News From Guam

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 12:40 AM

G'day Brett,

"... as the trade winds tossed the casuarina pines ..."

That's a species you share with us Aussies - various casuarinas are found all over Australia - usually called "she oaks" (she-oaks, sheokes, &c). My 1898 Morris's Dictionary of Austral English says that the timber was fancied to resemble oak ... and the term "she" used adjectivally, in the sense of "weak" or "inferior"...

More recent dictionaries tend not to say that!

Regard(les)s,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 06:20 AM

Brett - you have a way with words - you carry us with you. It's such a beautiful place.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 08:35 AM

Brett, your use of the present tense was perfect for painting word pictures. It made me feel that I was right there with you.

Keep these stories coming!

Jenny

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 09:27 AM

Brett,
Did you ask the people sunbathing on towels whether they took a different route to the beach? I have visions of a parking lot just beyond the sand dunes. And a hotdog stand.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 06:24 PM

Bob, casuarinas are a tropical tree found all around the world. There are species in the Bahamas too.

Sins, there are only two routes to the Spanish Steps. Down the cliff or through the surf in a kayak. And the kayaks they use here are not the sea kayaks we're used to back in the northeast. These are formed plastic boats that you sit on instead of in. They apparently quite unstable. Gordon has three and we may get them out at some point.

Thanks for the kind words. I am being urged once again in PMs to put this together as a book. I'll have to give that some serious thought.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 12:15 AM

G'day again Brett,

Dunno about the Bahamas examples ... the usual distribution that comes to my mind is Australasia/SE Asia - and that's what my Oxford includes in its definition ... deriving the name from "Late Latin casuaris = cassowary (that's a large flightless bird of our north and Indonesia / Papua/New Guinea).

The Macquarie Dictionary definition seems even tighter: "Any member of the genus Casuarina, a group of trees and scrubs with few species outside Australia ... ". The genus name is derived by Macquarie as from Malay kesuari, their name for the bird and the tree. Given modern transport and commercial plant culture, I'm inclined to suspect that the Bahamas examples are introduced ... unless they are a different genus of somewhat similar appearance!

Either way, like most Australian trees, they don't give you any more shade than they have to! (unlike your trees back in Maine that need to wave big, opaque green leaves in the sun ... when there is sunlight ... to make enough chlorophyll!)

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 05:29 AM

To all the women following this thread, at least those who have had to deal with sick husbands or significant others, WARNING. Do not read this post.

I have the flu and I have no one to bath my forehead with damp cloths, to soothe away the night sweats, and to bring me the medicine when I need it. I have no one to whine about being ill and generally reinforce the idea that sick men are just like babies.

Whine, whine, whine, whine, whine, whine, whine.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 07:06 AM

poor Brett, consider yourself patted on the shoulder & the recipient of several sympthetic oohs. Feel better now?

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 07:15 AM

poor baby, I'm coming right over..


sincerely

Nurse Ratched

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 09:20 AM

Oh, Brett, I'm so sorry! My sweetie here has been down & out w/ the flu for the past 2 weeks; it's a tough one! I was w/ him when he came down w/ it, but I had had a flu shot & managed to avoid getting it. Since then, I haven't seen him, but we've been in touch by phone every day. It stinks to live alone. Rick had days of fever & chills, lots of ache & general weakness, & still has no taste for food. Nasty cough, too. I've had flu twice & it ain't no fun. Keep an eye on your symptoms & contact the doctor as needed. This article seemed to contain some pretty good info:

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/articles/17267-1.asp

I hope you will feel better soon. If you have what Rick has had, though, you'll need to pace yourself. If you try to get back on normal schedule too soon, you may very well relapse. Be kind to yourself & keep in touch w/ us!

love & sympathy,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Amos
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 10:35 AM

JudyB:

Pictures like that are dangerous!! They might make everyone wanna move to Southern California! :>)

A

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 06:04 PM

Or Guam!

Barbara, what you describe is what I got. This morning my temp was almost down to normal but now I have a deep chest cough. Bah, Humbug! This is a three day weekend. There ought to be a law against getting sick on a weekend.

Thanks for all your support.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 10:27 PM

Just take it easy, Brett. Rick went out food shopping today for the 1st time since he got sick & ended up leaning on the cart for support. He's sounding pretty normal, but, boy, he hasn't got his strength back yet!

