PixelBrat's Blog

August 28, 2007

Ouch...

Rob and I discovered a damp area of flooring in our downstairs bathroom a couple of months ago.  We pulled up the floor tiles and found the concrete foundation was saturated.  We called a plumber and they gave us some suggestions of inexpensive things to try that might fix the problem.  Unfortunately (and predictably) the cheap solutions didn't work.  We feared the pipe under the concrete foundation was leaking so we called him out again.  He jack-hammered the concrete floor and cut 4 holes in our walls to find the leak.  Several hours and $1,200 later and it's finally fixed. Ouch.  The unbelievable thing is what was actually causing the problem... It was the pipe coming down through the wall from our upstairs bathroom.  Our damn builder apparently put a screw-cap on the PVC drainage pipe, presumably for the purpose of it being an easy access point in case there was a clog.  That cap wasn't screwed on tightly enough, causing it to leak down and soak into the concrete below!   To add insult to injury the damn builder put no access door to actually get to that screw-cap, so even if there was a clog you would have to cut a hole in the wall to get to it!    The picture below is where he jack-hammered the floor, only to learn the leak wasn't there.  Click the link to see more photos:

You can bet if I could find our builder I'd be taking a $1,200 bite out of his ass right now.

Posted by pixelbrat at 11:16 PM

August 26, 2007

Our new adventure begins...

I know I have been woefully lax in updating my blog.  I guess I haven't had much to write about aside from our new addition.  That has now changed.  Rob and I have begun doing repairs to our house in preparation for selling it and moving to the mountains.  To get an idea of what we were in for we wrote down all the things that needed to be done.  The list is frighteningly long. We started out with getting some minor roof repairs.  Fortunately that wasn't as financially painful as we feared.  This weekend we removed some old linoleum out of our laundry room and installed matching checkerboard flooring from the hallway.

I forgot to get a true "before" picture of the old flooring but I assure you, the new stuff is a huge improvement.  Admittedly this is but a small drop in the giant bucket of what we still have to do but it's a start.  Stay tuned for more DIY home improvement goodies!

Posted by pixelbrat at 12:13 PM | Comments (1)

February 22, 2007

My new website - PixelbratImagery.com

As you might have noticed I haven't posted in quite a while.  I actually have a good excuse this time.  I've opened a brand new website for my artwork and photography.  I wanted to create a site that was a bit more serious and refined compared to Pixelbrat.com.  Don't worry, Pixelbrat.com will still remain active.  I'm just going to use it strictly for my blog and other miscellaneous things.  The new site is called PixelbratImagery.com and is ready for visitors.  Please cruise on by and browse around at your leisure.  You can click here or click on the logo below to take a look. (It will open a new window)  Thanks in advance for visiting!

Posted by pixelbrat at 12:46 PM | Comments (1)

September 4, 2006

Waiting for this losing streak to end...

My apologies for the lack of updates but this past week has just plain sucked. There's just no other way to put it. Late last Monday night (8/28), around 2AM, we got a call from my mother-in-law telling us that Rob's step-dad had been in a serious car accident. Thankfully, after a few days in the hospital he is now back at home and doing better.

Well, last night we found out that my uncle David had died. Details on what happened are still a bit sketchy. We are all just a bit shocked right now. This will be the 3rd member of our family that we've lost since December. (4th if you count our kitty Hobbes) I think we're all ready for a long stretch of sunshine. That's all for now.

Posted by pixelbrat at 11:38 AM | Comments (1)

July 25, 2006

A quick update on my stepfather... he's fine

After a delay of one day my stepfather finally had his surgery this morning and he's doing well now. They are talking about sending him home tomorrow. We're all very much relieved that all is well! Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers!!

Posted by pixelbrat at 8:31 PM | Comments (1)

July 22, 2006

Your thoughts and prayers requested...

My stepfather has been ill for several weeks now. After going to several doctors to find out what was wrong with him and getting nowhere one of them finally scheduled him for a CAT scan yesterday (Friday) at Emory University Hospital. They found a 7 cm leaking aneurysm on his aorta in his lower abdomen. They rushed him to the emergency room and scheduled a battery of other tests. He has a low grade fever, which the doctors said wasn't a typical symptom of a leaking aneurysm, so they will be conducting several other tests to try to figure out what else could be wrong. He has been admitted to Emory and they have scheduled him for surgery on Monday to deal with the aneurysm, depending on the results of the tests over this weekend. We feel extremely fortunate that this was discovered since aneurysms can typically mean instant death depending on their size/severity. Hopefully we'll get the results of the tests soon and we'll know more. For now, please keep him/us in your thoughts and prayers.

Posted by pixelbrat at 10:26 AM | Comments (1)

July 13, 2006

More R/C helicopter flying goodness

Continuing my R/C helicopter obsession, I made a little video of my favorite heli of the bunch.  This is the Walkera 5#5 and it's super tiny, which is one of the main reasons I love it so much.  It is perfect for flying around the house.  It has all the power and control of my bigger heli, the Blade CX, but at about half the size.  The small size makes it much more fun to fly indoors.  Below are some comparison photos.

Chose one of the links below to see the video.  It's a bit boring but the purpose of the video was to show some folks on the RCGroups.com forum how well she hovers.  Well, I'm sure in more capable hands she would hover much better than the lousy job I did but I'm still learning.    Both links are of the same video, just one is smaller than the other to accommodate those with low bandwidth.  Enjoy.

Walkera 5#5 Hovering (1.7 MB)

Walkera 5#5 Hovering (7 MB)

I'll try to post some videos that are a bit more exciting when I have more practice.

Posted by pixelbrat at 7:06 PM

July 10, 2006

A quick follow-up on R/C Helicopters...

Just a quick follow-up to my last post about R/C Helicopters... if you decide to try out one of these helicopters I don't recommend the one that's being sold at ThinkGeek.com. That heli is called the Dragonfly King HX-242 and the quality control is pretty much non-existent with that model.  If you get lucky enough to get a good one, it flies great. However, these are few and far between.  I have read far more negative reviews than positive from owners on the RC Groups.com Muli-Rotor forum.  I got mine for $30 off ebay and it's junk.  Lessen learned.  I do highly recommend the Blade Runner line.  That's the black one you saw on the first video I posted.  You can buy these locally at Radio Shack and the Discovery Store in the mall for about $50.  OK, back to work...

Posted by pixelbrat at 10:47 AM

July 9, 2006

Taking a break from photography for some flying fun!

My hobbies and interests run the gamut.  I also have a pretty short attention span.  So after saturating my life with photography for the past few months I got really tired of it and needed something new.  While perusing one of my favorite online retail outlets, ThinkGeek.com, I found a new toy that I had to have.  It's a small R/C (remote controlled) helicopter that you can fly indoors!  Unfortunately they were sold out but that didn't stop me.  I scoured the web and found some others and before I knew it the wonderful world of R/C helicopters sucked me in.    Now, a couple of weeks later and I have 3 that I've been playing with.  What a blast!!!  Yes, I know I'm a 35 year old woman and I'm not supposed to like these things... So what!!

Now typically R/C helicopters are very advanced and extremely hard to fly.  Not so with the revolutionary co-axial helicopter designs.  Co-axial (meaning two rotors spinning in opposite directions) helicopters are extremely easy to fly and almost anyone can do it. (Even a 35 year old hag like myself)  Below is a quick video of what one of these heli's looks like as it flies.  This one is called the Bladerunner and almost anyone can fly it, right out of the box.

