Homework...

...b l e c h!





I wish I had screen doors.





*squirrel*

Hello, again

Not going to wait until the end of the week to post an update. Nope, instead I am going to 'steal' a moment here and fill in a blank or two, then get back to my regular programming.

Heh heh...television humor.

The big news of the week is of course - Brian's 27th birthday! 27! :vO His birthday gift to me was a haircut (his, not mine), and my gift to him was a beautiful pair of woolen socks to wear with his kilt. Hey, those bad boys are hard to come by, and are expensive. Karl bought him a large bottle of clove-infused mead after having tried it at the Renfest. Happy birthday, Brian!

School is progressing about as you'd expect. Comp I for me is going well; for Karl, it's a bit more challenging - but he seems to have a good instructor. Mr. Quincy is (so far) diligent in responding to email, and genuinely seems to care that I want Karl to succeed, and is willing to help through open communication and getting copies of notes from class to K. [insert excited, happy face here]

On the other hand, Web Design is really kicking my keester. It doesn't help that my retrograde PC (and it's outdated IE program - which I can't upgrade past IE9 in order to do the work at home) is conspiring against me. Today I will head into the lab for a couple of hours to avail myself of the tutor and the working program there. [this calls for a cheer and an "oh, crap"]

Maria is enrolled in four classes this semester - GOOD ON YA, M! I would be too, but I waited too late. Although, it's probably a good thing I get my feet wet and ease back into this sort of school work. It's not like Specs was....not by a long shot. This is REAL work, eh? I am proud of you, Maria, keep up the good work!!

Jean is now in her second year of that radiology program (YEA!), and seems to be taking more of it in stride - I think. She is a wonder, because it's a lot of work and practicum on top of it! Plus, she's working one to two days (l o n g days) per week in a radiology facility on top of it! I know it's stretching you thin, lady, but you are a champ!

Mom is mending well, the issues with swelling and pain are subsiding. It's a good thing! Thank you, Lord. And, she still has PBS on her rabbit-eared TV, so is happier than not. It's not the same as seeing some regular network programming and her favorite "Wheel" and "Jeopardy" shows, but PBS is great when that's all there is. And that's WAY better than the alternative "reality TV" BS now offered 70% of the time on the other four channels (which she can't see).

As for me, well...I am the slacker in the group, I suppose. I am teaching somewhere in the neighborhood of two classes a week (the ones that don't cancel due to low enrollment), and taking my own piddily two classes. Pfft. Yes, still sewing when I get a moment here and there, just not enough of those moments any more.

OK, so enough of this for a bit. I need to get cleaned up and ready to meet with the tutor. I'm gonna learn me some web designin'. Hooo-doggies!

Infinite frustration

Yes...I have tried for 2.75 days, now, to register and log into the online homework-teacher-made-a-change-to-the-syllabus site WITHOUT LUCK!!!! All I've managed to accomplish was a heightened degree of frustration and very little homework. Every try with a different computer elicited the same basic outcome - a crash of either the IE or the entire PC.

So...HELLO!!!!!! I hate the idea of having to sit in a computer lab on campus for extra hours just to complete homework I should be able to do AT HOME!!!

College is beginning to suck as badly as technology.

Somebody fix it so I may amend my mental state and opinion of technology. *Thanks*

[grumble grumble]

One to go

All but one text book have been purchased (and yes, it's "have", because I am refering to those already having been bought).

Sheesh, not only are they weighty, but they're expensive, too.

Half done with the month

Yup, December is now on the downward side of the proverbial 'hill.'  One good push and the month is done, and the year is over!

Hallelujah.

What a craptastic year it's been, too. 

On the plus side, Karl took a photography class, attended all but one session, AND turned in ALL assignments either by or before the due dates!  Phew....but YEA!  Grade point average slides up a notch. :)

What's more, his instructor will be happy to write him letters of reference in order to find possible employment with a photography studio - to do retouching, mending of old photos, etc.  If not direct employment, then as a contracted or referred commodity to get one-off jobs from people looking for a service the studios don't do themselves.  :)

Furthermore, Karl has also decided (on his own) to take an "educational" class.  That is to say, he decided it was time to throw an academic course into his studies, in order to begin rounding out his requirements to complete his AA degree!  This is PROGRESS!

Thank you, God, for little (big) nudges.

