should defer to medical experts, she said.

"They have insurance, and there's no reason that the doctors' judgment should be overrided by a bean counter sitting there in an insurance office," Jenkins said.

Doctors at the UCLA Medical Center actually signed a letter urging Cigna to review it's decision. Nataline Sarkisyan was sedated into a coma to stabilize her as the family filed appeals in the case.

During the middle of Thursday's protest, Hilda Sarkisyan fielded a call from Cigna alerting her that her daughter's procedure had been given the green light. Cigna released a statement announcing the company "decided to make an exception in this rare and unusual case and we will provide coverage should she proceed with the requested liver transplant."

The cheers, however, soon gave way to concern as the the hospital called to say that Nataline's health had taken a serious downturn. The family was forced to make the decision to take her off life support, and she later died. The battle to convince Cigna to support the medical procedure had taken too long.

The family said that it will now consider filing a lawsuit against Cigna -- after Nataline Sarkisyan is laid to rest. {...}

I hate stories like this. My sympathies go out to Nataline's family.

But, and there's a rather important "but" here, Nataline's parents would have you believe that Cigna is to blame for her death, rather than the lung infection that ultimately killed her. They're playing the if only game. If only Cigna hadn't denied coverage, she could have had the liver transplant, and all would be well. The big bad health insurer is to blame, once more, for another senseless. It's John Q all over again.

I don't think it's quite as clear cut as all that.

There's no guarantee that Nataline would have survived, even if she'd had the liver transplant. Transplants are risky things, and they don't always work. I'm no doctor, obviously, but it seems to me that if a young girl who was suffering from leukemia, had most likely been through some kind of chemotherapy treatment, and had already had a bone marrow transplant, would already have been somewhat immuno-compromised. Her age would have helped out some with this, though. It's a simple fact: younger people do better with cancer treatment. Yet, you have to add into the mix that she would have had to take immuno-suppresion drugs to keep her body from rejecting the transplant, and then it seems like her survival would have been a long shot. Her youth might not have helped out all that much in such a circumstance. Yet, again, I'm not a doctor, so take my analysis with a grain of salt. I'm just a former chemo patient who had a serious crash course in how the immune system works earlier this year. But the doctors were willing to do the transplant, despite the fact that she had a lung infection---that should suffice for the insurance company, right? I'm not sure. Insurance providers have to weigh the risks of paying for such procedures. As in, if Nataline had received the transplant, then had passed away, it's likely they would have faced liability for her death, then, too. It's a damned if you do, and damned if you don't situation.

The thing that bothers me about all this is why did Nataline's parents stage a protest at the insurance company, when it was most likely possible for them to accept payment liability for the transplant. Then their daughter could receive her much needed transplant, and then they could have hired a lawyer and fought it out with Cigna later. At least, by their reasoning, their daughter would now be be alive. Why is the blame laid automatically at Cigna's feet, when their daughter's health is their responsibility?

People forget that you can get health care without insurance. It happens every damn day of the week, in every hospital in this country. While I'm sure this would have been an exceptional case in terms of self-pay situations, it should have been presented as an option to the Sarkisyans. Why didn't the doctors at UCLA say, "Hey, let's do the transplant and then worry about who's paying for it later?" Why was it so important to the family that the procedure be covered by insurance? I can understand how scary it is to not have a financial safety net underneath you when you make large, expensive decisions like this. Believe me, I understand that. But that's no excuse for inaction in such a circumstance as this. I, too, have had approval for expensive procedures denied by my insurance company because of rules they have set in place, to prevent abuse of the system. But you can always fight that. And you can do it later, after the crisis has passed. Providers usually understand this. It takes a large leap of faith to do this, yes (and it usually requires a Visa card with a large limit on it, too, because they'll want at least a down payment up front.), but it's possible. The problem can be solved. Insurance companies are required by law to have appeals processes in place, so that you can always state your side of things. The procedure is listed out on the back of every single claim rejection---or even every damn letter---they send out. It's a pain, yes, but the process is there for a reason, so that insurance companies aren't later blamed for preferential treatment or, conversely, discrimination. Despite what the media and Hollywood would have you believe, insurance companies are not populated entirely by heartless bastards. While there are some glaring exceptions to that rule, for the most part, insurers do try to make sure that people get the coverage that they're paying for. The Sarkysians were obviously aware of the appeals process, too, because that's precisely what they were doing when their daughter took a turn for the worse. Furthermore, there are generally state and federal funds that could have been applied for to for assistance in paying for the transplant. Hospitals usually employ people whose sole job is to know how the system works, so that they can find the money to get paid and to keep the hospital running. Did the family not qualify for these programs? Do the programs not cover transplants? Did the hospital even inform the family of their options in this regard? There are many unanswered questions. And, from what I can see, no one's bothered asking them in their rush to tar and feather Cigna for their refusal. The questions loom large, but the main one I have is why didn't the family take the financial leap of faith that might have kept the daughter alive? Why did they think that their only option was to fight the insurance company?