The Bladerunner is a lot of fun but a pretty tame toy.  I wanted something a bit more powerful and with more maneuverability.  Enter the Blade CX.  This puppy is much more advanced and has a lot more power.  It also takes a lot more time and practice to learn to fly.  I bought one second-hand from a local hobby store for half the price of a new one, which was great because I wouldn't feel so bad if I crashed it.  (can you see where this is going yet?)  Below is a photo of Wasabi checking out my new toy.  Those orange balls on sticks you see are part of the training gear.  It helps you while you learn to fly.

Typically these heli's should only be flown indoors or outdoors on extremely calm days with no breeze.  Well, I got bored today and decided to experiment.  I attached a small video camera to it and took it out for a quick flight.  When I went out it was pretty calm outside, I promise!  Of course, Mother Nature apparently sensed my presence and decided to have some fun with me.  Check out the video below to see my first crash...

Don't worry, it survived with only minor damage but I took the hint and went back inside.  I thought the video was so cool though so I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I try it again.    Stay tuned...

Posted by pixelbrat at 11:26 PM | Comments (1)

June 11, 2006

An overdue update...

Hi everyone.  Just figured I'd do a general update to my blog since it's been a little while since I've posted.  Some of you may remember that we experienced a power surge at our house on May 5th, just days before our vacation.  We went ahead and filed a claim on our homeowners insurance to get the damaged items replaced.  Well, after 3 weeks of waiting and several frustrating phone calls we finally got our money.  Apparently the "Lightening Unit" at USAA is overloaded with work because we had a terrible time getting any assistance from them.  It took several calls to a manager to finally get our claim settled.  This was rather surprising to me because I've always had good service from them in the past.  At least it's done and over with...

A quick (and likely the final) update on my brother Justin - he passed his driving test on May 8th and is now back at work again.  Aside from the scaring you would hardly know anything had happened to him.  It's truly a miracle how far he has come after such a horrible injury.

My stock photography obsession continues to be going very well.  Actually, its going much better than I expected.  See, I only make between .25 to $1.00 for each photo I sell so knowing this I was sure it would take me at least a year just to reach $100.  Much to my surprise my work has been selling like crazy and after only 3 months I have made approximately $500.  I will be reinvesting my earnings back into my obsession by purchasing a set of studio flash units and related equipment for my home studio.  These will be great for portraits and still life work.

Lastly but certainly not least, today is me and my hubby's 7th wedding anniversary.    Hootie Hoo!

Bye for now.

Posted by pixelbrat at 4:45 PM | Comments (1)

May 13, 2006

We're home!

After a long 8 hour drive we made it back home safely today.  Our 4 kitties were very happy to see us, although Wasabi seemed a bit traumatized by the experience.  It took him about 3 hours to emerge from under our bed.  (My brother-in-law came and fed the kitties while we were out and Wasabi doesn't like strangers too much.)  Since the AC died right before we left we feared it would be like an oven in the house.  Fortunately this wasn't the case since it was fairly cool out.  We're not looking forward to dealing with that mess now that we're back, that's for sure. 

Overall we had a really nice time.  Admittedly, the house we stayed in wasn't quite as nice as some others we've stayed in before.  It was a little dated, both in it's construction and in the furnishings, so it wasn't quite as comfortable as we'd hoped.  The weather was crappy half the time too but we got a couple of good sunny days.  I have a nice sunburn to show for it. (I don't tan, I only burn. Ouch!)  That's OK because even a bad day at the beach is always better than a good day at work, right?  Below are shots of the house we stayed in.  The top one was taken from the street and the second one is from the beach.

The shot below is of the living room.  Yes, that furniture you see there is as uncomfortable as it looks, trust me!

I snagged a really cool shot a couple of days ago that I'll share real quick.  It's a pelican flying overhead.  You can see a larger version by clicking on the image below.

I got up early this morning to shoot my last Topsail sunrise before leaving.  I was pretty pleased with the result. You can see a larger version by clicking on the image below.

One very unfortunate result of this vacation is the amount of weight I have gained.  Rob and I live a low-carb lifestyle and have done so for almost 3 years now.  This lifestyle helped me to lose and keep off over 45 lbs.  The week before we left for vacation we decided to go ahead and begin cheating on our diet.  Well, after 2 full weeks of eating and drinking whatever my heart desired I have put on a whopping 17 lbs!!! (I can almost hear my sister laughing at me right now!) Imagine my horror when I stepped on the scale today!  I'll be going back on the diet tomorrow, I just won't be able to fit into my work clothes for a while! 

After 7 days on the beach I have taken literally hundreds and hundreds of photos.  Most of those were for my stock photography work, so I'll be spending the next week or so processing those.  Before I go and obsess over those I'll post one final shot of Rob and I.

Bye for now!

Posted by pixelbrat at 10:45 PM | Comments (1)

May 9, 2006

Gray skies, go away! I'm on vacation!

Apparently Mother Nature missed my memo.  I specifically requested sunshine and blue skies this week but so far the weather has been pretty crappy.  We have had tiny little hints of sunshine but they are fleeting.  So what do you do when you're at the beach and the weather looks icky?  You go to the cheesy gift shops, of course!  Check out the one below.  The gator wraps around most of the front of the store.  (I'll have to try to get a better shot of the whole thing later on)

During one of the brief bits of decent weather this evening I snagged a shot of the view from our deck.  If you squint real hard you can just barely see a hint of blue sky.  You can see a larger version by clicking on the image.

Lastly we have a shot of Rob and yours truly.  You can see the ugly gray skies in the background behind us.

Tomorrow's weather isn't looking much better than the last couple of days but maybe we'll get lucky.  I'm beginning to think that Mother Nature has a deal going with the cheesy gift shop owners to drive more business their way.  So far, it's working.  Bye for now.

Posted by pixelbrat at 9:40 PM | Comments (2)

May 7, 2006

We made it!

After an 8 hour drive we made it safe and sound yesterday with no problems.  The beach is just as gorgeous as I remembered it.  There is nothing on earth like the sound and smell of the ocean.  Shortly after arriving we unloaded the blender and commenced with crafting some Margaritas. (Yum!)  We walked on the beach and have already found a few shark's teeth.  The shot below was taken from the deck of our beach house a few hours after arriving.

Despite being on vacation I always get up before dawn when I'm here so I can shoot sunrise pictures.  I am far from an early riser by nature but the photographer in me can't resist the opportunity.  I was pretty disappointed with this morning's showing but I managed to grab an interesting shot of a sun rimmed cloud.  Here it is below.  You can see a larger version by clicking the image.

About an hour later I got this shot below.  It's not bad but it's not great either.  You can see a larger version by clicking the image.

The weather is a bit on the yucky side today with gray skies, high winds and choppy seas but hopefully things will look up later on.  Sounds like a good excuse to make more Margaritas to me. 

 

Posted by pixelbrat at 1:42 PM | Comments (2)

May 5, 2006

One day till vacation... oh @#&%*!!!!!

