My Birthday

Monday was my birthday and I have to say it was totally fun and relaxing. Just the way a birthday should be.

Here are some of the ways I celebrated:

• -- Didn't go to work (very important!)
• -- Slept in
• -- Read birthday cards
  
• -- Met friends Jim, Kristina and Elena for ice cream (my favorite food!)
  
• -- Shopping - bought new clothes and shoes (spent some money that came in the cards)
• -- Lovely dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill in Lynnwood

Thanks to those who sent birthday cards. I got a really beautiful selection of cards this year including some funny ones. One of my favorites had this great quote:

"Birthdays are like chocolates ... you never want to admit how many you've had!"

Amen to that. :)

Of course one of my favorite things in the world is spending time with good friends so I loved hanging out for a bit with Jim, Kristina and Elena. Thanks guys for making my birthday special!

Here is a little slideshow of Elena eating her ice cream. If you would like see a super short movie of her "riding the ponies" head on over to Cozzie's Clippings. Yes, that's a pony she's holding. Maybe you've figured out that Elena likes ponies!

Memorial Day Weekend

This is Memorial Day weekend, a time for us to remember those brave men and women who died in military service to this country. My thoughts are with those families who lost loved ones.

Today in particular my thoughts are also on my Dad. This holiday was an important one to him as he served in two wars during his service in the US Army. Today would also have been his birthday. My birthday is tomorrow so we always celebrated together on the Memorial Day weekend.

I'm having a really fun birthday weekend. How about you? I hope you are taking some extra time for yourself, friends and family this weekend.

Happy Memorial Day. Be safe.

Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park

Yesterday was a gorgeous day in Seattle. I took the day off, and we went to see the Olympic Sculpture Park just north of downtown. Wow, what a cool place. I've been wanting to go there ever since it opened. It's hard to believe we have such a beautiful place right at the edge of downtown Seattle and it's free to enjoy.

Walter had a good time too. After all, it was a great day to be outside enjoying the sights and sounds of Seattle. He's not so into the modern sculptures, but he had his favorites. He liked the Typewriter Eraser best. That is one of my favorites too along with the Eagle.

I think what I enjoyed the most is how the art interrelates with its surroundings - the park, the downtown buildings, Elliott Bay, nearby Space Needle, cruise ships, Mt. Rainier, everything. If you haven't been to the Sculpture Park yet I highly recommend a visit. I took tons of photos which you can see on Webshots here. Just click the photos to enlarge and use the Next and Prev links to move through the album.

I also took some video footage and put together a small movie to commemorate our visit. Runtime is about 3 1/2 minutes. If you look at the Webshots photos please note the movie at the end of the album is the same one embedded here. Enjoy.



Olympic Sculpture Park

Walter Takes a Tumble

Walter took a tumble this evneing while on his daily walk. He was walking past the local community college and tripped on one of those places where there's a split in the sidewalk (one paver higher than the other). He fell forward first, skinned up both hands and knees, ripped both knees of his pants, then fell back on his backside. And his biggest complaint/worry was THE PANTS!! He's been saying we need to go to North Bend outlet mall and buy him some new pants, and now this. I don't care about the pants for crying out loud!

I'm probably a little more protective than most wives in this situation because of his eyesight. I'm always wondering what activities are safe for him to do. He walks all the time and never has a problem, so I guess I shouldn't worry. But jeez!

He cleaned his wounds with alcohol (ouch!) and since he "didn't get to finish" his walk he's going back out to do the rest.

A Beautiful Weekend Coming Up

It looks like summer has begun for us lucky Seattleites. I can hardly believe we are looking at a totally dry Memorial Day Weekend. Usually you can count on some precip for this holiday.

I'm taking a day off tomorrow to get a head start on the beautiful weather. I hope you have a great long weekend in the sunshine. Don't forget the sunscreen!