Thinking of you,

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 11:19 PM

I worked up enough gumption to take a shower and make up my bed with fresh sheets. I was getting to the point where I couldn't stand top be in the same room with myself and if there is noone you can walk out on it is yourself.

And I'm finally hungry. Wish I had some food in the house.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Jan 04 - 11:58 PM

Guam's cool!

http://ns.gov.gu/culture.html

http://jessica.web.gu/guamsong/

http://guam.org.gu/hemplo/index.html

http://ns.gov.gu/language.html

http://jessica.web.gu/

~Susan

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 19 Jan 04 - 09:50 AM

Brett-

Thinking in terms of brighter coming days and your visit to Maine in March, how about staying at our house the Friday before the Press Room Song Party; we could do another song party here in Richmond and invite some friends who might not make it down to Portsmouth? Singing all night should prepare you for the Press Room. According to my calendar that would be March 12th.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 19 Jan 04 - 03:09 PM

Ooooh, Maine in March? Too bad it's a busy month for me. It would be nice to see you!

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Jan 04 - 09:46 PM

Yeah, Barbara, I can think of better times to visit Maine but one takes what one can get.

Charley, that sounds like a good idea. The way I figure it I will officially be staying at my sister's house but will be spending occasional nights elswhere so I can stay up till the wee hours catching up with old friends.

I'll check out those sites. I probably have seen them at some point, I did a lot of internet searches before deciding to come here, but you may have found a few I missed. This is a pretty neat place. It gets a pass by so many because it is so far away.

Still feeling crumby but I may be on the uphill climb out of this flu thing.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 19 Jan 04 - 10:16 PM

Rick's doctor offhandedly mentioned to him today that he'd had a touch of pneumonia. Maybe that's why he was down & out so long?

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Jan 04 - 07:41 AM

Brett,

I could not get the sound files to play, but one or more of those links have Chamorro songs, I believe. I thought others might like to hear them.

~S~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 02:32 AM

I just got back from an overnight stay at the hospital. I will write more soon but I am having trouble staying at the keyboard.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 08:14 AM

Should alarms be sounding here? Brett, how's your local support system in terms of transport to medical support, testing, whatever it takes to shake what you've got? Should I be sending PM's to Amy and Kelly?

Concerned,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,bbc at work
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 12:01 PM

Brett,

Give us a progress report as soon as you feel up to it. We worry.

Barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 12:14 PM

DAMNATION! it is times like this the internet can be a *DIS*advantage...

face it, in the old days you'd get a letter after everything was over - and while it might make you sweat - you'd know everything was okay again and life was hunky-dorey.

These days? you get a message - then sweat bullets until the person is well enough to think coherently and post the whole story.

and you can't help but worry - even though you know that while recovering the last thing the person wants to do is sit at the computer - and that they are better off recuperating.


Be well Brett!

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennyO
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 12:18 PM

Lets not get too worried yet, folks. Over there it is the wee small hours of the morning. He is probably asleep right now, unaware that we are concerned.

All the same, it would be good to know......

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 06:50 PM

I just realized that, for you guys, the hospital visit is a complete surprise. My last entry was that I was feeling crumby.

My flu symptoms turned out to be pneumonia. I will get the full story up soon but for now I am more or less well. They wouldn't let me out of the hospital if I weren't well enough to go. They gave me a big paper bag full of drugs and careful instructions on what to do with them. I still have a low grade fever and I cough a lot but I now have an inhaler and plenty of pills to take every morning.

I am feeling much better today. I actually found enough energy to get some of my dishes washed. Now I am tired out again. It's unlikely I'll get to work this week especially since I have to do laundry before I can show up in the quasi professional environment of our office.

Thanks for your concern. Please don't worry. I am just keeping my Guam news up to date.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 06:55 PM

Plenty of rest, Brett. That's about all you can do. And watch for any worsening of the cough. Sorry. Hope you have someone nearby to check on you.
SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 08:06 PM

OK, Brett, we'll call off the first responder Mudcat team. I'm sure the Blackbird hasn't gone more than 6000 miles since you last posted. We really need the more up-to-date Transporter, so send your donations to Richmond, Maine..