As I've mentioned in my previous post, Rob and I are headed to the beach for a long anticipated vacation, starting tomorrow morning. All seemed to be going as planned until we came home from work today. As I walked up the stairs from the foyer I noticed that the thermostat said 75 degrees. That's odd, I thought. I headed for the living room, grabbed the TV remote control and hit the power button... nothing. Right at that same moment we hear a beeping sound coming from Rob's office... it's his computer's battery backup beeping because his computer is dead. This can't be good, I thought. I head to the bedroom to try that TV... dead. Rob heads up to the attic to check on the air conditioner... dead. We can only assume there was a power surge or something got hit by lightening. Let me tell ya, this is not how you want to begin your vacation...

After several expletives were uttered we called our insurance company to begin the claim process. Of course we wont be able to really do anything until we get back but we at least felt a tiny bit better by getting the ball rolling. Fortunately, we have a portable AC unit that we bought during our last AC disaster so we'll be able to keep the kitties cool while we're gone. We went through the house and tried to check what we could. So far, here is the damage:

2 TV's (of course, the 2 biggest ones in the house)
1 Computer
1 AC Air Handler
2 Tivos, 2 DVD players and 2 satellite receivers (condition unknown)

The Tivos, DVD players and satellite receivers could be dead but we couldn't check them due to the dead TV's they were connected to. Rob hasn't checked any of his big power tools in his shop yet. We're almost afraid to. I think we'll save that for when we return. For right now we just pray nothing else happens to slow our vacation progress. Please wish us luck.

Posted by pixelbrat at 9:56 PM

April 30, 2006

Let the packing begin!

One more week and I'll be sinking my toes in the soft sand of Topsail Beach!  I absolutely can't wait!!  After the crazy year I've had I can think of nothing more relaxing than spending hours on the beach, searching for fossilized shark's teeth, and sipping frosty adult beverages.  Topsail is one of those out-of-the-way beaches that not many folks have heard of.  Our rental house is right on the beach and there's no public beach access as far as the eye can see - it's all private.  Most of the beach houses have cutesy names like "Dances with Waves", "Lazy Daze", "Loony Dunes." (my personal favorite, being a Looney Tunes fan).  The house we rented has a name as well... although certainly not on par with the other cutesy names...  It's called "Smith".    Who knows what the owner was thinking (or smoking) on that one...

As I'm making lists of the things I'm going to pack I'm finding I'm listing more "props" for my stock photography use than I am clothing.  Hmmm.  Hey, I told you I was obsessed, didn't I?  I've got some beach toys, pails, brightly colored flip-flops, all sorts of stuff.  Hell, I might as well take advantage of the location while I can, right?  Before I close this post I thought I'd post a photo of a huge fossilized shark's tooth that I found at Topsail way back in 1999.  Finding a tooth this size is really rare so I was quite shocked at finding it.  Can you imagine the size of the shark this must have originated from?

If I can find another even remotely close to that size I'll be thrilled but I'm not too hopeful.  That's OK though.  Just the act of searching for these teeth on the beach, though unusual and pointless to some, is extremely relaxing and rewarding to me.  I can't explain it, I just enjoy it.

That's all for now.  Let the countdown begin!!  Just 6 more days! 

Posted by pixelbrat at 10:39 PM | Comments (1)

March 19, 2006

Celebrating Justin's Recovery

On Friday night my family and I were invited to Libby's Cabaret for a celebration of Justin's recovery.  We were given the opportunity to get up on stage and thank everyone for all of their donations and support.  It was a bit terrifying but I don't think we embarrassed ourselves too bad.  An Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter was there to capture the moment.  This was the same one that wrote the previous articles about Justin here and here.   It showed up in Saturday's paper in the Lifestyle section under Peach Buzz, page C2.  I scanned it so it could be viewed by clicking here or by clicking the photo below. (Opens a new window)

I was approached by several people that night telling me how much they cared about Justin and thanking me for posting the updates on my blog.  I am continually blown away by how much people care.  Posting the updates was very difficult early on because it forced me to dwell on something very painful, but being able to post these final updates celebrating his recovery has been rewarding.  Thanks again to everyone for their support, prayers and donations.  I would especially like to thank Libby for everything that she has done for Justin and our family.  She's one in a million.

Posted by pixelbrat at 5:15 PM

March 12, 2006

Justin: a long overdue update

I've gotten a couple of emails recently asking how Justin is doing so I thought I'd do a quick update with the latest on his progress.  In a nutshell, he's doing really well.  On March 3rd, he graduated from the outpatient rehabilitation program at Shepherd Pathways.  He has also been given clearance to take his driving test.   Unfortunately there is a really long waiting list to do so.  He has an appointment for May 8th to take his test but if there is a cancellation between now and then he may get to take it sooner.  His left side facial paralysis has improved remarkably!!  Although he doesn't have 100% movement, he is now able to form a full smile where he was not able to do this before.  You can see the difference below.  The first photo was taken in early January while he was still at the Shepherd Center.  The second photo was taken last night at a hockey game.

Amazing, isn't it?  Unfortunately, he still has significant hearing loss in his left ear as well as some slight memory problems.  We hope this will improve with time.

I'll share a neat story before I go.  As many of you know Justin is a huge hockey fan. (like his sister )  On March 6th he was invited to the Atlanta Thrashers game by his friend and former boss, Libby Whittemore from Libby's Cabaret.  Libby was singing the national anthem that night but had also arranged a special surprise for Justin.  The Thrashers mascot presented Justin with a hockey stick that was signed by Marian Hossa!  How cool is that?  I'm completely jealous.  Below are a couple of photos that were taken that night by his girlfriend.  They are a little bit on the blurry side but you get the idea.

As you can see Justin is doing pretty well.  All he needs now is to pass his drivers test and he'll be able to return to work.

Posted by pixelbrat at 1:38 PM | Comments (2)

February 14, 2006

Credit card fraud update

I doubt many of you remember this but back in December while my brother was still in a coma we learned that someone had gotten a hold of one of our credit card numbers. The evildoers racked up a huge amount of charges before we noticed it. (This happened because we pay our bills electronically so we were not in the habit of checking our statements every month. Lesson learned.) Well I finally got a call from the fraud investigator last night and all the fraudulent charges, finance charges, and over-the-limit fees have been credited back to our account. WHEW!! To say we are relieved is a huge understatement. I think I can finally relax now - Justin is safe at home, my breast lump is benign and now the credit card mess is resolved. ~Sigh~ Time for a vacation. Hmmmm, a trip to Topsail Island, NC is sounding damn good right now...

Posted by pixelbrat at 6:10 PM | Comments (1)

February 9, 2006

Update: I'm fine. The lump is benign.

Just a quickie tonight... had a really long day. I ended up having to call the doctor's office this morning because I hadn't heard anything from them. I finally got a call back a few hours later and was given the 'all clear'. The lump came back benign. They said it was a fibroadenoma (a benign lesion) and nothing to worry about. Whew!

Posted by pixelbrat at 9:01 PM | Comments (2)

February 6, 2006

Core Biopsies Suck!