One down, one to go

Well, I had the last of my classes - and tests - for the Anatomy and Med Vocab class. Passed it!

Passed that class, and now the only bump in my road is the remaining night of HUC testing.

I am having the WORST time making myself sit and read and study, so I am thinking I will relax and goof off today (and do housework and some quilting), read the chapters tonight before bed (and then again tomorrow), and if I don't do well....it's no biggie.

Anyway, the instructor throws out our lowest score, and I have accumulated twelve weeks of scores at 98% or better (mostly better), and one test at 91%, so I will not sweat the last test.

NO STRESS!!!!

Tra-la-la.

April evaporates

I really should be studying at this very moment, but I wanted to slip in and bid April a fond farewell for another year, and welcome May to 2012.

As ever, the Beatles said it best:

"Hello, hello! I don't know why you say 'goodbye', I say 'hello.' "

More later; for now there is a plethora of free-range information I need to suck up in my spongey brain.

Satisfaction

When everything goes 'according to Hoyle" there is a certain amount of satisfaction derived; even if you only manage to get half of the garden weeded. Looking out over that lovely bunch of groomed bed swells your senses and urges you to complete the task when time permits. However, in the meanwhile, you can bask in the glory of a lot of hard work and in the knowledge of what the garden will look like when the task is completed.

Of course, if you are the superficial type (or a supervisor), you gain no satisfaction from any sort of outcome. Yours is a soulless existence. If this is you, please move along and find another blog. Go ahead....toddle along. [tick tock]

We'll wait. [tick tock]

Please close the door behind you. Thank you!

A sense of well-being and contentment no matter what the errand or project or voyage or chore; that feeling of pride and accomplishment is wonderful and well-deserved.

Hey, if you don't derive a bit of satisfaction in a job well done (esp. after cleaning the bathroom), then there is something seriously wrong with you.

Back in February, when these classes (I am currently enrolled in) began, I had that satisfaction from not only passing the tests each week with flying colors, but in studying for them and understanding the reading material. Here we are, months later, and I am so ready for it to be over! With the seasonal changes in the weather, I am itchy to be outdoors on nice days instead of at the table making flashcards and re-reading about patients rights and the CPOE....or is it the PCOE?

I hate looking at the quilt hanging on the layout wall and thinking only about rearranging the color blocks instead of concentrating on the pericardial sac and its function. I find myself constantly wishing it was Friday so that I can play instead of study. Argh!

I am constantly musing over how to rearrange the lower level furniture instead of drilling over the forms for patient care.

Concentrate! I can't make myself do it any more. Not for these classes. My sense of satisfaction with this small portion of my life has evaporated. Pffffap! Gone.

Does anyone know how to get it back? It isn't as though it was knocked off the coffee table and rolled under the sofa. No, it's more like it packed a bag and ran away from home.

Come back, little Sheba!

Everyone tells me to be happy in looking forward to the classes being over with in just a very small handful of weeks. I know they are right, but it doesn't help as I am a pragmatic now-ist. Yeah, I can see down the road. I can usually see the big picture - paint in broad strokes and all of that.

I can picture the future, but my realistic side has complete control over my psyche for the time being, and it keeps seeing the class glass as nowhere near empty, yet. Instead of so many weeks down and only X amount to go, it dwells on/in the disbelief of weeks still to go.

Yeah, my psyche is a bit of a drama queen.

Right now, I am taking satisfaction in the knowledge that my bathroom is clean(er than it was).

:^)

Spit it out

I suppose all I am really trying to say is, I am having a hard time finding my place in the world.

How can I get others to see and value my worth when I can't recognize it in myself any more?

I can do so many things well, and I love the activities which I am good at, but getting doors to open and making those all-important connections with people who could propel me back into working status is not as easy at fifty as it would have been at 25....or even 35.

There is a/that discrimination, and I have been reminded of it all too frequently - and the longer I am out of work (as a bonafide, every day, nine-to-five employee), the harder it is to get someone to look past the work gaff....EVEN THOUGH I HAVE HAD JOBS THROUGHOUT THE DRY PERIOD!! As a filmy (someone employed on film projects) those corporate clowns don't know that to get those jobs takes skill and accumen and drive - and damn good skills - or you just don't keep finding more work. No credit is given for having been working in film.

That's more discrimination.