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 08:29 PM

Whew! Thanks for posting. I'm feeling a sense of deja vue. Rick's going to another doctor tomorrow. He's worked a partial day, the past 2 days, after 2 weeks mostly in bed, but he's feeling tightness in his chest & still tires very easily, in addition to his temperature being subnormal. Brett, please take care of yourself. Wish we could be there to help!

love,

barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 21 Jan 04 - 09:46 PM

damn! i was going to come over with my hammer and saw..

nurse ratched

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 07:04 AM

in the words of my favourite Get Well card "Get well soon, you'll feel better"

Build up your strength, take all your pills & potions, & definitely keep away from Nurse Ratched.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 07:48 AM

I had a restful day. I called my boss this morning and he made the usual noise about anything he could do to help. So I thought about it and explained I was out of groceries and would he like to do up my dishes. He laughed off the dishes (as he was supposed to do) and took my grocery list. Around 1:00 his wife showed up at my door with two sacks of groceries.

We chatted for a while, talking of my Australia trip and her intentions to go there. It was nice to have a civilized conversation, face to face, with an interesting person. Today is her birthday. She's 64.

During our conversation I mentioned that I was now two weeks late getting my laundry done. She insisted on taking it to do herself. My boss will drop it off tomorrow afternoon.

Did I mention that they are very nice people?

But my dishes are still dirty.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 08:02 AM

dishes? who needs dishes - have a read of the non-cooking thread for ideas on easy feeding.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 08:56 AM

Jaclyn can do the dishes as a thank-you for looking out for her! LOL. (My incipient-dau-in-law is headed there to see a certain sailor.)

~S~

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 10:11 AM

Hi Dad! feel better soon!!
*hug*
love
kelli

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 11:33 AM

Ah yes, my careless ne'r-do-well daughter flits in and flits out again.

(Of course, like all of us she's got her own cares. And she has not failed to do well at anything she turns her hands and head to.)

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 22 Jan 04 - 04:12 PM

Sounds like that apple didn't fall far from the tree. 'SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Lana
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 05:18 AM

I'm only "flitting" because I don't have a whole lot of internet access from my own computer right now and that's where all my favorites are saved.

Sorry. :-(

Feel better soon Dad, I'll try to call you again next week and hopefully the connection will be better with the phone card.
Talk to you soon!
love
Kelli

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 23 Jan 04 - 03:06 PM

Yes, poor girl, she is a lot like her father. Sigh. Fortunately she has some of her mother's drive and energy.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 08:05 AM

[Here, at last is my description of the visit to the hospital. while you read this please remember this is a military hospital. Most of the caregivers were either enlisted men and women (corpsmen) or junior officers (nurses). These are the facilities provided to our soldiers and sailors.]

Last weekend, a three day weekend, mind, I got sick. It had to be flu. I had aches and pains, fever, chest congestion, etc. I dosed myself with Nyquil, the good green stuff, and aspirin. By Tuesday my temperature reached 103 so I headed for the emergency room at the Navy Hospital to get some stronger medicine. They weren't busy and took me right in. They asked me a mess of questions, took vital signs, hooked me up to a monitor, ran an EKG, listened to my lungs, sent me upstairs for a chest x-ray, grabbed the pictures when I got back and then said they needed some blood.

The young corpsman who came to take the blood sat down next to the gurney with his basket of supplies and tried to make conversation. He was manipulating my hand. and commented that he was going to insert an IV connection. On my other side another corpsman was manipulating my other hand. He said he needed some blood for a culture. I asked why he didn't take it from the left hand and he mumbled something about not needing much. I think he was taking advantage of the opportunity to stick someone with needles.

On my left the insertion of the IV connection became very painful but the corpsman finished quickly. Then I felt a seizure coming on. I squirmed in pain, feeling sick all over, and told them what was going to happen next. I don't think they believed me. I got the usual BS about taking deep breaths. Then I slipped into the floating dream state, oblivious to the world.

When I came out of it again I was halfway down the hall, wheeling fast as a crowd of medical people shouted things at each other. Someone was trying to ask me questions that amounted to, "Are you confused?" What did he expect me to say, "Oh no, I usually find myself on a gurney while medical people shout things at each other. This is a normal state for me."?

They got me into a bright room where they cut my Roll & Go T-shirt off. I tried to stop them but it was like Officer Obie in Alice's Restaurant. They had all this medical gear lying around and this was their chance to use it. They hooked me up to oxygen too.

I waited in that room for a long time. Finally a doctor came in to tell me they thought I had pneumonia and that I would be kept at the hospital for a couple of days. After another interminable wait and many more forms (Did I mention the forms?) they dragged me upstairs to my "room".