I had the biopsy of my breast lump today. Ouch! Well, it wasn't horribly painful but it was certainly no fun to experience. You want to hear something screwy about the whole procedure? The most painful part was when they gave me the Lidocaine injections to numb the area!    Damn, those burned something awful!  Moving on...  While they performed the procedure they viewed the mass at the same time using the ultrasound machine so they could make sure they were sampling the right area.  I found this really neat to watch, but a bit daunting at the same time.  I'm not sure what sort of device they used for taking the actual samples (I was afraid to look at it, to be honest... ) but it sounded awful while they were doing it.  It was as though they shot me with a little punch or something.  It sounded kind of like an ear piercing gun.  From what I could tell on the ultrasound monitor, they shot a needle-like thing through the core of the mass to extract the sample.  I can't tell you how bizarre it was to be watching an enlarged view of the mass on the screen and then suddenly seeing a thin white line (the needle thing) shooting through the middle of it, all the while knowing that it was happening to my boob!  Icky, I know.  They did this five times (!) so surely they got a good sample.  When it was over they patched me up with a Steri-Strip and covered the area with gauze.  I went back to work, where it ached most of the afternoon, but feels a bit better now.  At least that part is over.  The doc said I should get the results by Wednesday.  I'll be sure to report back as soon as I get the info.  I'm sure all will be fine.

Posted by pixelbrat at 8:22 PM | Comments (4)

January 30, 2006

A somewhat frightening discovery: Update

I went to the imaging center this morning for my mammogram and ultrasound. I endured several painful sessions with the medieval torture device, also known as the mammogram machine. This was the first time I'd had one. I know some women feel mammograms are no big deal but this thing hurt! This might be because I am of the smaller persuasion. (Losing 47 lbs over a 2.5 year period hasn't left me very well endowed up top.) All I know is some parts of the female anatomy were not meant to be squished in such a manner. OK, I'm done whining... Moving on... After that they did an ultrasound of the lump itself. This was sort of neat because I was able to see what it looked like on the screen. Finally the doctor went over everything with me and said she felt I had very little to worry about. The lump is not a cyst but actually a solid mass so they were unable to aspirate it. (suction it out with a syringe) She actually gave me a name of what this thing was called but I haven't a clue what she said. (Gotta love that doctor speak) She said given my young age and family history that it was probably nothing to worry about. To be safe they scheduled me for a biopsy for next Monday, Feb. 6th so they can take samples. She described the biopsy procedure to me and it sounds fairly tame. Hell, after that damn mammogram I think I can take just about anything. I left there feeling pretty confident that I don't have anything to fret over so for any family members reading this... please don't worry! I'll post updates after the biopsy results come back to me.

Posted by pixelbrat at 2:14 PM | Comments (2)

January 29, 2006

A somewhat frightening discovery

While showering on Thursday night I discovered a small pea sized mass in my left breast. As you might imagine this is never a happy moment for a woman but I didn't really think I had too much to worry about. I didn't want to panic until I heard what my doctor had to say. On Friday morning I called my doctor and was lucky enough to get an appointment that very afternoon. After being examined my doctor was fairly confident that it's probably just a cyst and nothing to worry about. To be safe he referred me to one the breast imaging centers at Northside hospital to receive a mammogram and ultrasound. He assured me that there's an 80% chance that I'm completely fine and that I shouldn't lose any sleep over this. (A feat much easier said than done when you have a grandmother who has been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer) When I got back to work I called the breast imaging center and made an appointment, remarkably lucky again, for Monday morning at 8 AM. They should be able to tell me that morning if I have anything to worry about. For the most part I think I'm going to be fine and this thing truly is just a cyst or something else equally benign. I'll report back on Monday night with the findings. Wish me luck.

Posted by pixelbrat at 1:18 PM | Comments (1)

January 6, 2006

Day 52: Justin gets a release date

It's official, Justin gets to go home from the Shepherd Center on Friday, January 13th. (Yes, you read that right... Friday the 13th.)  This is a full 2 weeks earlier than we were initially told by his doctors.  Justin has been improving so quickly that he is basically too "advanced" to need to be hospitalized full time.  By no means is the healing and hard work over for Justin.  He will continue his rehabilitation on an outpatient basis by going to the Shepherd Pathways facility 5 days a week for the next several weeks.  

Another article was published in the Atlanta Journal & Constitution Living section on Thursday, Jan 5th.  I wasn't able to copy the text but have scanned the actual article.  You can view it by clicking this link. (It opens a new window)  Unfortunately it's a wee bit out of date, due in part to my lack of blog updates lately.  In my attempt to make up for that I'll give you a quick rundown of how he's doing now.  

Strength/Mobility:  Overall he is doing pretty good in this area.  He is able to take short walks on his own, unassisted, but still needs someone to stand nearby to catch any stumbles.  We anticipate he will be even better after this coming week of therapy before he goes home.

Facial Paralysis/Hearing:  The left-side facial paralysis continues to be a problem.  He is still unable to close his left eye or move the left side of his mouth.  He has been evaluated by an ENT specialist and it was determined he does not have a pinched nerve.  His skull is still fractured back behind his left ear so this is probably a contributing factor.  No word yet on how this will be dealt with or if it can even be repaired.  While testing his hearing the ENT noted large amounts of dried blood in his left ear.  He had to suction this out which was extremely painful.  Justin said his hearing in that ear was fine until after the suctioning procedure and now is reduced by half.  We're hoping this is just due to swelling from the procedure but we're not sure.  He will be re-evaluated at a later time to monitor that hearing loss.  

Speech:  This is great and nearly back to normal.  He is slowly learning to accommodate for the paralysis on the left side of his mouth and speaks at a normal speed now.  He is quite the chatterbox these days.  I guess if I were stuck in a hospital for weeks on end I would be too. 

Eyesight:  Justin has a lot of trouble reading.  This is partly a problem with word comprehension and partly due to his left eye not lining up quite right with the right eye.  This will continue to be monitored. 

Memory/General brain function:  He still has some short term memory loss but it is much better than it was.  He is now able to keep his days and nights straight.  He also seems to be better with keeping the number of days that have gone by straight but this might still need a little bit of work.  One of his biggest problems that he struggles with is word-finding.  In conversations he struggles with pinpointing some of the common words he wants.  If he is talking quickly he might give someone the wrong name or use the wrong word here or there.  He's aware of it and finds it very frustrating but knows that this will improve with time.

Appetite:  This has completely returned to normal.  He eats it if it isn't tied down.  As a result, his PEG tube (feeding tube) was removed yesterday, much to his relief.  His sweet tooth has returned with a vengeance as well.  Fortunately, his boss, Libby Whittemore (of Libby's Cabaret in Atlanta) came to the rescue and brought Justin a gift bag of all his favorite sweets.  Like me, he is a connoisseur of sour candy so his tongue is completely raw from all the citric acid he has consumed.  

Although Justin has been doing amazingly well he still has a lot of hard work ahead of him as well as some tough realities to face.  Due to his brain injury it is now illegal for him to drive a car.  This skill will likely return with hard work (and a doctors release) but from what I understand the driving test is much tougher than what the DMV considers passing.  He has also learned that he should stop drinking alcohol completely as this could result in seizures.  This problem will not go away with time.  It's not just alcohol but anything that reduces oxygen to his brain, like drugs or even snoring/sleep apnea.  As you might imagine this is an extremely tough pill for him to swallow.  Despite these hurdles he has a really good attitude about the work ahead of him and his life in the future.  This new lack of freedom and ability has pushed him to work even harder at his therapy.  He understands that he is truly lucky (and blessed) to be alive today and says he wants to make changes to his life going forward.  With this new positive attitude I am thrilled and confident that he will succeed.

Posted by pixelbrat at 11:33 AM | Comments (1)

December 31, 2005

Come one, come all!

