Math Funny

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76%

So I've become a bit stressed lately, as I just learned that my blood oxygen levels drop incredibly low when I'm sleeping. I found this out through a sleep study I just had done a week or so ago. My spouse has been bugging me for years now to go get this addressed as he has freaked out a few times when he has witnessed me stop breathing during the night. He has timed it and just about the time he is ready to call the ambulance, I start breathing again.

So after the night at the hospital, he asked me what my O2 levels were prior to them putting me on the forced air machine. I didn't know as I hadn't thought to ask. Afterall, they woke me up at 6:00am and sent me home. Then I waited for the holiday weekend to finish figuring the office would be closed. So I finally called and learned that my levels were down to 76%! From what little I know, this is bad. Really bad. They said once they put me on air, my levels came right up to 87%-97% so a machine has now been ordered. I should get it in another week.

So now I get some time to freak out about this. This morning, I woke with a really bad headache and my spouse said that's no wonder as I had a really bad night sleeping. He kept moving me to get me breathing again. Sounds to me, like he had a bad night, too.

I've asked quite a few nurses and doctors just what this low level means as I know per Emergency Standards (EMT/Paramedic stuff) that oxygen would be administered. They all just say yes it's very low and nothing else. So I went looking online and kept coming across people saying that they got very low readings of 85% and were put on oxygen. When my spouse was suffering from his gallbladder episode, he told me most people are unconscious under 85% and under 80%, you are DEAD!

So here I am getting death levels and I need to wait.....

Have I ever mentioned I'm not a very patient person?

So I have googled Sleep Apnea and Hypoxemia. Turns out it's a REALLY good thing I finally got that sleep study done. At the rate I was going, I might not have had a few more years to play with this. Besides, even if I did have the years, could I really afford to lose more brain cells?

Otronicon

Orlando Science Center is having an Otronicon!  What's an Otronicon? It's a convention that allows serious gamers and the wannabes get a sneek peek at all the latest and coolest innovations of the digital revolution!  They also have the some of the oldies available.  Everything is set up to play!  Does this not just sound like the perfect field trip? Too bad I work.

Just kidding.  Actually, this is where my spouse gets to jump in on all the fun and spend the day exploring with the kids.  James took all three of them, even the oldest who had worked all night (and should have been sleeping) to the Science Center, renewed our yearly membership, then spent the day playing game after game.  He told me he hadn't realized just how much of a spectator sport  Rock Band was.  The crowds cheered and clapped for the preformers (players).

Rock Band on Stage but not my kids playing at this time. =)

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11yo George looking at a display.

18yo Caylee proving you're never too old? 


And two pictures I can't explain...



Photos curtesy of Melissa.

I'm Addicted!!

I have a new addiction and it's calling my name. I feel that I should be attending to it right now but feel I should resist while I update my first online love of blogging. So what is this new intense distraction you ask? Why nothing other then WoW! WoW stands for World of Warcraft. WoW is a major online game that at first I thought was just a game.

I didn't get involved with it when I first learned of it, as a dedicated player had advised me that I wouldn't enjoy it without a high speed connection. We have a S-l-o-w ping meaning the time the signal leaves our computer, travels to the satellite, then returns, takes too long for PvP play. (PvP = Player verse Player) That slow ping has made Halo3 a simple in home game or take the Xbox to a friend's house game as live play isn't fun unless we relocate.

But World of Warcraft is just Too AwEsOmE to let the ping problem get in the way! I have found that using an aircard works wonders for PvP & RPPvP therefore avoiding the whole s-l-o-w ping issue! So here I am, learning my way around my second gaming experience. (My first was Runescape.)

I first started learning to game so I could keep my son company while he played. He is an expert and even though he is young still, he really knows his way around video games. Some of this is due to how much he plays and some of it is due to how much he reads! He's the only person I know who studies the manuals and I'm not talking about little twenty page manuals, either. No, the manuals and books for these games can be upward of a thousand or more pages. Some even have corresponding novels to further the story line and he has read them all!

A few months back, we joined the WoW world and started building our first characters. I chose a Night Elf Hunter. I love my Hunter. So much so that I have now learned about 'twinkin' and have started another Night Elf Hunter to make into a twink. A twink is a low level character that has high stats because of specialized equipment that make it near indestructible. I'm just learning how to do this and have just ran my first real raids with my Guild.

I find that I need to learn a whole new vocabulary: Guild, Aggro, Tank, grind, Twink, to name just a few new terms. I am also learning the ins and outs of auctioning, crafting, leveling, and socialization in the gaming world.

While shopping for Christmas presents at Best Buy, the salegirl and I got talking and she told me about addons. She gave me some really cool sites to look into. Now I'm 'twinkin' our computers to increase our game play experience!

Yes, I'm addicted and have much more to share on this interesting journey. I was under the impression that the players were mainly young teenagers to young adults. I've since learned that WoW gamers come in all ages and expertise. Yesterday, I read an article at WOWInsider about an Anthropologist who plays. He tells of how he is researching "American cultures of self-control, efficiency, masculinity and success amongst players of WoW." You can read about his experience here.

I have much more to share on this interesting topic but feel the need to go check the auction house. ;-) I'll tell more later. Have an AwEsOmE day everyone!

Dear Dr. D

IF you really did come looking, it seems I gave you a bad link. My apologies as I guess I haven't memorized how blogger stores posts. So here is the link to the Gallbladder fiasco I mentioned. Or you can click here.

It was nice meeting you today.

Peace and Laughter!
Vicki

The Ending of 2008

Dear Friends,

I SO apologize for neglecting to update what's been happening over the holidays. I do have pictures that I'll try and post this weekend. Santa was awesome once again and Christmas was wonderful. I'll try and post some highlights soon. I just got over walking pneumonia while I was dealing with insane happenings at the office. Nothing like being hit on a few sides at once, right?

On the 'homeschooling' front, I've been getting read to sleep lately by George, my 11yo son, reading his trigonometry book out loud to me. He's decided to master trig in the next two weeks! It will be interesting to see if he does, as later, he informed me he is backing up a level or two as he doesn't have all the needed formulas memorized yet.

I'm still tripping that my eleven year old even has a clue what trig is! This child never fails to surprise me and in looking at what he likes to learn, I don't see how he would ever "fit" in to the "regular" public school system.

HEY! He never has to go unless he wants to! Guess that's a Win Win if I ever heard of one, lol. I figure there will come a day, and he might want to go, just to see what else this town offers. When that day comes, he has my blessings. Shoot. He's already ready for college, so it's not like he needs to go to school to learn, right?

For those of you that stumble upon my page, before you 'freak out' at my 'truant' attitude towards school, we unschool. Unschooling is the best possible education a young mind can have. It allows the young mind to grow at it's incredible natural rate, without silly rules and guidelines being imposed by someone who has no clue.

Unschooling works. Nuff said. :-D