Image Expo 2012

Over the weekend we attended Image Expo, a three day comic book convention hosted by Image Comics.  It was a fun weekend full of friends, art, comics, celebrities, geeks, artists, and a good time!  Here is my top ten list of my favorite comic book convention memories!
10.  Having my Wizard of Oz books signed by Eric Shanower.  Although kinda of an awkward guy to talk too, I love these books.  He did a little sketch in each one too!
 

9. I picked up a copy of Super Ugly's book, Monsters Are Just Like Us.  This is a really cute all ages book showing that scary monsters are really just like people. 

8. We attended Dave Dwonch and Super Ugly's signing party.  This was a fun get together at a Oakland based comic book store, Dr. Comics and Mr. Games.  A good time with the Geek Savants, as usual.  Unfortunatley, Ethan lost his cell phone on the way to the party, so we had to cut out early to try and track it down. 

7. I met Robert Kirkman.  Although not super friendly or talkative, nice enough to let me take a picture with him.  You may know Mr. Kirkman as the creator of The Walking Dead tv show. 

6. I discovered a cool new comic series, 19XX.  I have not read it yet, but I am excited to find a non-super hero book. 

5. I discovered a new web comic, Boston Metaphysical Society.  Don't know if it is any good, as it doesn't come out until April.  But it looks like some good artwork.

4. I was excited to see that Dave Dwonch published the first season of Space-Time Condominium. Originally published as a web comic, now I have a hard copy of my very own. And a sketch!

3. Artist Jen Oaks had a print of Amazing Larry.  I don't have a picture of it and it is not on her website yet, but Ethan, Michele, and Josh will know who I am talking about!
2. I had my picture taken with Marc Silvestri.  He is a comic cook super star and happens to be my husband's favorite X-Men artist. Super nice and friendly guy.  I like Marc because he is a fashion icon in the comic book world.  When he walks into a room, people notice.  At least I do. :)

And the #1 most notable memory at the convention:

The Dipstick Swagger booth.  These guys are really funny.  Great entertainment at their booth.  They were taking commissions and each commission included two bonus sketches.  Here are my sketches below.  Good stuff!

Here are some other pictures from the weekend!

Brandi Thorpe- A CF Warrior, March 21 1978 to February 15, 2012

I first met Brandi as "bankgirl" during the launch of my blog.  I found her blog as I was seeking out CF related blogs to follow.  In return, she started following my blog too.  She was one of my first followers.  I learned a lot about life with CF through Brandi.  She posted raw emotion and shared in the difficulties of balancing work with health.  When hospitalized, she would refer to the stay as being at "Club Dread" instead of "Club Med." 

Brandi and I had a lot in common. We were the same age, love animals, and of course CF. She gave me great advice when I needed it the most.


She didn't blog as much this past year, so it was not as easy to keep up with her and her health.  She posted a blog in January to which she recapped an extended hospital stay, which included being there most of December, including Christmas Day.  Even after a four week stay, her lung function continued to be below her baseline.  They started to discuss an evaluation for transplant.  From this point the details are fuzzy, but she landed back in the hospital and suddenly was listed in critical condition, on a ventilator.  Hours later she was taken off life support and her suffering was over. 

There are so many things I loved about Brandi.  She was an animal lover.  She loved her "kittehs" as she always wrote it.  I will never forget back in 2009, her friend Lauren lost her life to CF.  Lauren had three dogs that were now homeless.  Brandi put forth every effort to find those dogs a home.  She also raised funds to support them until they could find a new place to live.  I will never forget the blog Brandi wrote when she found those dogs a home.  Together.  In Colorado.  I think there are so many people that would just take the easy way out and leave the dogs at the shelter to either be adopted separately or simply euthanized.  Not Brandi.  A true friend.  She did the right thing, in honor of her friend.  This is my favorite memory of Brandi.  My hope is someone is able to do the same for Brandi's fur babies. 

Brandi loved Halloween.  I always looked forward to her blogs around Halloween, because she was so excited about the holiday.  She had awesome costumes with a lot of imagination. 