Now that Justin is awake and doing well he's eager for some visitors. He would love to see his friends and co-workers.  For those who would like to visit you can find directions to the Shepherd Center by clicking here.  He is in the Marcus Building in the ABI (Acquired Brain Injury) Unit on the 2nd floor.

For more information about the rules of visitation at Shepherd please click here.
Happy New Year!

Posted by pixelbrat at 9:26 PM

December 30, 2005

Day 44: Justin at the Shepherd Center

I meant to post about this stuff last night but was just too tired. Justin is all settled in at the Shepherd Center now. I met my parents and older brother, Channing, up there yesterday at 10 AM and took the grand tour. We met quite a few people and every one of them made us feel at home and very comfortable. I really got a great feeling there. Justin was supposed to be brought over from the hospital at 11:30 AM but didn't actually get there until 1:30 PM. He got settled and met with his nurses. He was examined by 2 different doctors, which was neat to observe. The results I saw are below. 
Disclaimer: this is only my observations, not comments from the doctor unless otherwise stated.

Strength/Range of Motion:  He seems much stronger but is showing some slight weakness in the right arm and leg compared to his left. Good range of motion. Good reflexes.
Writing:  He was able to copy two shapes drawn by the doctor. He also wrote a sentence which looked OK. Justin's handwriting has never been great so this was a tough call. 
Facial Evaluation:  The left side of his face is still paralyzed. He's unable to close his left eye and can't move that side of his mouth. The second doctor said this could be due to a pinched nerve. He's going to have a specialist evaluate his x-rays. If it's a pinched nerve he'll need surgery as this won't get better on it's own.
Speech:  His speech is still slightly slurred, probably from the facial paralysis, but still loads better than it was a few days ago.  Now that the tracheostomy tube is out he's much easier to understand.
Memory/Answering Questions:  He knew the day of the week, date, month and year. He knew where he was and knew all of us (his family) and our names. Overall he did OK but did stumble a couple of times. When asked what holiday occurs in December he replied Halloween. (He has said this to us in the past week so a repeating problem.) Even when told that Halloween was wrong and in October he insisted it was correct. He also still seems to think that yesterday was actually 3-4 days ago. (This is also a repeating problem.) No real concept of time and he gets his days and nights confused. The doctor asked him to remember 3 objects at the beginning of the evaluation. By the end he was able to remember 2 out of the 3. When told he got the third one wrong he was then able to recall the 3rd correctly.  He has to take long pauses to think sometimes.  Even though he's able to carry on a regular conversation he'll still say some odd and random things that don't make sense sometimes. 

Rob and I visited him after work tonight and were surprised to learn that they had finally removed his catheter and his PIC line (IV direct line) much to his relief. They are talking about removing his staples on Monday. He has been eating fairly well so if that continues they'll remove his PEG line (Feeding tube) soon too. He has a wheel chair that he uses to get to the cafeteria and the gym until he can get strong enough to walk unassisted. Yesterday and today were free days but he'll be starting a small portion of his therapy tomorrow morning for a few hours. He'll get the full days therapy starting Monday. This includes physical, speech, occupational... and a few others I can't remember. I have a feeling he'll be returning to a normal sleeping pattern once this intense therapy starts.  Speaking of sleep, (did I really just right all that?) I think I hear my bed calling me... Good night all. 

Posted by pixelbrat at 11:30 PM

December 28, 2005

Big news! Justin is going to the Shepherd Center tomorrow!

Sorry for two posts in one day but I just found out that Justin is going to be transferred to the Shepherd Center tomorrow morning! Hooray!! This is such exciting news for us! And let me tell ya, this news couldn't have come soon enough! Read on to find out why...

Justin was moved from CCU down to an "intermediate" room today. This is one step above a regular room in that it has a bit more supervision. (and I stress a bit!) This is both good and bad. It's good in the sense that he's actually well enough to be moved to a less intense area of the hospital. The bad is two-fold. One is the move itself freaked him out somewhat by taking him from familiar surroundings and nurses that he had grown comfortable with. This got him all out of sorts and made him extremely agitated. This in turn forced the new nurse to restrain him to control him. The other is he now has less supervision in his new room and he was able to untie his restraints several times today. Hopefully now that his nurse knows what an "escape artist" he is - her words, not mine - she'll keep an eye on him long enough for him to leave for Shepherd in one piece tomorrow.

Although Justin has been fairly down and depressed lately, he's still progressing nicely. They removed his tracheostomy so he's much more comfortable. Mom said that the nurse had him sitting upright in a chair for nearly an hour on two separate occasions today and he was able to feed himself fairly well. He hasn't wanted to eat at all lately so it was great news just to hear that he's eating at all. I believe his feeding tube will remain in his stomach for now, at least until he's eating more consistently on his own.

I'm going to meet my parents at the Shepherd Center tomorrow morning for his admittance and hopefully have a chance to ask some questions and see what the facility is like. I know this is going to be a rough road for Justin these next several weeks but this place has a great reputation so I have faith that he's in good hands and he'll make great progress.

Posted by pixelbrat at 9:34 PM

Newspaper article about Justin

I was surprised to learn that there is an article in today's Atlanta Journal and Constitution about Justin. If you subscribe to the paper it is in the Living section under Peach Buzz on page E2. It's entitled "Libby's celebrates beloved server's recovery". You can also view it on the web at ajc.com but it will probably only be available today. I've copied the text of the article below for anyone interested.

PEACH BUZZ / RICHARD L. ELDREDGE Libby's celebrates beloved server's recovery

Published on: 12/28/2005

The holidays have suddenly gotten a lot brighter over at Libby's Cabaret.

After a month spent languishing in a coma at DeKalb Medical Center, longtime Libby's server Justin Proctor is awake, and on Monday, with assistance, took a short stroll.

On Nov. 17, the lanky 25-year-old was involved in an auto-related accident that resulted in a fractured skull and a brain injury. Because of swelling, surgery was necessary to temporarily remove a portion of Proctor's skull. In the past month, the avid hockey fan also has battled back from staph-related pneumonia and a 104-degree temperature. On Nov. 30, he turned 25 while still in a coma.

"It truly was a Christmas miracle," Libby's namesake and owner Libby Whittemore told Buzz Tuesday.

"Justin is such a great kid. On staff, he's always doing something to make us laugh. Half the time I never know whether to laugh at him or spank him."

Normally, this time of year, with the cabaret's annual holiday show and New Year's Eve celebration with Whittemore's Southern-fried alter ego, Connie Sue Day (the 31st Lady of Country Music), packed houses are accustomed to laughing.

This year, Whittemore says all the regulars want nightly updates on Proctor. Thus far, customers and Proctor's co-workers have contributed more than $4,000 toward the uninsured waiter's mounting medical bills.

"It's been amazing," Whittemore says. "I'll look in the jar at the end of the night, and there'll be $100 bills and $50 bills and checks. The outpouring has been incredible."

Libby's kitchen staff continues to keep Proctor's family fed, while others have helped keep vigil at the hospital.

Proctor's sister, Amy Walters, is posting daily updates on his condition at her Web site, www.pixelbrat.com/blog.

While he's now recognizing loved ones and co-workers, Whittemore says Proctor still has a long way to go in his recovery and is scheduled to be admitted to the brain injury unit at the Shepherd Center in the coming days.

