Photo taken in my backyard. Mr. Cardinal was posing perfectly until I went to shoot the picture. At that moment he decided to hop down to the feeder which is why he has a blurred tail.
More Wordless Wednesday.
Getting Over Going Under by Barry Friedberg, MD
5 Things You Must Know Before Anesthesia
Genre: Non-Fiction, Medical
Published: August 2010
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 of 5
Having elective surgery is a scary proposition for most people. We go to a trusted doctor or get a good referral, have a consultation to understand our options and even seek out a second opinion; but how much do we research the anesthesiologist, the person we trust to make sure we wake up after the procedure is over? For most people, not much research at all. Most patients meet the anesthesiologist the morning of the surgery and know very little about them. This book explains what everyone needs to know, what you must know, before receiving any anesthesia.
This is a subject I have a great interest in. Several years ago my mother received too much anesthesia during an elective surgery. Perhaps you know of someone, usually an elderly person, who had an operation and afterwards was never quite the same, had memory problems and then slowly declined losing their independence; dementia sets in. That’s what happened to my mom. The doctors say it’s one of those things that happens with older people after surgery. I don’t believe things like that ‘just happen’. After much questioning of the medical staff, a few individuals confided, off the record, that the cause was the anesthesia.
This experience set me on the path of discovery. For the past few years I have been reading everything I can on the subject of anesthesia and it’s effects on patients. I was determined to never let this happen to anyone again if I could prevent it. That meant educating myself on the subject.
Recently I discovered Getting Over Going Under by Dr. Barry Friedberg, an anesthesiologist. This book was exactly what I was looking for. Dr. Friedberg explains in layman’s terms how anesthesia works and what it does to the brain and the body. It’s written for the patient in an easy to understand manner. He explains how traditionally doctors medicate the brain using a best guess dosage of drugs based on patient height and weight. The result of over or under anesthesia can cause a range of problems from patient discomfort and disorientation to hallucination, dementia and even death. Read more…
Mailbox Monday is touring through blogs. For the month of December it will be hosted by Lady Q at Let Them Read Books. Next month the tour moves to Rose City Reader where it will be hosted for the month of January.
Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their home last week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New books that came into my home last week:
A copy of Friday Mornings at Nine by Marilyn Brant from LibraryThing for review.
Each Friday morning at the Indigo Moon Café, Jennifer, Bridget and Tamara meet to swap stories about marriage, kids, and work. But one day, spurred by recent e-mails from her college ex, Jennifer poses questions they’ve never faced before. What if they all married the wrong man? What if they’re living the wrong life? And what would happen if, just once, they gave in to temptation…
A copy of 13, rue Thérèse by Elena Mauli Shapiro for review from Hachette Books.
American academic Trevor Stratton discovers a box full of artifacts from World War I as he settles into his new office in Paris. The pictures, letters, and objects in the box relate to the life of Louise Brunet, a feisty, charming Frenchwoman who lived through both World Wars.
As Trevor examines and documents the relics the box offers up, he begins to imagine the story of Louise Brunet’s life: her love for a cousin who died in the war, her marriage to a man who works for her father, and her attraction to a neighbor in her building at 13 rue Thérèse.
An audio book CD of Good Boss Bad Boss by Robert I. Sutton, a contest win from Chocolate & Croissants.
[Sutton] focuses his common sense approach to what it is that delineates the great bosses in our world from the ones who are just good, so-so, or even worse. Using real-life case studies, psychological research, and a thorough scan of the pertinent literature, Sutton delivers a pinpoint accounting of what the best bosses do. In short, Sutton delivers a blueprint manifesto for anyone who has been elevated into a position of authority, or would like to be.
One of my favorite winter birds is the Dark-eyed Junco. This is a migratory sparrow that spends spring and summer in the forests and mountains of the northern part of North America, mostly Canada. In the winter they move south into the US. That’s right, this bird considers Chicago a nice place to spend the winter and they don’t seem to mind the snow. While I enjoy seeing them arrive about the end of October, their presence means that cold weather is near.
