alleyphant

alleyphant @ 2009-01-07T11:14:00

2009-01-06T22:17:08Z

Here is the whole flower! well almost all of it.

alleyphant @ 2009-01-07T11:07:00

2009-01-06T22:11:44Z

Can you believe this is growing in our garden - a 2 meter high flower spike - I created my profile picture from the inspiration of this magnificent flower.

New Directions

2007-08-08T09:09:53Z

Well its been a while but eyesight still good.
However I have no job - contract terminated due to appalling weather in the far north - no traction in the market - who wants to do training when they have ---
no house, not water, no power, no money/insurance to rectify the previous.
Obviously these things all make web delivered education a trifle tricky and not high on any-ones priority list.
So I am in the market for new things - What exactly I do not know. But I am pleased at the sense of freedom I feel. The work place has been difficult to work at for quite a while for me, lack of support and conflicting directions seemed to make it hard to cope.

So anyone want a friendly, well meaning (sometimes bossy), organiser of process and service oriented sales/trainer type person?? It would be me.
Have had the nick name of Sergeant major/ mother hen in the same office by the same people.
So I guess it goes with the core belief I have - "create a safe fair to all environment; and challenge people to grow and develop their skills".

For those that know me Ideas on a new career path would be welcome!

Vision

2007-07-07T06:13:42Z

Well I had a clearance for my vision a few weeks ago and was told that if my sight did not deterioriate in the next 3-4 weeks then I was likely to remain with my vision as good as it was before the clot appeared. It is now 5 weeks and vision is still good. I am finally realising that the threat of blindness has gone and that I should retain the vision without further issues.
;-} Great relief and gratitude for the Opthamologist who tried and experimental treatment and says that it was from his view point a phenomenal success!
I feel very pleased that a number of things fell into place well to work together to achieves this end result.
The first being that I noticed something was not quite right!

So I will vote for the Argon Laser treatment and the Avastin injections and a great practitioner who was forthright and communicated very clearly with me about the risks etc.
I also think that without medical insurance I would be about $30K worse off financially, worth every penny bit a big expense.

It appears that not many people have had this combo treatment but it has worked well for those that have had it. In my case I needed one less injection than initially thought and did not need repeat laser so it went extremely well.

so for those of you with fears re sight - there is great medical advances in this area and although I would always opt to wear glasses and not mess with corrective surgery at my age, I am confident that these people really know what they are doing here and are making great strides in treating previously blinding conditions.

Is this Me

2007-05-03T22:54:41Z

Comments would be appreciated

Vision

2007-03-30T03:12:00Z

Having a hard time accepting my deteriorating vision.
About 8 weeks ago I went to the optician because I had blurry vision form my left eye. It started with a watery eye from a cold and then did not go away. So the optician said they would need to check it dilated and I would need to return next day. I returned with driver in tow and had drops in my eyes making the pupils large and wierd looking - anyway the optician did her tests and then phoned a specialist and arranged for me to go straight to the opthamologist. This was urgent. The opthamolgist said he'd have a quick look and get me back. Then he looked and said ahhh change of plans - we will be doing some urgent tests.

So what had gone wrong. I had a vein occlusion on my left eye at the area where the vein, nerve and artery enter the back of the eye. Not operable. So with the blockage there had been blood fowing in through the artery but unable to flow out through the vein - the eye was swollen at the back and some blood vessels had burst - blood had flowed across the visual field - hence blurry vision.

The question now was how bad was the damage and how quickly could this be fixed.
More tests, some scans - followed two days later by a series of amazing photographic images of the inside of my eye. The condition is painless. Without the ultra blurring I would bhave been unaware of the problem, and so I am grateful that I have a slow clotting time which caused this flow into the visual field.

Cause was a concern - how does this happen - I did not have any of the usual underlying causes hypertension, glaucoma, diabetes, - it appears I was unlucky. Not comforting at all.

So the results of the tests and photos confirmed that I had a blod clot blocking the main vein that services half of my eye.
Treatment options -
Do nothing lose the site in that eye - poor circulation means poor oxygen means tissue death = blindness.
Surgically remove the clot -not feasible too risky too clost to the optic nerve and main artery.
Experimental treatment - inject a cancer drug that is used to reduce blood flow to tumours - this will reduce the swelling and pressure in the eye and improve the vision and allow time for the clot to reduce. This treatment has a short life span of 4 - 6 weeks. Side effects - possible bruising, posible nausea. On its own this treatment is not enough. This is followed by laser surgery to the rear of the inside of the eye to try to create a new pathway for the blood to drain through to the working blood vessels. This needs to be done about 2 weeks following the injected drug. Chances are that a number of Drug injection cycles may be needed to get the maximum vision while the clot dissapates.