Brandi's life has come to an end way too soon.  She spend a lot of time in the hospital. I hate that she spent her last Christmas there.  Even still, she always displayed a positive attitude.  A spirit we can all learn from.  Blogging will not be the same with out her.  I never met Brandi in person, but when I picture her face, I can't believe she is not with us any longer. Her smile is imbedded in my memory forever.  I'll miss you Brandi. 

Paws for Love

February 11, 2012 was the annual Paws for Love fund raiser here in Sonoma County.  I don't remember how I first learned about Paws for Love, but it is now one of my favorite days of the year.  This is a unique event filled with hundreds of auction items, art, wine, food, and pets.  The proceeds go towards supporting the adoption and rescue of homeless and abused animals.  My two dogs were both homeless before coming to live with us.  They are my best friends and are a part of our home and family.  They both have so much to offer in terms of companionship and they really don't ask for much in return. I am always trying to find ways to give back to the animal community in celebration of my own two dogs and remembering that giving a homeless animal a second chance is so important.

Paws for Love is founded by Ellyn Jaques Boone.  The main focus of the event is Ellyn's year round work with homeless, neglected or abused animals.  She helps these animals by painting with them.  Their art goes up on display for the evening at the event and also goes up for sale.  Each year we come home with a new piece of art to decorate our home with, learn the story of the artist, and support this important event.  We also have fun bidding on auction items.  Here are a few picture of what we brought home this year (plus two more wine glasses to add to our collection).

The Power of Two-Movie Notes

In my 7th grade science class, Mr. Linch would often show a movie and require us to write down at least 10 or 15 facts from the movie.  Of course, I would try to write down my notes within the first 5 minutes of the movie so I could goof off the rest of class.  While I don't really remember anything from that class (7th grade was 20 years ago), I do remember Mr. Linch was one of my favorite science teachers.  In honor of Mr. Linch and my love of science, here are 10 movies notes from the recent Sonoma County screening of The Power of Two!

1. The Power of Two follows the lives of the Stenzel twins, Ana and Isa.  They have Cystic Fibrosis and both received the gift of life through organ donation. 

2. The Stenzel twins are Japanese Americans.  Cystic Fibrosis is not common in the Japanese population.  Care for those living with CF in Japan is archaic, as many resources and medications that are common in most developed nations for CF patients are not available in Japan. 

3. Organ donation in Japan is not common.  In 2008 only 198 transplants took place.  While in the United State over 28,000 transplants took place in the same year. 

4. While the primary focus of the documentary was Ana and Isa experience with CF and transplant, the secondary focus was the concerns with organ donation in Japan.  Less than 1% of the Japanese population are registered organ donors. 

5. Ana and Isa are advocates for organ donation.  They have toured around the United States to share their story and spread awareness about organ donation. 

6. They traveled to Japan to share their story in hope to change the view of the culture's perception on organ donation.  Not only where they able to influence a change in the law to make organ donation a more feasible option, they also facilitate the availability of four CF medications in Japan. (I think last fact as provided after the movie and not actually part of the movie).

7. The documentary uncovers the raw emotions of living with Cystic Fibrosis.  Both sisters faced end-stage lung disease.  Niether Ana or Isa would of survived without organ donation.  Hearing their accounts of facing end-stage lung disease was powerful and emotional. 

8. The reality of Cystic Fibrosis is always hard to watch.  "This will be me someday" is a difficult reality to face. 

9. Hearing Ana and Isa's stories help keep me focused on taking the best care of myself.  It motivational and inspirational.  Not just in my own health, but being part of a community and making a difference.

10. These woman are very brave for sharing their story.  From their emotions to actually showing their scars, they bear it all.  In my own life, I still don't really want to talk about CF with people.  But it is important.  This film will help me to be more comfortable with telling my story. 

Work Out Wednesday-Swimming in the Winter

I don't really know what it is like to live in a place with cold weather.  I did live the first 9 years of my life in Chicago, but I can't really recall living in that kind of cold and snow.  Cold to me is our mornings here in Sonoma County where there is ice on the car windshield, maybe the low 30's.  Our average high in the winter is around 50.  It is not freezing, but it is not warm either.  But regardless, I still get out in the pool twice a week.  That is, I get in an outdoor pool twice a week. 