If you put out a bird feeder they can be seen hopping around and scratching the ground beneath it. They are flashy little birds and seem to be in constant motion. That makes them difficult to photograph. In the first picture I got lucky and this little female stood still for one second. In the next picture you can see male was scratching around; one leg is up in the air.
The last picture was taken yesterday in the snow. This bird was trying to land on the squirrel deterrent cone to get at those sun flower seeds that were sticking to it. I like this shot because you can see the outer white tail feathers typical of the slate-colored form. There are different geographic color variations in juncos. The most common ones are the slate-colored, found in the eastern US and most of Canada, and the “Oregon” junco in the western US, which has a dark gray hood, pale peach flanks and rusty back.
The Dark-eyed Junco is one of the most common birds in North America and can be found across the continent. They can often be seen foraging on the ground with other sparrows and if you look closely at the winter flocks you can see them mixed in. Males and females look generally the same with the females a little lighter and browner than the males.
Click on the photos for larger, clearer, versions.
Snow has officially arrived in Chicago. I took this photo earlier today. The only positive thing I can say about snow is it provides a lot of nice photo opportunities.
These were beautiful Tall Yellow Coneflowers this summer. I left the perennials standing this year so the birds could eat the seeds in the flower cones. They also add an interesting dimension to the garden in the winter.
————————
Saturday Snapshots is hosted by Alyce. Head on over to At Home With Books to see more great photos or add your own.
I usually eat fruit or something light for breakfast. But not today. It’s freezing cold, snowing and I want something a little more warm and comforting. So I turned to my favorite basic recipe for good old fashioned pancakes.
Ingredients
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1½ cups milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla (optional)
Preparation:
Lightly beat the egg in a medium bowl. Add the milk and bring to room temperature. Add the melted butter and mix.
In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add the combined egg, milk and butter to the large bowl and whisk until smooth.
Bring a lightly greased griddle to medium high heat. Cook pancakes until lightly browned on each side.
For thicker pancakes use ¼ cup less milk. For healthier pancakes use whole wheat flour. I use half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour.
Makes 4 servings.
Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Participation is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.
Thanks to Liz at Doubleday Books I have 2 copies of Running The Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian by Avi Steinberg to give away to my readers.
Description from the publisher:
Running The Books by Avi Steinberg
The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian
Category: Memoir
Publish Date: October 2010
Pages: 336
Avi Steinberg is stumped. While his friends and classmates advance in the world, he remains stuck at a crossroads, unable to meet the lofty expectations of his Harvard education and Orthodox Jewish upbringing. And his romantic existence as a freelance obituary writer just isn’t cutting it. Seeking direction—and dental insurance—Steinberg takes a job as a librarian in a tough Boston prison. Over time, Steinberg is drawn into the accidental community of outcasts that has formed among his bookshelves — a drama he recounts with heartbreak and humor. But when the struggles of the prison library — between life and death, love and loyalty — become personal, Steinberg is forced to take sides. Running the Books is a trenchant exploration of prison culture and an entertaining tale of one young man’s earnest attempt to find his place in the world while trying not to get fired in the process.
Read an excerpt.
About The Author
AVI STEINBERG was born in Jerusalem and raised in Cleveland and Boston. His work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the New York Review of Books, Salon, and other publications.
How to enter the Giveaway:
- Contest is open to US addresses only, no PO Boxes. Contest runs through December 21st.
- To enter leave a comment.
- For an extra entry, follow by email or subscribe to my feed. Let me know how you follow.
- For another extra entry, blog about or link to this giveaway, sidebar is ok, or tweet on twitter. Leave the link in your comment.
- Max 3 entries. You can put them all in one comment.
I will draw 2 random winners on December 22nd. Be sure to include your email address so that I can contact you if you win. Winners will have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address.
Under My Apple Tree 