Monthly Archives: March 2013

Word of the Weekend: RISPOSTE

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  • RIPOSTE
  • \rih-POHST\
  • DEFINITION

noun

1: a fencer‘s quick return thrust following a parry
2: a retaliatory verbal sally : retort
3: a retaliatory maneuver or measure
  • EXAMPLES

The lifelong friends always greeted each other the same way: John would point out Gary’s thinning hair, then Gary would come back with a riposteabout John’s golf game.

“Modernism, with its strong Gothic influences recalling the glories of medieval Barcelona, was very much a riposte to the conservative architecture that flourished in Madrid at the time.” — From an article by Andrew Allen in The New York Times, February 8, 2013

  • DID YOU KNOW?

In the sport of fencing, a riposte is a counterattack made after successfully fending off one’s opponent. English speakers borrowed the name for this particular maneuver from French in the early 1700s, but the French had simply modified Italian “risposta,” which literally means “answer.” Ultimately these words come from the Latin verb “respondēre” meaning “to respond.” It seems fitting that “riposte” has since come full circle to now refer to a quick and witty response performed as a form of retaliation
Read more at http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/#fVAVQUgZR2zEEr0U.99

I Wanna Run Away!

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Please, someone tell me when it is okay to run away. I’m not sure how much more I can take before I crack. 

I live the “Life of Riley“. Honestly, I not sure what that means. Was it a TV show? Radio show? Cartoon? I’m going to look it up. The situations I’ve heard it used in usually involved someone having it made; not in need of anything; someone spoiled rotten. All of the above, at times, can describe my life.

I live in a beautiful home with the perfect husband and family pets. We have one boxer and one fish. One step-son that keeps his distance.

My husband and I are raising my mother. It can be a challenge at times. But we make it.

We are far from well off or rich, but we are comfy. A lot of people today can’t say that. It really hurts Barry and I to see others struggle. We help when we can, but keeping up with medical bills will eat you alive. 

Since 2009, Barry and I have run from doctor to doctor trying to figure my illness out. It is starting to feel like a waste of time. Every time I see a physician, something else is wrong.

Is this a never-ending battle? Is all the running around doing a bit of good? I guess I’m a little tired of being sick. I feel like my life is falling apart and I’m not sure what to do.

That doctor, last week, really threw me for a loop. Just uttering those 2 little words has my head in the toilet.

It was like the day the doctor told me about the brain tumor. “Oh by the way, you have a brain tumor.” That is how he told me. He added a few other things to it, but that was enough to shatter my world. My head was in a spin then, and it is spinning like a top now.

I’m not going to do anything stupid. God has kept me around for s reason. I have too much life left to live to do anything stupid, I’m just trying to write this down to see if it will shake me out of this funk.

I should be sleeping . Big birthday party tomorrow. Going to be a long day, I need my rest. Barry is snoring in the chair next to me as I type. Maggie is snoring on the couch. Maybe I should follow suit and go to sleep. Maybe I’ll feel better in the morning. 

Hope everyone has a good weekend. I’m trying to turn mine around. Be sweet!

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This post is still weighing heavy on my mind. Thought I’d repost it!

gegebearbear's avatarTwo Rights Attempting To Make A Left!

Dr. M, my now urologist, seems like a very good doctor with a great personality/bedside manner. My appointment today went great. The kidney ultrasound is good, with one little issue to follow. Otherwise Dr. M. says my kidney’s are beautiful. Awwww, how sweet. They better be! About the only organ I have left that functions correctly.

What gets me about Cowdens Syndrome is the unknown. Today, I’m told I actually have an organ that is functioning properly, but we need to watch this “one” little spot. We want to make sure it isn’t something forming that shouldn’t be where it is. So, my roller coaster of doctors continues.

On top of the little spot that needs watching on the right kidney. It appears there is an incidental finding on my liver. He would  like to schedule an MRI, to get a better look. So, more tests, more waiting and more unknowns.

I…

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Maggie and the Alarm Clock

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This morning, Barry and I were awakened by our beloved boxer, Maggie May.