Truly, it bothers me to raise these issues so soon after their daughter's death. But they're the ones who went crying to the media, so I guess that makes them fair game. I simply wish they'd seen that they had more options available to them than simply fighting the insurance company. While there's no guarantee that Nataline would still be alive today if her family had done things differently, perhaps, at least, she might have had a fighting chance.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:07 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Just in case you, my devoted Cake Eater readers, were looking for an online company to print out your Christmas cards, well, I would highly recommend going someplace other than Photoworks.

I'd never done the photo holiday cards before, and given my hair situation, I will admit that it's exceedingly strange that this would be the year to break that particular sound barrier, but as I had a nice photo of the husband and myself, I thought I'd give it a whirl. (Besides, sending out a picture, whilst simultaneously wishing everyone a "Happy and HEALTHY holiday season" sort of gets me out of writing a holiday letter, no?) The only problem with this photo was that it was taken at sunset, with the sun behind us, and the trick of using the flash to compensate for the overwhelming backlighting was not working for some strange reason. Well, never mind, because, verily, there is such a thing as Photoshop. I was able to tweak the photo in that particular program and it looked pretty good by the time I was finished with it. It was a little dark, but you could see us and that's what mattered. I put together the card at Photoworks, received a hefty discount at checkout, and all was well until the cards actually showed up at the Cake Eater pad. For whatever reason, Photoworks did not print the photo in my tweaked manner, but, of course, let their computer program autocorrect the photo---and they ruined the print in the process. You can barely see the husband or myself in the photo, but oh, boy can you really see the setting sun!

I'm still sending the cards out, and I can already hear the ribbing I'll take about them from my friends and family. But I'm not going to redo them. I already paid good money for Christmas cards, and, by golly, I'm going to use them.

However, I thought I'd pass along the warning for what it's worth. I'm not really happy, but I'm somewhat beyond caring at this point in time. A Christmas card is a Christmas card, right? Even if it's crappy. It's the thought that counts. Right?

Posted by: Kathy at 12:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The husband informed me this morning that the merry little elf Lileks has been using as a Christmas mascot this week is creeping him out.

Apparently, his family had one for quite some time and he always hated the way those devilishly happy elvish eyes stared out at him from the Christmas trees of his youth.

Erm.

Ok, you can go on with your lives now that I've shared that.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:51 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The husband and I were watching "The Simpsons Movie" and, whilst we were waiting for the movie to load up, the usual threats of death, dismemberment and a ten years in the pokey, and a bajillion dollar fine for illegally downloading the movie raised their head for their two seconds of airtime. We weren't paying too much attention, but one warning passed by very quickly...and it wasn't regarding downloading. It was regarding the EPA, and since it passed by so quickly and we couldn't read it fast enough, we jumped the gun and assumed that the government had gotten pissed off, and commented how stupid that was. Why would anyone get their knickers in a twist over what the The Simpsons had to say about the EPA?

Well, as it turns out, we were duped. In a very funny way.