Ok so a bit to take in - first questions what is the worst that can happen with this treatment if it goes wrong? Answer loss of vision in the eye.
What happens if I do not do this Loss of vision in the eye.
Chances of a good out come - pretty good but as it is experimental and there may already be some damage - there may be some permanent loss of clear vision.

Ok so I could have blurry vision which can not be corrected to 20/20 sight but I could see in general. YES

So I have Avastin injected in my eye - I bruise easily and I had a whopping buise on my eyeball for about 2 weeks but I regained about 70% of the vision I had lost which is good; still a bit blurry for reading but ok. I had the laser surgery 2 weeks later which was very odd -Bright bright argon light beamed through the pupil onto the inside back of the eye - very disconcerting as your brain gets scrambled trying to avoid the light flashes and being unable to. Afterwards you want to be still as it is all very confusing. And it is like walking inside on a very bright day with your sunglasses on and your world goes dark - this lasts for a number of hours.

I thought I was doing fine but at a check a week later my vision was deteriorating again - so Back this week for more Avastin injected. Which was better this time round no bruising, however it takes a few days for the eye to settle following this injection and my vision is still blurry and I am in need of 4 hrly panadol for discomfort.

I thank goodness for medical insurtance. I do have to pay for the drug but not the treatment.

I am however not sure how many treatments I will need. But I am very gratefull that I have had the chance to do something to halt the loss of vision. Will it work 100%?- dont know but if I can have enough vision to drive safely and operate in my usual way I will be ok with it.
The drug being used for this was developed for Rectal cancer and is now used for lung cancer - another drug of the same design but in much finer molecules has been developed especially for the eye but the cost of that is over 15 times more than the Avastin and as it can take up to 6 shots to get a result I am sticking with this. I could go for the gold plated version if this is not being effective after a couple of shots.

super villian status

2006-12-31T19:00:23Z

TD>

</td><td> 37%</td>
</tr><tr><td>Venom</td>
<td>

</td><td> 36%</td>
</tr><tr><td>Mr. Freeze</td>
<td>

</td><td> 33%</td>
</tr><tr><td>Juggernaut</td>
<td>

</td><td> 32%</td>
</tr><tr><td>Mystique</td>
<td>

</td><td> 32%</td>
</tr><tr><td>Two-Face</td>
<td>

</td><td> 32%</td>
</tr><tr><td>Lex Luthor</td>
<td>

</td><td> 31%</td>
</tr><tr><td>Apocalypse</td>
<td>

</td><td> 31%</td>
</tr><tr><td>Poison Ivy</td>
<td>

</td><td> 31%</td>
</tr><tr><td>Green Goblin</td>
<td>

</td><td> 28%</td>
</tr><tr><td>Dark Phoenix</td>
<td>

</td><td> 26%</td>
</tr><tr><td>Catwoman</td>
<td>

</td><td> 25%</td>
</tr><tr><td>Magneto</td>
<td>

</td><td> 22%</td>
</tr><tr><td>Riddler</td>
<td>

</td><td> 21%</td>
</tr></table></td>
<td width="250">Blessed with smarts and power but burdened by vanity.

</td>
</tr></table>
Click here to take the "Which Super Villain am I?" quiz...

Suoer hero status

2006-12-31T18:55:02Z

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman		85%
Green Lantern		75%
Robin		67%
Supergirl		57%
Spider-Man		55%
Hulk		50%
Batman		45%
Catwoman		45%
Iron Man		45%
Wonder Woman		42%
The Flash		25%

You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

alleyphant @ 2006-12-02T18:14:00

2006-12-02T06:14:17Z

Alley took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test!

"Needs a peaceful environment. Wants release from s..."

Click here to read the rest of the results.

Colour s

2006-12-02T06:12:00Z

alleyphant @ 2006-11-22T10:32:00

2006-11-21T22:32:01Z

You are Temperance

Time. Ages. Transformation. Involuntary change

Temperance is another card of aspiration, but also of much change. It often
represents complex situations. Positively, you can harmonize contrary
forces.

Temperance is, on a surface level, about "tempering." The original pouring from cup to cup might have been about cutting wine with water. So this is a card about moderation. There is, however, another angle to the card, that of merging seemingly impossible opposites. Sagittarius, the centaur, merges beast and man into a unique creature. And then there is the bow and arrow, one moving, one stationary, working together to point the way. Temperance may be, at first glance, a warning for you to "temper" your behavior, to cut your wine with water. But it may also be a reminder to that seemingly irreconcilable opposites may not be irreconcilable at all. Belief that fiery red and watery blue cannot be merged may be the only thing standing in the way of blending the two. Change the belief, measure out each with care, and you can create otherworldly violet.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

movies

2006-08-10T07:32:59Z

I Watched a movie on Rialto channel yesterday by chance - it was called "The year of the hunter" and it was about the making of Nanook of the north. This is a stunning story and a fantastic record of the dedication and ingenuity of the film maker. I was so impressed at the footage and the story. The early film makers left an incredible legacy and show a dedication and focus that I think would be hard to parallel today. If you ever get the chance to see this - it is a must see.
The Year of the Hunter: The Story of Nanook
2003-Canada-Biography/Social History/Anthropology/Film & Television History The dramatic tale behind the making of the first non-fiction film in history: Robert Flaherty was the very first to bring us a film based on the idea that reality could be as gripping as fiction. After years as an explorer in Canada's North, and funded by a fur trading company, he undertook the mission of chronicling the life of an Inuit hunter near Port Harrison, on the eastern shore of Hudson's Bay. The story of how he did it, and the way he shot the landscape, is one of courage, strength, but most of all, one of friendship.