They had trouble maneuvering the gurney down the hall, through the doors, and into and out of the elevator. When we got to the ward the Nurse in charge, a young Navy Officer, pointed to a door next to the nurses station. They had to negotiate a difficult u-turn to get into the door. My impression on entering the room was that it was entered through the nurses' bathroom. I may have been confused. When they finally released me I saw it was a hallway with a sink for washing hands.

The room itself was everything I would have expected an upscale hospital room would be… if I was in a third world country. The walls were dingy, there was a hole in one of the walls at point, a tangle of bedside tables occupied one corner, and the TV did not work. They slid a battered night stand over next to my bed and moved the phone close enough to reach. The telephone was designed to hang on the wall so the hand piece kept sliding out of it's cradle because it sat at an odd angle.

The TV was not hooked up to cable but did have a VCR built into it. It was mounted high on the wall but the curtain tracks for the privacy curtains were in the way and made it impossible to turn the screen so I could see it from where I lay. Next day when they brought me some video tapes I found that the tapes and the boxes they were in did not match.

So, there I lay, no shirt, the johnny did not fit and they had no other size. They said they'd bring me some pajama bottoms but later reported they didn't have any. I complained that my feet were cold and asked for some socks or booties. They came back an hour later to report they didn't have any of those either.

I suffered further indignities but next day they allowed me to go home. They explained my blood gas index was up to 95% and that I had come in at 89%. They sold me a big brown paper bag full of medicine and gave me the johnny to wear home as a shirt. When I got back to my truck I noticed my swim gear and remembered there was a clean t-shirt in there. I was glad to get out of that stupid johnny.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 08:57 AM

don't get sick again! It's not good for you. I hope Charlie can get you another shirt.

Another great description of life on Guam & this time I wouldn't have liked to be there. Pity the poor defence personnel who normally use the facilities.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 09:41 AM

And I was hoping that you had enough sense left to get to the hospital. Maybe a home visit from Nurse Ratched would have been better, even if she did bring her Sawzall.

Damn! Now we have to special order another XXXX Roll & Go T-shirt. You want a special color this time? We could print it on a burlap gunny sack and cut off two corners.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: freda underhill
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 10:13 AM

i've got the handcuffs, too..

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 10:43 AM

Sounds like you have yet another reason to take better care of yourself - to stay the hell out of the local hospital.

Deep breaths must be the hospital cure-all for everything. I felt nauseous and warned the nurse. She, with great irritaion, said take deep breaths. I was just out of surgery and groggy, no glasses so I couldn't see a thing. Well, two minutes later the deep breaths stopped working and there I was needing a clean gown, clean sheets, etc. Boy were they pissed! Seems I was supposed to use a basin...I couldn't see it so I didn't know it was there. And between the pain of the incision and the grogginess, I couldn't have reached it anyway. Now that I think of it, despite their nastiness, I won that battle. hee hee.

Sounds like you did too.

SINS

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: bbc
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 05:55 PM

Ah, Brett, sorry about that hospital experience. I think you're better off at home! Hope you're feeling better each day.

Thinking of you,

barbara

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 24 Jan 04 - 09:42 PM

I am feeling better. Last night I went to dinner at my boss's house. I left there at 9:00 and stayed up another couple of hours. Finally went to bed around 11:30 or so and slept the clock round, 12 hours! I rarely do that. It indicates how sick I must be. The problem is that I feel fine except for some tightness in my chest, a persistent cough, and the fact that I get winded very easily.

For those of you who smoke, this is your future!

Sorry to inject an antismoking message...

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 25 Jan 04 - 06:10 AM

Sins - years ago one of my friends had a similar experience with a no-nonsense nurse. She told the dental nurse she was going to be sick & she was - all over the woman's shoes!!

Brett - keep resting.

sandra

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 Jan 04 - 10:10 AM

Here's something to meditate while you're recovering, my original contribution to the "Hamster of Time Thread":

So as the pawls of the capstan of time click away, the mudhook of fate is slowly raised to the surface of tranquility.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 25 Jan 04 - 02:43 PM

Good imagery, Charlie.

I am going to try to go back to work today. Wish me luck.

Subject: RE: News From Guam
From: JennieG
Date: 25 Jan 04 - 08:06 PM

I couldn't resist it - post 600!!   How are you today Brett? It's Australia Day here, not a bad day, warmish but overcast, possible storms later (again). I have missed your news, I've been away for 3 weeks.
Hope you are feeling much more betterer
Cheers
JennieG