So, here I am, reinventing myself and acquiring new/more skills and knowledge, hoping to find a light at the end of the tunnel - a light held by a willing employer.

I just want a job that I am capable of, that I can enjoy (to some extent), that pays me a decent wage for the skills I possess, and where I won't be expected to sit still and allow them to squeeze more out of me than they are willing to pay for!

There, I spat it out....now hang on while I go get a tissue or something to wipe it up.

A watched pot never boils

Blah, blah, blah.

Maybe I should have said "...and all of that rot." Same dif.

I keep heading to an email inbox, checking to see if my humble 'pie' made it into a fine arts competition - today is the day they will begin announcing the juried pieces.

Am I a little overeager?

O-o-o-o-h-h yeah, baby. To say the least.

But, I guess a watched (-for) email never arrives

In the meanwhile, I am basking in the glow of 1) having passed another of those impossible medical class tests with a flying 103%, and; 2) one class to go before a two week break (the instructor is going on a sea cruise). That means there are two weeks to cram for the next set of tests AND get everything (covered thus far in both classes) so entrenched in my brain that I can sail through the mid-term exam without breaking too big a sweat.

Read and review, read and review...read, read, read - and so on. I don't want to hesitate too much on any of the questions, whether she gives us a definition or an odd clue and we have to come up with the correct abbreviation or term, or whatever. When I hesitate, I question myself. When I question myself, I tend to talk myself out of the correct answer. Drilling and daily reviews are necessary for me to be assured the information is in my head and accessible. Quite frankly, some of the abbreviations confound the crap outta me, too. Like "PSA."

I am used to "PSA" meaning "public service announcement." But medically, it means "patient something-or-other associate."

Yeah, my brain is mushy at the moment. And then there are the medical terms for the anatomy, learning the anatomy, diseases, suffixes, prefixes....knowing all of that more doctor-oriented stuff. Argh!

Support!! Patient support associate!

I knew it would fall outta there [tapping on head] eventually.

Ah, anyway - it's time to trim the cats' nails and review body cavities and nervous system gunk, plus start the memorization process for forms used in patient files and what each is for. I'll have to let you know if and when the wall hanging makes it into the show.

Oh, well....why not (not really a question)

That isn't wrong, that headline.

You see, it's more a statement of...what? Fact?

No. Not fact.

Resignation?

No, I don't feel as though I am giving up or giving in.

It's just that I noticed a several days ago a trend had begun (sort of) with the titles of the blog, and since we're at the end of the month I thought it would be amusing to carry it on to the conclusion of February.

Oh, yes I did. ;)

Had a haircut within the last three weeks or so, and it is the best cut I have had in years.

YEARS, I tell you! She took off four inches (yes, I had let it grow out, but I do not wear long hair well).

My biggest fear is that the next person to cut my hair will muck it up seriously; and if I weren't so hideous in front of a camera, I would take a couple of photos so as to show whomever stands ready to shear it next the exact way I need/want it done.

The boys are slow getting up this morning. It's now just after nine, and Bud has work to get up for, but since he shut off his alarm I have heard no further movement or noise from that end of the house. Guess it's time to prod a bit. Perhaps a little Karl-prodding wouldn't be a bad thing, either.

Oh, now...where's that sharp stick?

There have been no online sales for some time, and I could really use it right now. Many of my listings are either hard to find, out-of-print (OOP) books, or have more than one book included in the purchase. I will be adding new titles to the listings over the weekend, so if you've looked in once before please know there will be many more to choose from soon. If you are interested in a particular author, illustrator or title, ask...I may have it (I have thousands), and I can let you know quickly enough if it is available.

If you know of anyone who would like to buy a children's book (or three, or five - or more), please send them my way. Thanks!http://shops.half.ebay.com/funnyladyinred_W0QQ_trksidZp2919QQmZbooks

Well, there is still a lot of studying to do - a whole other chapter to re-read and gets notes from - and to memorize - so I will bid you 'adios' for the time being.

Oh, my, what have I gotten myself into? (Now, that was a question.)

Oh, crap!

In high style, I managed to somehow overlook the portion at the back of the text book for the HUC class (we always have two chapters to read/review/cram, AND the additional units within another chapter at the back of the book as a review of the first class they had to pass in order to get into the HUC class - I will have this stuff in my first class many weeks from now), so when it came time for our weekly test, I became, oh...what's the word? Um, uh...incontinent.

