Brain First Aid.

Did you get that email that was going around about the symptoms of a stroke?

I checked it out, and ran across some good information from the American Academy of Neurology, and the American Stroke Association.


Point being, if you suspect someone is having a stroke, please don't stand on ceremony. Don't assume someone else will see what you see. They probably don't know what's happening to them. Help them get help. Fast. Minutes count. You've got the time. All goes well, they'll be on the way to the hospital in 20 minutes and you've done your good deed for the day.
It's a Win - Win.

Thank you.

Brain Candy

For the last two months I've been on the road a lot. My mom had a big ole stroke and the medical system wasn't easy to deal with.

I didn't have access to the internet or cable TV on my "off duty" hours and ended up watching a lot of crackpot TV and listening to local talk radio expounding the relevance of Revelations or the moral corruption that is life in the early 21st century.

All that left me drained and yearning for some intellectual stimulation. I found it at TED.com.

Forward thinkers present short talks about provocative subjects.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

From the fire to here.

Year 18 of the 20 year project.

Youngblood's birthday is this week. So, a little progress report.

He's lovely. Creative, open, kind, compassionate, sensitive. He swears fluently, isn't afraid to wear a dress, and loves hair products. I couldn't be happier or more proud. These last two years have been tough. He's a trouper.

This is the best thing I've ever done.

Terror on Elwood Av

Last night, I saw someone set a fire on my neighbor's deck. After a quick call to 911 I got everyone in my house. Firetrucks, Police and Navy command swarming all over. The guy had called my neighbor earlier to tell her he was going to do it and then later to report that he had heard her daughter screaming. Today he threatened to kill her. Tense.

Here's the good part. We got to know our neighbors a little better and the young ones found out they had more in common than they knew. Another neighbor had cooked a roast and brought it here to feed everyone. In the midst of all the chaos, community. Safety. Warmth.

They're safe. He's still out there. I'm looking out of my windows more than I ever have.