But he's already accumulated one Christmas present to open when he finally gets home. Whittemore scored him an Atlanta Thrashers jersey when she sang the national anthems Monday night at Philips Arena. "His Gwinnett Gladiators jersey was cut off of him the night of the accident," Whittemore explains. "So we all knew this would make a great gift for him."

I know I've said this many times before but it can't be expressed enough... We want to thank everyone who has offered their thoughts and prayers for Justin and our family. The donations we have received for him have been amazing and we are truly overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity shown by his co-workers, customers and friends. We can't begin to express our gratitude in words alone.

Posted by pixelbrat at 1:17 PM | Comments (1)

December 26, 2005

Day 40: Justin does a victory lap!

I don't mean to be a Grumpy-Gus but thank heaven Christmas is over! Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas as much as the next person but it's certainly no fun when a loved one is in the hospital. Despite the icky circumstances my family and I made the best of it and had a nice time.

Justin has been doing fairly well, all things considered. On Christmas day he seemed in fairly good spirits and was able to carry on short conversations with Rob and I. (His speech is getting easier to understand as time goes by.) We even shared some good belly laughs while watching one of his favorite comedians on TV. I can't tell you how good it was to see Justin laughing!! Unfortunately, he is still experiencing some random confusion and memory loss on occasion but we're still thrilled to see how well he seems to be doing.

Today was a bitter sweet experience. On one hand he was extremely upset, depressed and angry and wanted nothing more than to go home. On the other hand his physical therapist got him out of bed and had him walking around the CCU area with a walker for about 10 minutes! Granted, he was being assisted by two attendants and did seem pretty unsteady but when you compare this to the coma he was in just 2 weeks ago it's astounding!! After his brief victory lap around the CCU nurses station they had him sitting upright in a chair for about 20 minutes. My mom, my aunt and I tried making conversation with him but he wanted nothing to do with it due to his mood. He was eager to get back in bed after this and quickly went to sleep shortly thereafter. It was great seeing him walking but heartbreaking at the same time knowing how down he was. I'm trying to look beyond that though. Deep down I know this is just part of the process that must take place for him to get better.

Posted by pixelbrat at 7:20 PM

December 25, 2005

Merry Christmas from our family to yours

Posted by pixelbrat at 8:34 PM

December 22, 2005

Justin at day 36: Amazing improvements

I wasn't able to visit Justin today but my mom did and called me with great news! She said that when she rounded the corner to his room she saw him sitting up in bed feeding himself a slushie! Granted, he was missing his mouth much of the time but so what!!! This is lightyears from what I saw on Tuesday! They also switched his tracheostomy to the kind that lets him speak and he's able to talk a little. I'm told he's still extremely hard to understand right now due to some paralysis on the left side of his face but we're beyond thrilled that he's even able! Mom said he recognizes her and seems to remember things that happened days before the accident but not the accident itself. There's still a lot of confusion and short term memory loss as well. He is able to write some words but with some difficulty. The Occupational Therapist that's been working with him told my stepdad that he's doing really well. Hooray!

He has been evaluated by the Shepard Spine Center and they can probably take him in about 2 weeks. (They have a huge waiting list) What we're worried about now is the doctor releasing him from the hospital before Sheperd can take him... but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I plan on visiting him tomorrow so I'll be able to see all of this for myself. I'll try to do another update if there is more to report. I'll be sleeping much better tonight knowing he's doing so much better.

Posted by pixelbrat at 8:04 PM

December 20, 2005

Justin at day 34: Surgery and an unrelated rant

Justin had surgery today to replace the piece of skull that was removed when this nightmare started. Everything went fine. He seemed to be in a horrible amount of pain afterwards but the doctor tried to convince us it was just due to his confusion and frustration. I don't believe that. (He was grimacing and pointing to his head... you make the call.) Anyway, the doctor told us that he has definite memory problems as a result of the accident. He cannot remember things you told him a few minutes ago. This explains why he wakes up confused as though he doesn't know where he is and doesn't remember it when we tell him what happened. This really breaks my heart because I know he's scared and confused all the time and I want to make it better but can't. I can't imagine the fear he must experience every time he wakes up not knowing where he is or why all those tubes and wires are in him. It just kills me. The doc said this could last for months. 

On a positive note the doctor said he is making amazing progress and healing quicker than they expected. Surprisingly, they said he was just about ready to be transferred to a rehabilitation facility. (Somewhere like the Shepherd Spine Center or Warm Springs) They advised us to have him evaluated by one of these facilities within a week. 

Now for my rant: When I got to the hospital this morning Rob paged me to tell me that one of my credit card numbers had been stolen and there were tons of fraudulent charges made. Unfortunately, we pay our bills electronically so we are not in the habit of checking our statements every month. (HUGE mistake!!!) There were almost $3,000 worth of fraudulent charges made before we caught it. I'm told I won't be held accountable for these charges but I'll be panicky until I see them removed. Learn from our mistake... ALWAYS CHECK YOUR STATEMENTS!!! To say I don't need this right now is a gross understatement. When it rains, it pours.

Posted by pixelbrat at 6:46 PM

December 19, 2005

Still so much more to overcome...

Just a quick lunch-hour post today because I feel I need to vent a little.... Hopefully it will make me feel better.

Although the thrill and relief of Justin waking up from his coma is still filling me with joy, I (and my family) now find there are many new hurdles to overcome. I went to see him yesterday. (Sunday) I see a very weak, confused and frustrated person who can't understand why he must be tied down. He is unable to speak but he was able to whisper the words "Why, why, why..." to my mother while pulling against his restraints. I can't tell you how heartbreaking this is. I fear that Justin's angry obstinance, and what we lovingly call "bullheadedness", is going to become a big problem in the days to come. The physical therapists were unable to work with him yesterday due to Justin "being mean". I know that we were told to expect this by his doctors. However, it's one thing to shake your head yes, and say that you understand what's to come and a whole other thing to see it in reality and accept it as truth. It seemed like such a very long and hard road getting to this point... I can't help but wonder just how much harder and difficult the road ahead will be. I still haven't mastered this thing called "patience". I just have to tell myself to take it one day at a time and trust that these doctors know what they are doing and it will all be alright in the end. All I know is I miss my brother and friend and desperately want him back.

Posted by pixelbrat at 12:41 PM | Comments (2)

December 17, 2005

The smile that brightened my day

My Aunt Debbie (who isn't really my Aunt but rather my mom's cousin, but that's what we grew up calling her) flew in from Denver today. I met up with her, my mom and my sister at the hospital to see Justin this afternoon. Aunt Debbie and I were visiting with Justin, each of us standing on either side of his bed. He opened his eyes, looked at my Aunt, then slowly looked over at me. Aunt Debbie says, "Justin, you're looking at us like you're wondering what the hell we're doing standing around staring at you. We can't help it, you're just so good looking!" and he smiled a faint little smile. It was the most beautiful smile I've seen in ages! I think I floated home. 

Posted by pixelbrat at 6:37 PM | Comments (2)

December 16, 2005

Justin at day 30: He's AWAKE!!!!