In making Nanook of the North, perhaps the first example of film as empowerment, Flaherty lived with the Inuit and was treated as a family member. An intricate web of friendship and trust wed Flaherty to the community and became the pillar of the film. For sixteen months, they worked together as a team to create an enduring and moving record of life in the North in all its innocence, beauty and strength.

It is an extraordinary tale of the power of cross-cultural understanding. It is the romance of Flaherty developing his own negatives, hauling giant sleds of water pulled by massive dog teams to wash the film and scouring the beach for precious driftwood to dry it; and the members of the community doubling as camera operators and repairmen. It is the harrowing story of a polar bear hunt gone wrong, with starving dogs and desperate men. It is heroism and legend.

Philosophy

2006-04-07T19:29:57Z

A friend sent me this and I thought I would share it with you. I have no idea where it originated but I acknowledge the creator. It is an excellent view on life.

Excellent philosophy!

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 beers...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if they thought the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if they thought the jar was full.
They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if they thought the jar was full.
The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two bottles of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18.
There will always be time to clean the house
and fix the disposal.
Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend"

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way

Dreams

2006-04-06T05:59:25Z

I once wondered if I dreamed in colour and set about trying to discover the answer.
It was an interesting exercise - because of the riotous content of my dreams I never thought much about the imagery or detail of the things that presented to me in dream state.
My task was difficult - I failed on numerous occasions to recall anything but the activity or the message or the emotion of the dreams. After a few weeks I decided that I could do this - all I needed was to remember whilst dreaming to focus on one thing and SEE it clearly. I dreamed and wrote upon waking so as to capture the essence.

Drifting thoughts - not connected
odd words, shapes, shades, swirling, merging
An image appears then fades blending in; diluting itself.
a bright yellow scarf drifts though the blur of grey
clear, distinct, sharply focussed
Do I follow or observe as it floats by?
What does it mean? Where shall it take me? Why is it yellow? Does it matter? Confusion
A dog barks,a sharp sound, distracted, focus, look - where is it, I turn and the yellow scarf stills pausing hovering, then glides on.
I notice bubbles rising from the grey gently flowing water of the river,
a splash! green and brown; a fish? a frog?
there is the yellow scarf hanging limp, caught in a branch, uncaring waiting for the breeze.

Is this important - for me the answer is yes - I know that I dream in colour and I was able to control enough of my mind to grab the scene and hold on to it. I can still recall the imagery of the scarf bright and flimsy floating on a breeze beside the water. I had this dream many years ago but it is still with me - Intent is a powerful tool for the mind.

I wonder if you dream in colour??

Employed with no work

2006-04-03T21:17:46Z

It is strange to be in a position where you are employed - but have no work to do - or at least very little - hardly enough to get out of bed for once a week let alone daily.
So should I be grateful that I have this opportunity to have free time?
I dont feel that - I feel a bit depressed - perhaps it is because I define a lot of who I am by my work.
I expect that it will not last but I have been saying that for several months now - I want to move on but am curiously fixed into this inactivity where I get pay (although is is not a lot as there are no commissions or bonuses coming in) and oodles of free time but have no satisfaction in my daily life.
I wonder if I should take up a new hobby - try something out - but am nervous about spending money I am not earning as I dont know when this situation will change. I am stuck.
I should resolve to do something else with my life - This limbo is somehow addictive and yet it is not a good place to be.
I find that I am less efficient at everything I do as I have so much time to do it in. I am not sure if this is an unhealthy state, but I think I should break out - do something new and exciting with my life.

Rainy Day thoughts

2006-04-02T03:15:08Z

Thought I would give this a go. As I am accused of being an addict of this machine I thought I should explore the realm a little more and see whether I agree with the accusation.
It is wet and warm and silent and the tapping of the keys is comforting. I am not alone but I feel isolated. It is a strange to realise that as a fact.
Perhaps this is why I am accused of this computer addiction. I really need to get out more!
I am watching the mist pass across the valley and note the changing colour of the trees as they blur and fade and brighten with the drifting drizzle - there is no sky today- a blank palest grey encompasses all. The tiles outside my window are reflecting on their shiny wet glossy surface the plants and railings making an upside down world of their own. Less perfect than the original, but stunning all the same.