[mocking laughter]

No, happily, I did not wet myself, but while the rest of the class reviewed with our instructor, I began to try committing some of what I missed to memory.

Oh, Mylanta! How did I make such a huge blunder? I dunno, but there it was.

As it turned out, I managed to get all but two of those questions correct on the test, so I am alright with my grade thus far. Only now, I have just that much more to catch up on and cram into my head for the coming mid-term exam. It's weeks in the offing, but those are going to be frantic weeks.

Oh, holy night!

Oh, brother!

Oh, fer-crying-out........

Study, study, study, study..... (rinse and repeat)

Passed weekly tests numbers three and four, but because I am enrolled in two classes - which usually run one after the other, and not concurrently - I am constantly behind the eight ball just trying to keep a little bit ahead in order to pass what would be the second of the two.

I am also scoping the terrain for a transcription course to take as soon as possible. Once May hits and Med Term and Anatomy and Health Unit Coordinator are finished, I will be available, and will have the necessary work under my belt in order to enroll and pass that class as well.

I hear transcription may be preferable to HUC work - and maybe somewhat easier to find some work, too. Either way, I guess we'll see.

For now, it's back to the books....my head doesn't feel as full as it may need to be. ;)

Diligence

Nothing but diligence.

I have managed to keep my head down to get this current quilt done, but have also managed to miss several contest deadlines, and to that end I am disappointed....but not devastated. After all, the contests I missed-out on this year can still be entered next year - and let's face it, two of the missed deadlines were due to having work for a short while.

Yea, work! Yea and boo, actually. Temporary jobs - phe!

Anyhow, I am excited to be using the new ironing board (I received for Christmas) to make the sleeve for the quilt. Very cool. I actually used it for pressing a small portion of the cut binding strips, but it was neat to have a new, non-rocking, right height, functioning ironing board - with an extension that holds the iron off of the board's surface when you are not immediately using it!

I know, it doesn't really take much any more to excite me.

Finished blind stitching the binding over last night, and will get to work on the sleeve in a bit, but wanted to touch base before I hunkered down one more time.

Diligence has also paid off in my two medical classes, passing both of my first quizzes with flying colors! However, now that we have passed the honeymoon period - and are on to week three - the work is becoming more intensive, and the ground covered during in-class "lectures" is enormous. The reading alone is tremendous, as is the amount of information to try and commit to memory. No new projects of any sort for me for a while I'm afraid (and no old ones, either), and I am wondering if I should even try to rearrange the lower level and clean it out as I would like to with so much time needed for pounding these terms and words, etc., etc., etc., into my head.

Oh my gosh, what have I gotten myself into?

By the way

I watched two movies last night, and enjoyed both for very different reasons.

Had I been able to call up Ratatouille via the Wii, it would have been an all animation evening, but since that wasn't possible I viewed Tangled and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Charmed and charming.

I had only ever seen bits and pieces - and usually the end - of 'Breakfast', and have always wanted to see the entire movie. Despite the (occasional) cheesy writing, the acting was lovely (except for the Micky Rooney portions - what an overactor), and I was happy and satisfied to finally have seen the entire thing from stem to stern.

How marvelous was Audrey Hepburn, and not just in that role! She has always amazed me with her talent and sublime visage. Add to those components her humanitarian work, and we had an angel in our midst for a short while.

As for the animated Tangled, I was sorry I missed a chance to have seen it on a big screen when it first came out, but it was (is) a fun romp, and it took me back to when the boys and I would go to a theater and watch a new Disney release. Just enough music - not too much - and the correct amount of heros, villains, gasps, tongue-in-cheek jokes, adorable sidekicks and tom-foolery along the way to a happy ending.

Now I guess I had better get down to my pile of homework...I have two quizzes this week.

It was an "odd critter" day

...among other things

After getting Brian's car to the mechanic (once again), I hustled Karl to a different sort of meeting with his new staff support person.

His newest CLS affiliate thought it would be a neat idea to wander the campus of MSU and to see what life is like for a college student away from home. I am not certain his interest was piqued as much as we both hoped, but it was a good comparison for him to take note of. The expectations of large "full time" college life versus his own current arrangement. It's making for a good way to begin conversations regarding college classes and future planning - something Karl does not/can not let himself be lead into.