Most places that experience sub-freezing temperatures are equip with indoor pools, so swimming is possible, regardless of the elements. Being here in California, my gym only has an outdoor pool.  I'm out there in the pool no matter what the whether, but at least I don't have to worry about jumping into a block of ice.

I actually love swimming in the winter.  It is peaceful and quite.  There are not many people that stick with swimming in a outdoor pool year round.  Some days I have the pool to myself.  And I swim one day a week at dusk, so I am not only surrounded by nature, but I usually can watch the sunset.   I also think it is easy to get in the water during the winter.  The water is way warmer than the outside air, so it actually feels comfortable to jump in. 

Swimming has really helped keep my back pain under control and my lungs in great condition.  I usually do water aerobics class on Saturdays and my own version of water aerobics on Tuesday evenings. 

Here is one view from the pool.  See you in the water.

Looking Back, but Moving Forward

As the current year comes to an end, it's hard not to reflect on the significant events I encountered during 2011.  Items worth noting include:

Becoming a Registered Environmental Assessor
I had very little problems with my sinuses and have not had a sinus infection for a whole year.
New treatments have increased my lung function and have minimized my CF symptoms.
Disneyland
Spring Training
Another successful Great Strides
Vicky and David's Wedding
Quest for 30 Parks-Park #10-US Cellular Field
Hawaii
Completed our Foster-Adopt application and have our foster parents license.
My husband has his own car.

There were difficult times in 2011 as well.  Both of my dogs each had surgery twice.  My dog Dotty had her toe amputated due to a cancerous tumor.  But there is no sign of internal cancer, so her condition seems much more manageable.  My grandma fell and broke her hip.  I struggled with managing back pain.  I learned a friend took his own life.  I said good-bye to two special CF friends, Joe and Hannah. 

What is in store for 2012?  We are in the process of planning our Spring Training trip, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's San Francisco's Finest event, Paws for Love, A's games, I am being considered to work in a different program at work, hoping to visit Disney World for my 35th birthday, and hoping we are matched with a child to adopt. 

I also have a few goals for the new year.  I'd like to read more.  I have a lot of "to-read" books on my list and I would like to take more time to get to my reading list.  I need to be better about taking my vitamins.  I would like to sell home made crafts on etsy.  I want to focus on being positive.  I want to set aside time during the day for practicing relaxation.

Happy New Year

Making Holiday Memories

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas.  I am sad to announce, I was sick over Christmas this year.  It seems I had some type of food poisoning the night of Christmas Eve.  Its hard to say for sure, but I was up in the middle of the night with terrible stomach pains.  They were very intense.  Once things calmed down, I was able to sleep, but my stomach hurt most of Christmas day.  I also didn't feel like eating much and was advised by the on-call doctor to eat a plain diet.  So my Christmas/Birthday dinner was steam veggies and rice.  I was not able to enjoy any of the good food or even my birthday cake.

I was still able to enjoy some time with family, although I really didn't do much besides sit on the couch.  We watched the Bear/Packers game, which was just depressing.  I am feeling better now and even eating again.  This is also not the first time I have been sick on or around Christmas.  In fact, I was sick last Christmas. I hope this is not becoming a new tradition!

Speaking of traditions,  I have been wanting to post some pictures of my Christmas ornaments.  Decorating the tree this year, I realized that they make up so many memories for me. Almost all of my ornaments are gifts, which alone make them special.  Here is a look.

I have ornamanets that are....


older than me and belonged to my mom.
hand-made with love.
collectible and worth money.
not valuable at all, but are worth more to me than any dollar value.
part of a series that I have been collecting for 21 years this year.
from our pop culture like Lucy,  Elvis and Scooby Doo.
glittery snowflakes which are on their own special tree.
representative of who I am as a person.  Lots of dogs and sewing.
in memory of my dog Cocoa, who we lost 10 years ago this year.
special gifts give to us as wedding presents.
from Ethan's collection and represent who he is as a person.  Super heros and skiing.
that my sister and I fought over when we moved out of our parents house.  Mom had to split them up between us.