My Dad the Army Baker

By the time of my childhood memories, my Dad was a baker and then a cook with the Army. That meant very large scale food preparation ... well, you could say, "enough for an Army"! We, his family, benefited from a lot of the leftover goodies he would bring us. Donuts were his favorite, and he often brought home yummy maple bars.

One of my Dad's favorite memories and stories to tell was the time he made a special big cake for the Secretary of the Army when the Secretary visited Fort Lewis. Here is a picture from that event. It was on May 21, 1956 - 51 years ago and a few years before I was born.

That's Wilber M. Brucker, U.S. Secretary of the Army, shaking my Dad's hand. Of course you can tell which one is my Dad by the cook's hat on his head. Too bad you can't see his face, but I know it had a big smile. He was very proud of that moment.

Baby Shower for Boyboy and Roxanne

Last Saturday Walter and I attended a baby shower for my nephew Boyboy and his wife Roxanne. They are expecting a little boy on June 28th whom they will name Niko. Roxanne has been feeling well, just short on energy as one would expect in her 8th month of pregnancy.

The shower was lots of fun. It's always a good time when we get together with this side of the family. There was lots of visiting and little ones running around. We got to spend some time chatting with my sister Petra (Boyboy's mom) and her husband Obet and hearing all the tales from their recent trip to the Philippines.

The food was a great mix of traditional Filipino dishes (pancit, lumpia, and flan!) along with more American-style eats. Boyboy makes a great meatloaf and the cake was delicious. And of course I think one of the most fun things at a baby shower is watching the parents-to-be open their gifts.

To see pictures from the shower click the photo of the expecting couple above then use the Next and Prev links to see more photos.

And here is a 1 minute video from the gift-opening portion of the festivities.



See More Videos

Nephew Was Burgled

It's a sad fact in this world that there are people who do bad things. My nephew DJ, who recently turned 21, learned this the hard way this week. He came home from work one day to find that a roommate had suddenly moved out without warning. Not only was her stuff gone, but many of his things were gone too. He keeps his bedroom door locked, but someone jimmied the door and got in. They took his laptop computer, digital camera, two game systems and all the games that went with them among other things.

The roommate claims she hurt her arm badly and was not around for "the move." Supposedly she was at the hospital getting medical treatment. She had helpers, including her brother, move her belongings. She told DJ that she does not have his stuff and now she can't locate her brother. Sounds suspicious to me. As it turns out the brother has a record and has been convicted of robbery in the past. Of course DJ called the police right away, but they told him that since they were roommates this was "a civil matter" and he would have to take her to court to get any kind of remedy.

Yes, I'm sure he can go to small claims court, but how can he prove what happened? He wasn't there. I don't know if his other roommates would serve as witnesses or if anyone else was around. They even took some checks out of his checkbook. Fortunately DJ had the good sense to call the bank immediately so they will only honor the checks he has left remaining in his possession.

Even though it would make me very angry to have my stuff stolen, and I know it took DJ a lot of hard work to save for his belongings, there is something to be thankful for here. I am thankful that it was a crime of property and that DJ wasn't hurt.

How crazy the world can be.

Lawyerpalooza Pics and Video

My friend Kimber and I had a great time at Lawyerpalooza last Thursday night. It was Kimber's first 'Palooza. She was quite impressed with the quality of the bands. You wouldn't necessarily think of a bunch of lawyers as rock stars, but they can be one and the same. Next year Kimber thinks we need to get a group together to enjoy it with us. Let me know if you want to come along!

The show this year featured the usual 5 bands (you can see a list over at the Lawyerpalooza site). New this year they had small group and solo acts performing on a side stage between sets. My friend Dave was one of the solo performers. That's his picture to the right and you will see him in a couple videos.

The photos and video are not great because it was so dark in there and I was just using my little digital camera. But I think you can get a feel for the evening. Here is a link to the full album. Simply click the individual photos or videos to view or play. The videos are between 30 seconds and a minute 30 seconds each.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the great Moms out there. I hope you've had an enjoyable and relaxing day. Now, for your entertainment, I want to share a Happy Slip video about Mother's Day.