While I know Karl was bummed by the fact he was away from his beloved computer for the day, he did seem to enjoy some of the day - more than I think he would ever readily admit to. For instance:

Friendly MSU squirrel



He did actually take time to look at some of the exhibit pieces and make appropriate comments in the on-campus museum (which I never knew existed...very cool), and he took an interest in the botanical garden as well. Without prompting, he read several of the descriptive tags and looked at several of the plants on his own, away from Barb and me.

When we stopped to watch the Freshmen marching band practice on the field, though, he reverted to an old behavior which I thought was long gone.

He certainly got the idea that there was a lot of walking involved at MSU.

Thank you for the neat tour, Barb!

Today, Brian will get his car back and be on the road once again. His maintenance costs are hopefully where they should be for his cars' age and condition. If he continues to keep an eye on everything, he will have the car well after it's paid off. Please, God, let this be so, for his sake.

Discovered early in the day yesterday that the smell I thought (feared) was a decomposing mouse in a wall, was actually a dead bird in the flowerbed out front. Very sad. Juxtapose that with the sight of a lovely American Goldfinch in the back bed, feeding on the seed heads of my fading Echinacea and flitting about between two of the hydrangeas. 

Hobbes having a catnip craving



Because of the screen and the angle of the sun, the photos are poor quality, but still, I get a smile when I think that the flowerbed is doing "business" with the bird population, as I hoped it would. (Sorry, photo would not stop juming around the page as I placed it - so it is not here.)

Anyway, it's time to step away from the keyboard for a little while and enjoy more of the weather and get a little laundry done. More later.



This last photo is apropos of nothing, other than it was funny.



Back to school

This will be the first time in three weeks that I will be back with Karl in his OCC classroom - Brian has been attending (reluctantly) since I began working the last project. But...it will be my first time at the new campus since he's begun the Maya class at CCS (in the city) - thankfully that isn't until Thursday evening.

The boys have been telling me of the pains and hoops and brick walls they have come up against in dealing with the CCS folks - and I am bent out of shape! This is not the first time we have had bad info and incredibly poor (to no) communication. I will be calling the program folks at CCS in the morning to issue complaints regarding the numerous mistakes and time wasting their staff has once again inflicted on a student. Unbelievable!

As for his community college class - animation - he is slowly getting through the last assignment, which is due tomorrow. I will post the mp3 file for viewing after the pieces have been scanned and digitized. His portion is really cute, and well done (and no, this is not motherly pride), so I am eager to see how it fits in with the rest of the other students' work.

More later. Have a great day.

Rain, rain, come to stay

Yesterday we had a spit of rain. Nothing to speak of, and certainly not enough to even knock the dust off of the plants. Everyone's yards are crispy and turning shades of brown (if they haven't already), and very few folks are watering their lawns on a daily basis any more, as I witnessed incredulously in years past.

Guess the $ money drought is beginning to open a few wasteful eyes. 'bout time!

It's rained several times off and on today already, and this last little while was a nice slow soaking sort. The humidity has dropped, and the temps are going to be hard-pressed to climb into those high eighties this afternoon...as the weathergoofs were predicting.

You will hear no complaints from this camp. None!

Karl slept in today, past noon! I woke him to check on how he feels, and suggested he remain in bed if he feels weak, but stay awake for a while and read or do something quiet. The pain in his chest has now been absent for nearly two days, and he is regaining his appetite. The diarrhea we have been dreading (as one of the side effects of the Colchicine) began a day ago, but was replaced by soft stool. All good news to be sure.

Oh, and by the way, both boys are taking classes this fall. Brian will try his hand at yoga and composition (at OCC), while Karl takes an experimental animation class and a Maya course. Should make for a busy fall for all of us. If I had any extra cash, I would be busy in a classroom, too.

More another time.

Just...stuff

The finger: It is still attached and I think it is healing well. From time to time it hurts, and I fear an infection, but no troubles thus far. [knock on wood] Bruised-looking and stiff from being immobile, but pretty darned good.

Brian is now on 2 antibiotics after the ear flushing. Called the doc yesterday - early - to tell him the flushing didn't do the trick, what next? Any free clinic suggestions? What, what, what? Doc prescribed Azithromycin 250mg - "a full course of AB therapy in 5 days," and Methylprednisolone 4mg. One was for possible fluid in the inner ear/ear infection, the other was for sinus infection? Seems sort of spotty guess work - or am I just being critical again? Why prescribe massive doses of antibiotics without some certainty that is what it will take?