At night, Barry and I are guilty of falling asleep in our favorite chairs at night. We have done it so often that are now set a travel alarm clock, to keep Barry from being late to work.

This morning, Barry and I were all snuggled-up in bed, when that clock went off in the living room. When it didn’t stop ringing, Maggie brought the clock to Barry and dropped it on his head. We have tried to get her to fetch, I guess she has decided she’ll fetch what she wants. 

She clearly wasn’t ready to get up! 

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A ” New Barry” Moment

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When I write post like these, you all need to realize that Barry is aware of what I am posting and is fine with it. 

Mr. Baynes let something slip tonight while at the store. I do not think he intended to tell me. Over the weekend, he went to Lowe’s by himself. This I was aware of.

He left out his side trip to the beauty shop across from Lowe’s. He actually walked in the salon and asked if they had any beads he could clip in his hair. From what he says, he stopped all work going on in the shop and the place was roaring in laughter, with a side of shock.

Any of you that have looked at our pictures are aware that my sweet, sexy husband is as bald as they come. Is it safe to let him out of the house alone? His stroke took every inhibition Barry had. I never know what to expect next.

Barry ready to celebrate

Barry ready to celebrate

My New Least Favorite Words on Earth: Incidental Findings

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Dr. M, my now urologist, seems like a very good doctor with a great personality/bedside manner. My appointment today went great. The kidney ultrasound is good, with one little issue to follow. Otherwise Dr. M. says my kidney’s are beautiful. Awwww, how sweet. They better be! About the only organ I have left that functions correctly.

What gets me about Cowdens Syndrome is the unknown. Today, I’m told I actually have an organ that is functioning properly, but we need to watch this “one” little spot. We want to make sure it isn’t something forming that shouldn’t be where it is. So, my roller coaster of doctors continues.

On top of the little spot that needs watching on the right kidney. It appears there is an incidental finding on my liver. He would  like to schedule an MRI, to get a better look. So, more tests, more waiting and more unknowns.

I feel like I am fussing about what is going on in my body. I truly believe that Jesus died to save us from our sins. I believe that the Good Lord has a plan for us and we shouldn’t question that plan. My life is in his hands and I am not exactly how to hand my troubles over to the Lord and not worry.

After my appointment today, I wasn’t what I would call questioning things, but I was so frustrated with the news that it brought me to tears. When I got to a private place, I asked the Lord for the grace and strength I need to make it through all of this news. My fears eased.

It is just so incredibly hard to deal with all of this. Today, I felt like the robot from “Lost in Space“.Turning in circles, arms flopping, thinking, “fix me Will Robinson, fix me!” If it were only that easy.

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Word of the Weekend: voracious

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Voracious: 

  • \vaw-RAY-shus\
  • DEFINITION
  • adjective
    1. having a huge appetite : ravenous
    2. excessively eager : insatiable
    • EXAMPLE: Cemal is a voracious reader who whips through three or four books each week.


    “Hundreds of Humboldt squid washed up on Santa Cruz County beaches Sunday in a mass stranding that is not uncommon but remains somewhat of a mystery to marine scientists. The even more intriguing question, they say, is why the voracious feeders, also called jumbo flying squid, began venturing up to the Central Coast in 2000 from the Sea of Cortez and other warmer spots—and what their effect is on the ocean environment.” — From an article by Cathy Kelly in Contra Costa Times, December 11, 2012

    • DID YOU KNOW?

    “Voracious” is one of several English words that derive from the Latin verb “vorare,” which means “to eat greedily” or “to devour.” “Vorare” is also an ancestor of “devour” and of the “-ivorous” words that describe the diets of various animals. These include “carnivorous” (“meat-eating”), “herbivorous” (“plant-eating”), “omnivorous” (“feeding on both animals and plants”), “frugivorous” (“fruit-eating”), “graminivorous” (“feeding on grass”), and “piscivorous” (“fish-eating”).

    Name That Synonym: Fill in the blanks to create a synonym of “voracious”: e_u_i_n_. The answer is …