Month: May 2005

bookmark_borderVioxx and Celebrex

Posted on by PaulaO

Just read this article from Science Daily:

Penn Study Points To How COX-2 Inhibitors Can Eventually Lead To Heart Disease

(excerpt)

Two randomized trials of COX-2 inhibitors–the gold standard of clinical evidence–conducted in 2004 at other institutions suggested that risk of cardiovascular disease might increase gradually during continued treatment with drugs such as Celebrex and Vioxx, even in individuals initially at low risk of the disease.

“The risk of heart attack and stroke became progressively evident during treatment with either Celebrex or Vioxx during the APPROVe and APC trials last year,” says Garret FitzGerald, MD, lead author of the study published online last week. FitzGerald is the Director of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics at Penn.

My doc just put me on a new NSAID called Mobic which is not a COX-2 inhibitor but still is for osteoarthritis. I miss my Vioxx but even I am rethinking the pro vs con.

bookmark_border“Clarity Works”

Posted on by PaulaO

Writing Retreats & Writer Workshop in Asheville, NC

I am in love!! I am also drooling. Bad habit that.

I am considering contacting her to see if she is willing to work with someone who writes, um, different genres than the norm.

And what’s with all the ‘memoir’ writing stuff???

bookmark_borderCool Quote

Posted on by PaulaO

I’m surfin’ the net looking for some editing assistance. I went to WritersDigest.com and was looking at their online workshop listings.

I came across this:

“If you want to write fiction, the best thing you can do is take two aspirins, lie down in a dark room, and wait for the feeling to pass. If it persists, you probably ought to write a novel.”
—Lawrence Block, Writing the Novel From Plot to Print

Ya know, I never took the asprin. Maybe that is my problem….

bookmark_borderAh! Much better!

Posted on by PaulaO

Just did some editing. Feels good to see the page number grow.

It is 3am. Reckon I should get me arse in bed for a few hours then start again.

I’m getting off the couch now. I am crossing the room toward the den of antiquity…

bookmark_borderMore on BPL

Posted on by PaulaO

BPL and a new article from ARRL:

link to article

While sometimes pictured by BPL proponents as opposing all BPL implementation, the ARRL has always maintained that radio amateur “hams” are not interested in blocking new technology but are justifiably concerned about pollution of the radio spectrum. Significant interference has been documented at numerous sites where other BPL systems are being tested, and other BPL developers have been unwilling to share information about their systems. By contrast, Motorola invited ARRL’s suggestions and welcomed its input during product development.

bookmark_borderReading nonfiction

Posted on by PaulaO

My new set of books came today, all of them nonfiction. I started one already, the Break Through Pain by Shinzen Young. So far, it is well written. Whether it will prove to be of use, I can’t answer that yet.

I like reading nonfiction almost as much as fiction. I suppose it is because it is real, planted in this world. Sure, some of Hawking’s work is out in space, but it is real. As a writer of fiction, I spend a lot of time ‘off world’. Perhaps nonfiction keeps me grounded.

It could also be why I like writing nonfiction almost as much as I do. I do have a nonfiction book in progress – in my head. Maybe someday…

Meanwhile, I need to finish BGCFA and get on with my other stuff. I did some editing over the weekend. Technically I am about halfway or more. This is halfway on completion. Once I say ‘the end’, it is merely printing it out and going over it for grammar crap.

So, like to work then, eh?

bookmark_borderBook Tag

Posted on by PaulaO

I was reading an entry in Erin’s blog and read that I had been tagged.

I am not sure what it means but here goes:

How many books do I own? Please! I can’t count that high! Even if you took out the ones that are definately Lorna’s, it is still enough that we are going to build a ‘library room’ some day.

Last books I bought:
NonFiction:

Fiction:

    Gulf Breeze, Sierra City and Accidental Love (see below)

Last Books I read:
Non-Fiction:

    Stephen Hawking’s Universe
    How to Use Your Digital MultiMeter (honest! I read it all!)

Fiction:

5 Books that Mean a Lot to Me

    The Old Turtle by Douglas Wood – this is a fantastic book! Everytime I buy a copy, I wind up reading it once and giving it away to someone I think would enjoy it too.
    The Little House by Virginia Burton – We had this book when I was a kid. I used to read it over and over, looking at the illustrations.
    The Swashbuckler by Lee Lynch – Makes me want to find a peacoat.
    Memory Board by Jane Rule – One of the first lesbian books that I read that dealt with real life and not a romance or too deep to understand.
    To the Lightning by ?? – Awesome book. The ending leaves the reader hanging and every time I read it, I spend days afterwards, wondering…
    And a sixth because I just couldn’t remove one, The Narnia Chronicles by CS Lewis. Lorna got them for me right after we met.

bookmark_borderPaulaOffutt.com

Posted on by PaulaO

I have most of the rest of the site up and running now. Be sure to check it out!

Let me know if you find any dead or broken links. That part is going to take a while.

bookmark_borderDoing Better

Posted on by PaulaO

Lorna worked today so I took the time to relax and be a slug.

She is home tomorrow of course and we have a day of activities planned. Mostly be sitting in my camp chair and watching her work. And of course me telling her what to do. 😀

We went to a plant place this afternoon and got some little plants for a new rock garden we are starting. We are lucky to have plenty of trees around us but that also means few sunny areas for plants. We have three massive ash trees in the front yard and the biggest has one side where the roots are near the surface. It is impossible to mow over so we are going to plant stuff instead.

I did, however, make it a working trip to the nursery. I noted the official names of plants to use someday in a scene. Don’t know where, just thought it was cool info to have around.

Anyway, off to bed soon fer me. Lorna’s got a lot of work to do tomorrow and I want to be awake to watch.