reflections in the mirror

I have had a horrible migraine since this afternoon. meds arent working and I cant look at the computer

The Giant Squid, once a myth, then sought for sciences sake…has been found.

For decades, scientists and sea explorers have mounted costly expeditions to hunt down and photograph the giant squid, a legendary monster with eyes the size of dinner plates and a nightmarish tangle of tentacles lined with sucker pads.

The goal has been to learn more about a bizarre creature of no little fame — Jules Verne’s attacked a submarine and Peter Benchley’s ate children — that in real life has stubbornly refused to give up its secrets.

While giant squid have been snagged in fishing nets and dead or dying ones have washed ashore, expeditions have repeatedly failed to photograph one living in its natural habitat, the inky depths of the sea.

But today two Japanese scientists, Tsunemi Kubodera and Kyoichi Mori, report in a leading British biological journal that they have made the world’s first observations of a giant squid in the wild.

Click Here for more on the story.

I can just hear it now…
The Giant Squids are probably having an emergency giant squid convention to decide what they are going to do with the one that finally got caught. I can hear it now:

“…I thought that we told you not to get caught on camera”

“Now that they know we exist, they are never going to leave us alone!”

“We will have to find new places to live and go on vacation!”

“And just when we were getting used to this place”

Thank you all for your comments. I will tell him of all the people that are praying for him. I know it helps him to feel strong and I believe that the prayers will aid in his recovery. I should fairwarn everyone, I post plenty of updates, when it comes to things like my Dads condition. I am a person who find comfort in talking about things to others and this is one of those things. I think I told about 10 people at church tonight, including the Bishop.

OK, now for the update…

My Dad has an apointment tomorrow, for all the tests that are needed for the surgery.
Tuesday he will undergo the operation if all is well.

My dad is still incredibly positive, and looking forward to the next year. I am pleased that he still has the fighting spirit. He has taken great care of himself the last 20 years or so. He gave up smoking and doesnt drink, he loves to ride his bike and go skiing. He goes for walks almost daily and is in great physical shape, asside from the cancer.

I don’t know what if anything that they will be able to do in a year, or whether that will be an option. For now, I am praying. I will be fasting and praying this Sunday for my father, which is something that I believe will help. I will post more news as it happens.

OK, most of the family knows what is going on, but for the rest and for my friends online…here goes.

Last year, in July, my father was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma(please be warned, there are graphic surgical pictures at the bottom of this site. There is quite a bit of info before that though). His is a primary tumor and of the four different types his is the most agressive. Once discovered they immediately operated and removed as much as they could safely remove. He then underwent radiation and chemo. He was being checked periodically and things ’seemed’ to be ok. A couple weeks ago, as I understand it, my dad started having headaches again. He contacted his doctor and had another MRI. The results came back and I have found out today that the cancer is infact back, and the tumor is larger than the previous one. He will undergo another surgery in the next week or so, but this is just a temporary fix as the tumor will grow back.

So, that is that for now, I hope to find out when the surgery will occur, and the outlook from there soon. Prayers are gladly accepted and appreciated, this has been a horrible month and it doesnt seem to be getting any better.

This past weekend my guys went camping. The took a few photos, so I decided to post them.

are the most wonderful thing ever invented.

I havent much to say right now, maybe later I will.

This evening the temperature will drop to about 40F. I have closed the windows and turned on the heat. I miss summer all ready.

Do you like all this Spam?
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.
Could you, Would you, from a friend?
I would not, Could not from a friend
Would you, Could you, on your blog?
I could not would not, on my blog.

I can not, will not, from a friend.

I will not click on them in my mail.
I will not click no matter the sale.
Not in the mail! Not on my site!
Not on a dare! You wanna fight?
I do not like them a little bit.
I do not like them, not one bit.

I will not click on them in my house.
I do not click them with my mouse.
I do not click them here or there.
I do not click them ANYWHERE!
I do not like to read this spam!

Rita is a Cat 5 Hurricane and is now considered third worst storm ever.

HOUSTON — Hurricane Rita is now a top-of-the-scale, “potentially catastrophic” Category 5 storm, packing winds of 165 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Forecasters said the storm could be the most intense hurricane on record to ever hit Texas.

