Diary of a LAN Manager

Letting the days go by... Things are somewhat better in our tiny corner of the universe. Still not likely to win any land-speed records, but at least he's walking. His memory lapses seem better too, but then again he doesn't want to talk much. Thankfully his ability to program doesn't seem to be affected. Dr. Brown says that it wasn't a stroke, at least not definitively. They really aren't sure what happened. I'm still hoping it was some rare kind of migraine, but the residual pain/numbness in the left leg doesn't want to fit that diagnosis either. So for now we watch, we wait, we do more tests, see more doctors, watch, and wait. Same as it ever was...

Maybe it is time to panic. Wednesday morning I took Michael to the ER with a severe headache - one that had awakened him at 4:00am. He said his vision was blurry in one eye and he was having trouble walking, so after running Heather to school and consulting with his allergist to make sure this wasn't some weird side effect of something he was taking, I took him to the ER at 10:00am. They did a CT - saw nothing. Started giving injections of dilaudid. Several hours passed, several doctors and nurses checked in on him and asked questions. I called Jimmy to have him pick up Heather after school and take her home, then around 3:00pm they did a spinal tap. Fluid looked clear. The neurologist showed up, began asking more questions, checking reflexes, etc. Michael's left leg felt numb and didn't pass the reflex test. The doctor decided an MRI was in order. That was at 6:00pm. After a nurse assured me they wouldn't take him anywhere without my knowledge, I ran upstairs to McDona

I hate my horriblescope. Technical: Today you may run into obstacles right out of the gate. Don't keep slamming into them -- take a few minutes to assess the situation and you'll soon find the right path. Gee, Karma - thanks. I needed that. So Kae's server died today... it's starting to remind me about a joke I once heard. Nothing good ever comes out of story that starts, "Me and some buddies went to Tijuana..." or one that starts, "Today Kae's server died." I'm going home and have a chat with my buddy Jose Cuervo.

Just Breathe... If only I could. This is the first time all week that I haven't felt like I was running around with my ass on fire, and now I'm on edge, anticipating the next crisis. Servers dying, software issues, ten thousand questions and two-hour meetings - I'm exhausted and it's only Thursday. I know it's just a tempest in a teacup, but until it subsides, I have to keep reminding myself to breathe - relax - focus. And above all else, Don't Panic!

A friend of mine stopped blogging because he felt no one ever read it. Personally, I don't care how many people read or don't read mine. This is me and my silly rants and foibles and follies. I've been amazed when someone actually did comment, either anonymously or with user info, because I can't imagine how they found me, unless it was just through "Next Blog". But I'm flattered that they took the time to read, agree or disagree with me, and then share the experience. When I grow up I'm going to be a writer - which, considering my age, means I'll be the Grandma Moses of the publishing world. But count on it - great things are brewing in my pretty little head, and someday this kettle will boil.

Do Mac's not have spellcheck? I ask this question because I assume the news reporters for our local TV station use Mac's, since there's NO way this would have made it past Microsoft Word: At 1am Monday on the east side of the MTSU campus, police pulled over a Ford Explorer for wreckless driving. Inside the vehicle, the officer found several loaded semi-automatic weapons included a hand gun, assault rifle and a Russian made automatic rifle. I mean, c'mon. Surely you jest! Wreckless is what I've been for the past 5 years; reckless is what I try to avoid altogether!

One of my New Year's resolutions should have been to stop getting my divine direction in life from those little scraps of paper in my fortune cookies. Or maybe I should just give up Chinese food so that I would never be exposed to another fortune cookie. But since I didn't and I can't, I was faced with this lovely bit of wisdom: Many a false step is made by standing still . On the back was the Chinese word for Post Office if ever I'm in Beijing and need to mail a letter or postcard back home. This is ironic because of my method of dealing with life-changing decisions - I tend to stand at the crossroad until the developers come along and rearrange the scenery. I shall have to ponder this bon mot over a cuppa and maybe it will all make sense.

I probably shouldn't fire off letters to the editor when I'm angry, but this whole mess over the ABA Nashville Rhythm co-owner firing the first female coach of a men's basketball team, Ashley McElhiney, just pissed me RIGHT off. And so... Rhythm's part owner needs a charm class To the Editor: I am appalled by Sally Anthony's behavior during Saturday's game between the Nashville Rhythm and the Kansas City Knights. (''Owner fires McElhiney,'' Jan. 30) Perhaps she's confused the ABA with the WWF; the owner/CEO of a professional team should never come out on the court to berate the coach. If you have a problem, deal with it calmly after the game, not publicly. Firing McElhiney is equally unforgivable since Ashley was doing her job as a coach. Ms. Anthony has the right to say she doesn't want a particular player on the court, but as part-owner, I hardly see where she has the right to overrule the opinion of her two co-owners, bo