Karl finally had his first day of class - and still we were given incorrect information! The class number (for the change in day/location/building) was wrong, and when we got to the classroom door, it was locked - with no lights on inside! Talk about frustrating. Nobody in sight at the 'help desk', and no signs for further direction/etc., and no one to answer the only phone number I had to call!!! So, we walked back to the lobby and stood for a few minutes (while I calmed down), and finally a girl appeared out of nowhere and asked, "Are you here for a CE class?" Um, yeah.

I told her where things were horribly wrong (as if she didn't already have a clue), and she lead us to a completely different end of the basement! Not room 1004, but room 004! So he missed about 15 minutes (mostly introduction and class expectation stuff).

CCS never mailed his ID or anything, so the instructor had to open a Mac for him with her ID. Hopefully, they will fill in the rest of the cracks and get him an ID - toot sweet. Seriously? Turnes out his ID and parking pass were at the other location (the one CCS scrubbed when they moved the class to the old facility! Um, hello? Shall we think about what it is we are doing??

Karl did a pretty good job after all the false starts, and she (Kim, the instructor) was very good with him, so I am not concerned over Karl being able to keep up. (for him it will be listening and sticking with the class instruction when it feels slow, and hearing her give instructions on next steps and then doing it and not just goofing around on something he wants to create. oh, and getting the HW assignment information.)

Not for nothin', but the instructor's PC wouldn't work, either. So CCS has a lot to fix before next week.

Yikes!

So far, not a terrific week

Karl's summer class begins tonight - that is a yea! He will have classes for the next ten weeks at the CCS campus (directly behind the Detroit Institute of Arts). So yeah, a bit of a drive, but it should be worth it in the long run.

Brian is still not awake, and I will be on the road soon to test drive a Scion xD (or, is it the manual xB they had?) - I can't keep it straight any more. Anyhow, in order to order the car I think I want, I really should drive that particular model, first. Ya know? Don't you think that makes sense? It has been hell trying to find an xD within 50 miles, let alone finding a stick to test.

I pray when Bud wakes up he finds his hearing is far improved. If not, then we will deal with next steps.

The nasty slice in my righthand ring finger is healing, thank you. Opened it up pretty good Sunday early in the afternoon while doing dishes. The handle of a small fry pan impacted a small glass in the water, and it must have been at just the right angle and force to crack the glass. When I reached in with three fingers and the sponge to wash the inside, SNAP! It was an odd instant series of sound, sensation and then surprise, shock and discomfort. Once I realized that, yes, I was cut, and no, I hadn't stopped turning the glass in my hand, yet - I immediately let loose of everything and removed my hand. I could hear the grinding of the glass pieces against each other, and I could feel the stinging of the fresh wound and the soapy water in the cut.

Blood streamed out and into the dishwater, so I reached over with my left hand to turn on the cold tap to begin rinsing it. The cut was not deep enough to hit bone, and it just missed the little blue vein that runs the length of the inside of the finger, so lots to be thankful for. Yeah, should've had 2-3 stitches, according to the people at Brian's doctor's office, but who has the money for that (and esp. since it was a Sunday, clinic hours would have been too expensive). Brian drove to the store and picked up more gauze and large bandaids to wrap around it (love you, Bud).

Jean and Barb arrived not long after and we debated a little about what to do. Mom said there was an 8 hour window of time where stitches can be useful, but after that.... :^P

We had plans to turn in our useless gold things for cash, and that was what we proceeded to do. After that, we went to the drugstore and bought a splint, Neosporin, butterfly strips and some really cool mesh that sticks to itself to better dress (and immobilize) the finger (thank you, ladies). The bleeding stopped while we were out and I have had it trussed up like a mummy ever since. Our hands are amazing things, and you never fully appreciate how it is that all of your digits work together for simple tasks until you can't use them normally, without thought to the processes.

Taking notes for Karl is going to be a riot - so hopefully this first class is more like most first classes, and takes the long way about introducing what will be happening, the goals, teacher's introduction and credits, blah blah blah.

By the way, my other activities are sidelined until I can flex the finger again without tearing the gash open - but that should be (hopefully) by this weekend!

More another time, for now, I have a few errands to get done this morning.