Heh. Gotta love those guys for doing this. The "EPA's" logo cracks me up.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:02 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The neighborhood in which the husband's shop resides, Bryn Mawr, is hosting a "Saturnalia" (yeah, don't start with me about it. I UNDERSTAND.) event on this coming Saturday, December 15th. It's meant to drive traffic into the neighborhood stores, and quite a few people show up. Last year, I made the huge and horrible mistake of supplying the husband with homemade caramels to give away, along with hot cider, to those who passed by. It was a huge success, and now I have been asked, very politely indeed, to make them again. So I will. And then I will make another batch, next week, to give out with the rest of my Christmas goodies. These are pretty tasty, and if you've got some spare time on your hands---and I mean a lot of spare time---make for a delicious Christmas treat.

Golden Caramels

(Makes about 150. Caramels should be individually wrapped in cellophane or waxed paper, so they keep their shape.)

4 cups heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 cups light corn syrup
4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 lb. unsalted butter (two sticks) cut into sixteen pieces
1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon vanilla extract
Vegetable oil cooking spray

1. Spray an 11 3/4-by-16 1/2 inch baking pan (a half-sheet pan) with vegetable oil spray. In a 2qt saucepan, combine cream and sweetened condensed milk; set aside.

2. In a heavy 6-to-8qt saucepan, combine corn syrup, 1 cup water, sugar and salt. Clip on candy thermometer. Over high heat, cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring with a wooden spoon, 8 to 12 minutes. Brush down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystals.

3. Stop stirring, reduce heat to medium, and bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until temperature reaches 250 degrees (hard-ball stage), 45-60 minutes. Meanwhile, cook cream mixture over low heat until it is just warm. Do not boil. When sugar reaches 250 degrees, slowly stir in butter and warmed cream mixture, keeping mixture boiling at all times. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until thermometer reaches 244 degrees (firm-ball stage), 55-75 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Immediately pour into prepared pan without scraping the pot. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for 24 hours without moving.

4. To cut, spray a large cutting board generously with vegetable oil spray. Unmold caramel from pan onto sprayed surface. Cut into 1-by 1 1/4-inch pieces, or other shapes. Wrap each in cellophane or waxed paper.

So, a few tips from moi, because I've made this recipe a few times and I just happen to have a few handy, dandy tips to pass along. First, this recipe takes HOURS to complete (and then you have to wait a full twenty-four hours before cutting them up) so wear comfy shoes, have good music on the radio and a cocktail in hand (with a full shaker nearby). Second, you don't need a half-sheet pan to use this recipe; a jelly roll pan does nicely, although the caramels do come out a little thicker than what I think they were originally intended to, so do take that into account when you cut them up. Third, this is not a recipe for novice candy makers. If you are not familiar with what "hard ball" and "firm ball" mean, ahem, in relation to candy making, this is not the recipe for you. Practice on some peanut brittle and then take this one on. Fourth, you can buy waxed paper wrappers at a kitchen specialty store, like Williams and Sonoma; I would not recommend being cheap and cutting up squares from a roll of waxed paper---they don't work nearly as well. Fifth, and final, they're not kidding when they instruct to spray the cutting board with Pam. The caramels warm up as you work with them and they start sticking. The Pam prevents this, so use it.

Other than that, well, enjoy! And if you're out and about on Saturday afternoon, December 15th, and happen to live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, drop by Bryn Mawr Computer Support to enjoy the Saturnalia festival. Hit the corner of Penn Ave and South Cedar Lake Road, and you'll find the merriment.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:26 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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So, have you ever had a loved one go flying about the country, and then wondered where, precisely, they were in the course of their journey?

Well, wonder no more, my devoted Cake Eater readers, for, hark, there is Flight Aware. All you need to do is enter in an airline and the flight number and, voila, a handy dandy little map comes up, and shows you the flight's progress, with the information coming directly from the air traffic control system. For instance, I can tell that the husband is, currently, about to land at O'Hare. His plane is cruising at 1600 ft., is going 176 knots, and has sixteen miles to go before landing. Impressive, no?

I suspect that in twenty minutes or so, he'll be texting me that he's landed and is wandering around O'Hare, looking for a cup of coffee.

Posted by: Kathy at 10:52 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Go here. A lot.

Aw c'mon. Don't look at me like that. You know you already go to those kinds of sites. This is your one-stop-shop. You know this will shortly become one of your favorites, because, well, it's just so functional.