This video is more in line with Kristine's usual video style than her last two videos I shared. In most of her videos (like this one) she plays multiple characters from her family. This one features Kristine and her Filipina mother. Enjoy!

Filipino Snacks

My sister Petra and her husband Obet recently returned from a one-month visit to the Philippines. They spent time visiting family and also taking in some of the historical buildings and churches in Manila. I was pleasantly surprised on Wednesday to receive a call from Petra. She asked if she could come to my office and bring some things that she brought back with her.

It was Petra's first visit to my office building and it was fun to show her the view and have her visit my little office. She brought me a wonderful assortment of goodies one can only find in the Philippines - cookies, candy, dried fruits, quite an array of treats. Someday maybe Walter and I can visit the Philippines. In the meantime I always enjoy the treats Petra and Obet bring from there. Thank you Petra and Obet!

Flip Chart Humor

Happy Friday everyone. Last night was Lawyerpalooza and it was a really fun time. In the next couple of days I will have some pictures and maybe a little video for you.

Recently I was reading some blogs on the topic of giving presentations. There seems to be a whole movement these days away from traditional PowerPoints with all the words on the screen. It's too hard for people to try and read a bunch of stuff on the screen while also trying to absorb the words you, the speaker, are saying. So the current advice given is toward less words and possibly more or better graphics.

Going even further, some people advocate a return to using flip charts as one's visual aid. In fact there are whole web sites on the topic of how to give an effective presentation using flip charts. While reading on this topic I came across a video that gave me quite a chuckle. I wanted to share it with you here. I hope it gives you a laugh as well. There's a little bit of crude language, but not too bad. The comic is Demetri Martin and his presentation is called "Material Enhancers." Runtime is about 6-1/2 minutes.

Restasis Seems to be Helping

As I mentioned in my last report on Walter's eyes, his doctor had him trying out Restasis. Walter really couldn't tell from his daily experiences if there was a change in his sight. But his exam shows that Walter has made a tiny bit of progress.

First, the doctor had Walter look at the eye chart. In the last visit he could only see the big E on the top. This time he could make out one of the two letters below it - the L. Also, when the doctor looked into his eye he said he likes what he sees. The surface of the cornea seems to be smoothing out and that's what would improve his vision. Dr. McKillop said his eye is looking the best he's seen it so far.

I love being able to report good news on this topic. Walter goes back in a month. In the meantime it looks like Restasis may be a permanent addition to Walter's eyedrop regime.

New Scrapbook Blog

You will notice a new link over in the sidebar. Under the pictures and under "view my profile" and "send me email" you will see "Visit Cozzie's Clippings."

Cozzie's Clippings is a new companion blog to this one that is designed as sort of an online scrapbook. As the logo implies it can contain links to pages or articles I've found interesting or helpful, quotes that touched me, photos, and video clips.

Not to worry, I will continue writing my personal stuff here on Cozzie's Corner. And from time to time I will still share videos and photos here. Cozzie's Clippings is just an additional place where I can quickly share something that maybe I don't have time to write about here.

If you have a moment check out Cozzie's Clippings and let me know what you think of the format.

Lawyerpalooza Coming Up

Thursday, May 10th at the Showbox Theater is the fifth annual Lawyerpalooza: Battle of the Law Firm Bands. It's an evening of rock and roll with 5 law firm bands performing, an emcee and judges, and this year some solo and small group performances between sets. As the name implies it's also a competition to take home the Lawyerpalooza trophy.

Walter and I went to the very first Lawyerpalooza and it was great fun. One of the attorneys where I work will be performing with his band, and a friend of mine who works in another law firm will be performing solo.

If you love music (especially loud rock and roll) and you don't have other plans for Thursday evening you might want to check it out. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

I can't wait!