There’s also concern that Rita, still about two days away from the Gulf Coast, could turn out to be one of the most powerful storms ever to strike the U.S. mainland.

A hurricane watch has been issued from Port Mansfield, Texas, to Cameron, La., and a tropical storm watch has been issued for east of Cameron to Grand Isle, La., and from south of Port Mansfield to Brownsville, Texas. A tropical storm watch is also in effect for the northeast coast of Mexico from Rio San Fernando northward.

Mandatory evacuation orders currently cover all of Galveston, Texas, low-lying sections of Houston and Corpus Christi, and a mostly empty New Orleans. In all, about 1 million people along the Gulf Coast have been told to get moving.

The hurricane is expected to make landfall along the central Texas coast sometime Saturday, but even a slight turn to the right could deal a devastating blow to New Orleans.

The storm is causing more jitters among those who saw what Katrina and its 145 mph winds did to the Gulf Coast. With Rita about two days away, thousands of Texas coast residents are getting out while the getting is good.

In Galveston, buses bound for inland shelters have already begun transporting the elderly and others needing help. Able-bodied residents of Galveston must start leaving by 6 p.m., though authorities suggest there’s no reason to wait.

At 7 p.m. CDT, the eye of Hurricane Rita was located near latitude 24.5 north, longitude 86.8 west or about 580 miles east-southeast of Galveston, Texas, and about 680 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas. Rita is moving toward the west near 13 mph, and this motion is expected to continue during the next 24 hours.

Maximum sustained winds are near 165 mph, with higher gusts. Rita is an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next 24 hours.

The Army Corps of Engineers is racing to shore up the levee system in New Orleans. There are concerns that additional rain could swamp the walls that have just been built back up, and the city could flood again.

Galveston’s mayor said Wednesday morning’s evacuations have gone smoothly. She said people have been calm, and there’s been enough room for them to take “their dog crates, their cat crates, their shopping carts.”

Public housing residents are among those being bused, and Galveston officials promise none will be left behind. The city manager counts plenty of buses, and vows to keep them ready for all who need them until “the bitter end.”

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said, “There’s no need to panic,” but people should start getting out of Hurricane Rita’s path.

He’s urging people in vulnerable areas to follow warnings and get out even in areas where there’s no mandatory evacuation order. He says people along the coast should leave Wednesday, because Thursday may be too late.

“Homes and businesses can be rebuilt — lives cannot,” Perry said.

Houston Mayor Bill White said people living in areas prone to flooding or threatened by a storm surge should plan to leave. He also urged evacuation for people in mobile homes or other buildings that “common sense” would indicate are too weak for the storm.

White said businesses and schools should plan to be closed Thursday and Friday to enable people to leave.

The mayor said the government doesn’t have the capacity to evacuate everyone, so people should help one another. He added that “neighbor caring for neighbor” is the first line of defense.

White said anyone who doesn’t have a car or way to get out should reach out to friends, family or neighbors, and added anyone who still can’t find a ride should contact the government for help.

Texas officials have asked New Mexico’s Office of Homeland Security to take hundreds, perhaps even 1,000 people displaced by Hurricane Katrina, as the Gulf region braces for Rita’s potential landfall.

Click here to read the story.

It seems (I hope) that Texas is on the ball and getting people out of the way. I hope that everyone takes this storm seriously and takes it upon themselves to get themselves, and hopefully pets, out of the area before Rita hits land. My prayers are will all there. Pleas, Please keep yourselves safe.

Thankfully, for all of my freinds on-line, this will hopefully be the last dolphin story.

Yesturday, the last of the dolphins were rescued.

The last of eight trained dolphins were rescued from the Mississippi sound on Tuesday after spending weeks in the wild….

…When the last four of the dolphins were located on Tuesday, they were in the channels in front of the Beau Rivage Casino. All of the dolphins have since been reunited and are on their way to recovery.

“We’re all just thrilled that the dolphins are now safe and sound,” said NOAA Fisheries Service biologist Laura Engleby. “Certainly we were really concerned about the challenges they were faced with out there. We were so excited to see that they were all together. This has just been a huge success.

The rest of the story can be read Here

With all the bad, I am very happy to see this one positive thing happen. Now I promise, maybe, to stop posting about dolphins.

Tags: Katrina, Katrina animal victims, Mississippi Dolphins, Dolphins