Justin is out of his coma!!! Mom called me around 1 PM with the news and Rob and I left work and headed for the hospital. To be honest, I don't think I truly believed my mother when she phoned to tell me but I saw it with my own eyes!! He's still extremely groggy but his eyes are open and he is definitely responding to commands!! He is unable to speak due to the tracheostomy but he can shake his head yes and no to questions and he can point to things. The poor guy is also vigorously trying to remove all of the tubes stuck in him. You can tell that he desperately wants out of that bed. For safety reasons they have his arms and legs somewhat restrained with straps but they were very loose this evening giving him a bit too much freedom. Even as a baby, Justin never liked to be wrapped up in blankets so I know it's driving him mad being restrained. We did our best to explain to him what had happened, where he was, and that he can't leave until he's better. We're unsure how much he could comprehend but I'm sure that will improve with time. I'm so thrilled to have him awake that I won't get greedy at this point.

We were able to talk to his neurosurgeon tonight and found out why he was having such high fevers all this time... Justin is apparently allergic to Dilantin. (anti-seizure medicine) As soon as they took him off of it his fevers were gone within 2 days. It's a good thing they caught this as apparently it can be life threatening. (Something called Stevens-Johnson Syndrome) Thank God they figured it out.

His surgery is still scheduled for Tuesday. (12/20) The doctor told us that once his skull is put back in place the physical therapists will be able to work him more aggressively... even getting him out of the bed when he's strong enough. He will probably have to keep the tracheostomy in place for another 7-10 days, keeping him from speaking, but he mentioned a while ago that they can change it out to one that allows him to speak. We're not sure if they'll do that or not but I plan to ask tomorrow to find out. (Funny how you only think of good questions after the doctor is gone...) Anyway, I can't tell you how excited and relieved we all are!! We have been so scared that this day would not come. I think I'm still in shock. Thanks again to everyone for your prayers!! This has been the best Christmas present imaginable!!

Posted by pixelbrat at 7:15 PM | Comments (3)

December 14, 2005

Justin at day 28

First off, my apologies for being slack in my blog updates lately. Justin is at a stage where there isn't a whole lot of change to report on most days. And, admittedly, it's just hard to do sometimes even when there is something to report.

Overall, things seem to be going OK for now... albeit very slowly but we were warned this would be the case. (Now if I could just convince my brain of this!) Once again he is off of the ventilator and has been breathing on his own for the past couple of days which is great. His brain swelling has gone down considerably. The portion of his head where the bone is missing is sunken in A LOT!! His doctors have even scheduled surgery for the 20th to replace the portion of his skull that was initially removed. (This date could change but seems solid for now) His pneumonia seems to be doing much better and as a result his temperature has been at or close to normal the past few days. Unfortunately he is still wheezing and coughing and the nurses have to suction his lungs to help remove the funk.

I took off work early today to go see him but he seemed to be in a deep sleep when I got there. As a result mom and I were unable to get any kind of response from him. This was a bit of a bummer for me. He's been weighing heavy on my mind lately (i.e. more so than usual) so I really wanted that tiny bit of reassurance by seeing him move a little. No biggie, I guess. He seemed at peace and relaxed so I'll try to take comfort in that until my next visit.

Posted by pixelbrat at 9:49 PM

December 8, 2005

Just a quick one tonight

It has been an exhausting couple of days so this entry will be short and sweet. A quick update on Justin, he has had a small set back. They had to put him back on the ventilator on Tuesday. After having such a steady streak of good news this really upset me.  I know this sort of thing should be anticipated but I guess we can't always prepare for the low points.  We went to see him last night and he's still moving around a lot and turning his head to follow voices so that helped me to feel a little better.

The funeral for my Aunt Helen was yesterday morning. It was a beautiful and touching service. Afterwards we met up at my Great Aunt Peggy's house where I saw family members that I hadn't seen in years. It's really a shame that we don't get together more often but it was a treat nonetheless.  I got quite a few photos that I plan to put on my website by the weekend but simply don't have the energy to tonight.  As a teaser I'll post a cute shot that Rob took.  From left to right is my sister Christy, my grandmother, my mother, and yours truly.  I'll try to get the others up by Saturday night.  Time for bed....zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Posted by pixelbrat at 9:40 PM

December 5, 2005

Even more good news but also some bad

Justin is off the ventilator and breathing entirely on his own now! I had to go back to work today so I didn't get to witness this for myself but mom says he's doing well.  He wasn't quite as responsive as before but all in due time.  Baby steps, I tell myself.

Unfortunately, this great news is met with some bad news. My Great Aunt Helen died of cancer last night. She was always so happy and funny to be around. It's so hard to believe that she's gone.  I have some cherished photos that I took of my Aunt Helen along with some of her sisters and brother. These were taken at my Grandmother's 80th Birthday celebration a few years ago.

We love you and will miss you Aunt Helen. May you rest in peace now that you are no longer suffering.

Posted by pixelbrat at 7:42 PM

December 4, 2005

Justin at day 18: More good news!!

I just got home from the hospital and Justin is waking up somewhat! His nurse said that she was talking to him this morning and saw him moving a lot. She told him to open his eyes if he could and he opened one! He couldn't open his eyes while we were talking to him this afternoon but he was moving around a lot!! You could really tell that he knew we were there. He would move his head toward my mom when she talked. He was also moving his mouth as though he were trying to talk. The nurses were all so excited for us. This seems to be coinciding with how much his swelling has gone down. It is amazing how much is has changed in the last couple of days. They've removed the staples from his head so he's looking better too day by day. I can't wait to see how he progresses over the next few days!

Posted by pixelbrat at 5:17 PM | Comments (1)

December 2, 2005

Justin: Awesome news!!!

The nurse told us that Justin is breathing on his own!!! Now, I must clarify this by saying that he is not yet off of the ventilator, but the nurse said that he is definitely contributing his own breathing along with the machine. Isn't that amazing?!? It may be a bit longer before they dare attempt to remove him from the ventilator but knowing that he has the capability to breath on his own is stunning news! On top of that, one of his doctors was so impressed by the reduction of his brain swelling that he practically skipped out of the room! We are so excited to hear this news that trying to express it in words is just impossible. Thanks again to everyone for your prayers... they are working!

Posted by pixelbrat at 11:09 PM | Comments (3)

December 1, 2005

Justin at day 15: A wee bit of good news!

Things are still progressing. Slowly of course, but progressing. Justin had a minor procedure today to add a "PEG" (sp?) line to his stomach. PEG stands for some long medical term that I can't hope to pronounce, much less spell. Anyway, this allows them to remove the feeding tube from his throat and feed him directly into a little port on his stomach. This in itself was good news because the doctors felt he was stable enough to endure that sort of procedure. This should make him much more comfortable not having a tube down his throat. Fortunately it went smoothly with no problems.

While my mom and I were talking to the doctor about the procedure we asked about his brain swelling. He reiterated what we'd heard from a nurse a couple of days ago in that it had improved. This is where the good part comes... he said that if things continue along the same track they might be able to put the piece of skull back in place in about a month! Now, I know that doesn't seem like much but you have to understand how these doctors have been all this time... They've been extremely tight-lipped about making any predictions at all due to his initial bleak prognosis. Before now they have answered most questions with "It's way too soon to tell." and "Baby steps! This will be a long and slow battle." To hear that they feel he's improving enough to talk about replacing the skull piece in a month is music to our ears! 

Of course, we know that things could still go wrong between now and then so we're not relaxing completely, but when you have precious little to get excited about things like this beg for just a bit of jubilation.