Walter Did It

I am so proud of Walter. For some time I have been asking him to come downtown and give blood with me. The Puget Sound Blood Center comes to my office building once a month and it's very convenient to take a little time out of my day to go donate. We are allowed to donate once every 8 weeks so an every-other-month visit is possible.

Walter gave blood a few times when he lived in Kentucky, but that was more than 20 years ago. Today at my urging he came downtown so we could go to the blood drive together. Before you can donate they give you a brief medical screening to make sure you are healthy enough to donate. Unfortunately, my blood count came out just below what it has to be to donate. The technician said my number was healthy for me, but not healthy enough to give away a whole pint of blood.

At first I felt a little bad that Walter was giving blood and I couldn't. It worked out fine, though. I got to stand by his side while he gave his donation. I will try again next month.

After Walter donated and he spent the requisite 10 minutes resting with juice and a light snack we went out to lunch together at a nearby diner, Bernard's. It was a fun date for both of us. We're going to do it again soon.

Spring Flowers

The office building where I work has a nice tradition on May 1st (May Day) of each year. When you arrive at the elevator lobby that morning you are greeted with someone who has a smiling face and a tulip for you. What a great happy way to start the day.

I love tulips and other spring flowers. For me the spring bulb flowersing season doesn't last long enough. So when I get ambitious enough to plant my own I always take lots of photos so I can enjoy the flowers long after the beautiful blooms are gone and the foliage is fading and ready to be cut to make room for summer annuals.

I know I shared a picture of my flowering balcony garden earlier, but I just had to take some more photos. Here is a slideshow if you would like to see them. There are 17 pics in all.



Balcony Spring Flowers 2007

Scary Medication Mixup

The good news is that my Mom had her follow-up appointment with the eye doctor and her eye is much better. Seems she had an infection in her tear duct but the medication the doctor gave her fixed her right up.

As I said in my earlier post Mom's eye doctor brought her some medication from Fred Meyer pharmacy on Sunday. Unfortunately the pharmacy only had half the pills she needed so she had to go to the store and pick up the rest on Thursday. When she went there they gave her the rest of the antibiotic her doctor prescribed plus a second bottle of pills.

She figured her doctor must have prescribed another medication for her so she read the directions "take 3 at bedtime" and started taking them Thursday night. On Saturday she called me and said she thought the new pills were making her sick and she wasn't going to take any more. She said she couldn't sleep all night after taking them. And by Saturday morning she was feeling really lightheaded and woozy like she might fall down. As the day progressed she started feeling a little better. But I agreed she should not take any more of those new pills and we would ask the doctor about them on Monday.

When I got to Mom's house on Monday I looked at the new bottle of pills. My first thought was "wow they really misspelled her name this time!" Mom's name is easy to misspell, it's an unusual one. Her name is Annetta and the name of the bottle was Arnetta. Her last name begins with an I and has an o in it. So did the different name on the bottle. Something in the back of my head vaguely suggested something wasn't right. Mom always gets her medications from the same pharmacy and they are all computerized, so why would there be a misspelling?

We took the bottle of pills to her doctor's office. He took one look and said "what are these?? I didn't prescribe these!" The pharmacy had mistakenly given my mother someone else's medication!! As the doctor put it we were lucky those pills weren't nitroglycerin or something. But we still didn't know what they were.

We took the pills right back to the pharmacy and my mother got her money back. They apologized profusely. But how scary that could have been. We were so lucky the result was not worse than what happened.

I looked up the pills on the internet. They were Phenytoin or Dilantin, an anticonvulsant used to treat epilepsy. I read under Precautions that "patients with impaired liver function, elderly patients, or those who are gravely ill may show early signs of toxicity" and "Phenytoin may also raise the serum glucose level in diabetic patients" (Mom is diabetic).

From now on Mom will double check the name on any pills she picks up. And I will double check with her especially any time a new medication is needed.