And if you're wondering what the hell kind of site it could possibly be, well, click on over, kids and keep clicking. Suggest feeds. Vote for your favorites. Visit the sponsors. {wink, wink, nudge, nudge}

The husband thanks you for your support and promises that the more you visit, the prettier it will look.

And, yes, I did have fun p-shopping Tommy Boy Cruise's head onto a casserole.

Posted by: Kathy at 11:34 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The Christmas season can officially start now.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:57 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Gunman kills at least 8 at Omaha Mall.

OMAHA, Neb. - A man with a rifle opened fire at a busy shopping mall Wednesday, killing eight people before taking his own life. Five more people were wounded, two critically.

Shoppers and employees ran screaming through the mall and barricaded themselves in dressing rooms after hearing gunfire. The gunman was found dead on the third floor of the Von Maur department store in the Westroads Mall, in a prosperous neighborhood on the city's west side.

{...}Sgt. Teresa Negron said the gunman killed eight people, then apparently killed himself. His name was not immediately released, and authorities gave no motive for the attack and did not know whether he said anything during the rampage.{...}

Holy Shit, my devoted Cake Eater Readers. HOLY SHIT!

A gunman shot up Westroads? Good God. I'm just stunned.

And I cannot even begin to tell you how pissed off I am at the mainstream media right now. I was practicing a little radio silence earlier, to get some work done, and I missed this story as it broke. But there hasn't been ONE GODDAMNED WORD about this on either Brit Hume's or Wolf Blitzer's respective programs. But there's been plenty about Mike Huckabee's Willie Horton moment. Never mind that the AP has, as part of its "slideshow", no less than four maps showing just where Omaha resides in flyover land. Because, apparently, everyone in New York needed a little geography lesson. I just want to know what happened, people. Give me some freakin' video!

I don't know how many times I've been to Westroads. Thousands, probably. But not as many times as I've been to The Center or Crossroads---my mother's chosen malls. She hates Westroads; it's "too big and too far out." Westroads was the mall when I was growing up. And it had an entire store devoted to "Hello Kitty" merchandise...it was cool. I haven't been there in years---I don't go to Omaha to shop---but damn. I feel as if a big chunk of my childhood has been attacked.

The family that still lives there is ok. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.

UPDATE: It appears as if one of my sister-in-laws was caught up in the melee at Westroads yesterday. Apparently, she'd just entered Younkers (or Yoinkers in Cake Eater Lingo, because I hate that department store), with my four-year-old nephew in tow, when someone came flying by her and told her to get out because someone was shooting in the mall. She turned to leave, but apparently, the nephew didn't want to have anything to do with leaving and was not cooperative, dragging his feet the entire way. Fortunately, the sister-in-law is bigger than the four-year-old (not by much though! she's tiny!) and won the argument with brute force. They got out and are fine, if not a little shook-up.

Posted by: Kathy at 05:23 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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If you're in the market for a sweet, custom built rig that's just perfect for all things gaming/multimedia this holiday season, may I be so bold as to direct you here?

They're having a sale. And I know for a fact that they do excellent work. *

They also sell gift certificates, if you'd like to protect your friends and family from future hard-drive crashes.

Yeah, BMCS is the husband's shop, but they really do good work for a fair price. Just compare their prices with Geek Squad. And know that they won't go nuclear on your machine with the system restores if they don't absolutely have to---like Geek Squad does.

Posted by: Kathy at 01:10 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Steve-o thinks it's this one. Furthermore, he thinks it's the "greatest play in American Sports history."

While undoubtedly impressive, I think it's this one.

I remember watching this game, and being stunned, much like everyone else, that Flutie managed to get that pass off, let alone that he got it to the receiver---and that Phelan managed, somehow, to actually catch it.

What I also remember is Vinny Testaverde's soul-wrenching expression of pure stunned, gaping-mouthed disbelief at the outcome, which, before that pass, had been pretty much in his favor (not only game-wise, but Heisman Trophy-wise, as well), but unfortunately, I couldn't find a video which covered that particular moment in time.

Both are flukes, obviously. But does the fact that the Stanford band was on the field trump Flutie's mad pass throwing skillz? I don't think so.

Posted by: Kathy at 10:43 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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