 

Posted by pixelbrat at 6:13 PM | Comments (2)

November 29, 2005

Justin at day 13: Itty-bitty glimmers of hope

I just thought I'd post a quick update on my brother Justin. In a nutshell, he's hanging in there. He's still in CCU in a coma and he's still on the ventilator. He has been fighting pneumonia and high fevers for more than a week now, which has been scary. Some as high as 105. We're told this is common for someone in his situation so I guess things are just taking their course.

His doctors tell us that he can probably hear us so we talk to him every time we visit. We are noticing that sometimes when we talk to him he will make small eye movements and move his head and hands slightly. We have no way of knowing if this is actually in response to us but we are hanging on to the hope that it is. Between the coma and the heavy sedation it could be his only way of telling us that he hears us.

On a lighter note, right before I left the hospital today the nurse told us that his latest CAT scan showed some improvement in the brain swelling so that gives me hope. This is going to be a long and slow battle so every little bit of good news is a treat. Unfortunately, we're not out of the woods yet but he seems to be on the right track.

Lastly, I wanted to thank everyone for their thoughts, phone calls and prayers. We can't express our appreciation enough. We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from everyone, even folks who didn't know Justin at all. It is truly humbling. A huge thank you to all of you.

Posted by pixelbrat at 5:27 PM | Comments (4)

November 19, 2005

Your thoughts and prayers are requested.

Early on Thursday morning my brother Justin was involved in a serious accident. He suffered severe head injuries and is currently in the CCU (Critical Care Unit) at Dekalb Medical Center in critical but stable condition. His skull was fractured in several places, causing his brain to swell and ears to bleed. He went through emergency surgery Thursday morning where doctors removed half of his skull to accommodate the swelling and removed a large hematoma (blood clot). He is now in a coma and hooked to a ventilator, unable to breath on his own. The doctors told us that, due to his injuries, it is normal for his brain to continue to swell over the next few days. Right now all we can do is wait and pray.

I can't express the devastation my family and I are experiencing. I am especially close to my brother and have been an absolute wreck since this nightmare began. Aside from my husband my brother is my best friend and I simply can't fathom a world without him in it.

Please keep my brother and family in your thoughts and prayers over the next few days. If everything goes well we hope we'll have some better news on his condition by Monday or Tuesday. I'll try to post on his progress when I can. 

The photo below is from a hockey game we attended just last week.

Posted by pixelbrat at 6:38 PM | Comments (1)

October 23, 2005

Singing the praises of Zicam

(Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Zicam or any Zicam related companies.) Last Thursday morning I woke up with the telltale signs of a cold... scratchy throat, sinus drainage and a general feeling of crappiness. I was not pleased, especially since I had just gotten rid of a nasty bladder infection the week prior. Around mid-morning I went to the drugstore for some Zicam. If you aren't familiar with Zicam it's a product that shortens the duration and severity of the common cold. Here it is Sunday morning and this funk is almost completely gone!! I have a wee bit of sinus stuffiness left over but for the most mark this bug is bye-bye! 

Posted by pixelbrat at 11:10 AM

September 20, 2005

Bowling League Harassment?

Rob finally joined a bowling league. Tonight was his first night with the "team". (Only one other person showed up on his team but I digress...) Since I'm not quite bowling league material yet I accompanied him like a good little supportive wife should. Everything went well at first but it was mere minutes before everyone who came in contact with me began asking why I wasn't bowling on the team. No problem as I had expected this. Surely I would only have to explain a couple of times that I wasn't quite ready yet and folks would get the point, right? Of course, this would be an incorrect assumption. Sure, I know these friendly folks meant well but as the hours and frames ticked by I was feeling damn near harassed! I'm sure I'm exaggerating the situation somewhat but I'm not sure how to handle this come next week. How do I go to support my hubby without having to dodge a mass of bowlers wondering why I'm not on a league? What's crazy is they have so many leagues playing that some nights every single lane is occupied by nothing but league bowlers. How does the average Joe who's not league material get to practice? Surely good bowlers aren't born but have to practice sometime, right? How does one practice when no lanes are available? I refuse to join a league and completely embarrass myself just to get the practice. A conundrum indeed.

Posted by pixelbrat at 8:40 PM

September 19, 2005

I hate going to the dentist!!!

I have a dentist appointment this afternoon. I absolutely HATE going to the dentist, which I find rather ironic since I work for a dental insurance company. Today I'm having my teeth cleaned and then a "gum debridement", which to me sounds like an ancient form of Medieval torture. For dessert, I get to have a tooth filled. Does that sound like a recipe for a fun afternoon or what? As my stomach churned from nervousness this morning I called the dentist office to see if I could have Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) for the procedure but they weren't going for it. I guess I just need to grown up and be a good little camper...

Posted by pixelbrat at 9:38 AM | Comments (1)

July 4, 2005

A new and unexpected obsession for me... Bowling

Rob and I have been bowling a lot lately.  I'm one step away from being a complete newbie so I absolutely sucked the first few times we've played.  In an attempt to help me be more consistent we sprung for a new ball and my own bowling shoes Friday night.  Of course, I knew this wouldn't make me a better bowler but it has allowed me get used to one ball that actually fits my hand correctly, rather than the "one-size-fits-most" house bowling balls.  After just 3 days of bowling it must be working somewhat because I finally broke 100 today!! (120 to be exact)  Yes, I know this still sucks, especially compared to Rob's 200, but it's incredible for me!!  (I won't embarrass myself by posting my old scores so you'll just have to trust me on this.)  Oh, and before anyone points out that I can't spell, Rob's nickname is "Skippy" and mine is "Amester", hence the "SKI" and "AME" that you see below.

Of course, I can never pass up the opportunity to use a gadget so as we played I snagged a few videos.  I mostly wanted to watch them later in an attempt to see what I was doing wrong.  Out of pure luck I actually snagged a video of myself getting a strike!    I used the tiny Philips Key019 again so the video quality sucks but it's better than nothing.

After 3 days in a row of bowling we are both terribly sore and I'm aching in muscles I didn't know I had.  You won't hear me complaining too much though because we've had a blast.

Posted by pixelbrat at 5:08 PM

June 21, 2005

Happy 34th Birthday to me! :o)

Today is my 34th birthday. Yikes, that sounds old when I see it in print... Anyway, no real special plans, just the hubby and I going out for lunch. I'm on vacation from work this week so that is sort of a present to myself. It's a bit of a family tradition to get together and celebrate Father's Day and my birthday on the same day so we celebrated this past Sunday.  My mom got me the cutest gift that I am absolutely in love with!!! 

Isn't he adorable?  I love the look on his face.  The tag that was on him says it all, "Tastefully Tacky". To read more about my day click on the link below...

I also got some special handmade gifts from my three nieces.  The butterfly on the left was made by 5 year old Madison, the star in the middle was made by 3 year old Abbie, and the pencil/pen holder on the right was made by 8 year old Courtney.  Aren't they gorgeous?  If I still have a job when I return from vacation they will be lovely on my desk. (more on that later..)

I am a big Looney Tunes fan so in honor of that my mom made a Bugs Bunny cake for me.  Check it out.

At the last minute Rob and I decided to go bowling.  Neither one of us has been in more than 10 years.  I have only been twice in my life so of course I sucked but  Rob used to play in a league so you can imagine how much he kicked my butt.  It was still really fun.  Plus, check out the stylin' footwear!

All in all it was a pretty good birthday. 

Posted by pixelbrat at 8:04 PM