Anderson/Hatgidakis/Nelson/Metcalf: Newsletter
Old news: August 2002
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Amanda
8/31/2002
We got the game in radio format from the Pinnacle Sports network, via
the internet and the Husker website. Thank goodness for cable modems!!! Good
game, it sounded like.
Nelsons
8/31/2002
Happy Birthday Olivia
Amanda
8/30/2002
I don't think Marsha's brought the rain from Chicago. I know it has to
do with us living in Texas. When we live here freak weather occurs at home. 5 years ago next month we lived here while Ryan was going through tech school and Lincoln got hit with the STRANGE and SCARY freak snow in October. And now this... Sorry guys.
Amanda
8/30/2002
Do the Nebraskans get the game this weekend? We don't, so I
wondered if it was just us or not.
We do have a game this Saturday night (Troy State), but it doesn't seem to be televised. I always have the Nebraska football schedule on our calendar page, so go there and click on the little football for game time and broadcast information (if any). --Gary
Amanda
8/29/2002
OMG! Strange flood stories, anyone take pictures? Gary??
Nope, not me -- happened too fast, and no camera was handy. Wish I'd had the movie camera on hand. Would have gotten some cool shots of hailstones bouncing on Grandma's porch. --Gary
Lindsey
8/29/2002
Me and my Mom were at the mall shopping and it had started
sprinkling a little bit but we weren't worried. Anyway, we went into
Aeropostale and by the way there was a huge grasshopper on one of the
shirts, anyway we kept hearing these huge blasts of thunder and we walked
out of the store and it was all dark and we went outside and it was coming
down in like gallons and in like 1 second I was drenched. Anyway, we were
going onto Cotner and these cars have water up to 3/4 of their wheels. Then
my Mom thought she saw someone walking in the rain, but it was TRAFFIC
CONES FLOATING DOWN THE STREET!!!! We couldn't believe how much rain there was.
Amanda
8/29/2002
Holy cow! Sorry for downpour. Though I am sure your yards are
thankful. It has been a little cooler here. It is disgusting to report that
mid 90's feels good. And the sun has been hiding all day, that is a MAJOR
feel good factor. The sun down here beating on you feels 20 times worse
than up there.
Amanda
8/29/2002
When did all this rain happen?? I heard it was happening, but
hadn't talked to any Lincolnite in a few days, wondered if this was new?
Just last night. The working theory is that the Hatgidakis's, who arrived here yesterday afternoon, brought it with them. --Gary
Gary
8/29/2002
Yeah, go figure, after months and months of no rain at all, we get hit with a real downpour. Gateway did have some rain damage, true, and Sears is still closed a day later. A couple of kids got swept away by the stream over near 33rd and Huntington, but they managed to pull themselves out downstream. On Orchard Street at 48th (just 6 blocks down from Grandma's house), 48th Street was completely under water to a depth of about two feet. And also, I heard reports of a couple of cars floating away -- on O Street!
Glad Brent's doing better -- don't pop a stitch listening to the game this Saturday!
Karen
8/29/2002
Brent is getting stronger every day. Got a good report from
both doctors this week. He will stay home all next week and then maybe go
back to work.
We all started school on Monday. Emily loves her new school, traffic is a
pain, but she doesn't seem to care. Erika likes her teacher, she is
studying bugs and goes on a spider hunt every night. Been nice enough that
they haven't had any early dismissals this week. This morning it rained
and it's cool. Saw on the news that Gateway Mall got flooded.
Amanda
8/28/2002
Nice eye Donna! We didn't even notice the sign in the
background. We did notice the sign during the game (and have noticed all
the other states for Nebraska signs when we go to the stadium), but we had
no idea it was in the photo, how cool!
Donna
8/28/2002
Hey, I just heard they are going to start making Mole 3!!!
WOO-HOO! :-) --Gary
Donna
8/28/2002
hi, cute pictures of tristen, teghan and sasha. i like how you
could see the "texas for nebraska" sign on the tv behind sasha.
marsha's are coming to lincoln today, so i'm taking thursday and friday
off. that means no work for me until tuesday. yaaaay!
there's no capitalization in this note in honor of tristen learning about
lower case letters. tristen, you are learning so much and you even have
lunch at school. are you sure you're in kindergarten? you sound more like
a first grader to me. emily, glad you have a/c in school. what does the
really mean teacher teach?
***EMILY***
8/27/2002
Well school has started again :( but I got to go to a brand new
one this year! It has air-conditioning and NO portables!!! I have a lot
more friends there than I thought I would, and I like most of my teachers
execpt for one really mean one, but I only have her for 1 quarter so its
not so bad. Well I Gotta Go! BYE 8)
Amanda
8/27/2002
I can't seem to get into school. This dumb state has their
own test you have to take and get the results before you can even
enroll. Ryan seems to think this test is a way of making them
different from the other states, as if their own country. So I took
that test, and they couldn't get the results until yesterday, the day
classes started. Then they have me doing 500 stupid things, that any
other school would streamline into a few meaningful things. Now I
can't get to school today to register because of the flat tire, but
I'm sure all the classes I want are full by now. Plus, they lost my
financial aid paperwork, so it is on my bill until they get that
resubmitted. Sheesh, ever feel like you can't get a break? But,
Tristen loves school, this week is her first full week, she ate lunch
at school yesterday, then had a short recess because the first graders
came out way too quick. Then she had to have a talk with some first
graders that wouldn't let her best friend Skylar on the bouncy toy. They said no. She brings home important papers,
and has to tell me about it. She learned about lower case, so now
every letter she looks at is "e lower case e, s lower case s".
Welcome to Bush Country! During the campaign he pointed proudly to that testing system and suggested other states adopt it. And while I'm on the subject, allow me to tell my Bush joke: What's the difference between George Bush and Adolf Hitler? Hitler was elected. :-) --Gary
Amanda
8/27/2002
So is grandma back home???
I'll jump in and answer that one: Yes, she got back on Saturday the 24th, just in time to watch the game. --Gary
Amanda
8/27/2002
OK, like it wasn't bad enough that last week the car
started flipping out, blinkering super fast, ABS lights coming on, but
then it just died on Thursday, and we had to spend $90 on Friday on a
new alternator, but then today when Tristen, Teghan & I left 10
minutes before school started to drop Tristen off I get no more out of
the driveway and I could tell something was wrong. I get out, and what
do ya know, I have a flat tire. So, quickly we walk Tristen to school,
who made it just in time, and Teghan & I had a nice walk home.
Luckily, it isn't a hundred freakin' degrees yet today. So, now Ryan
has a chore on his lunch break (and he doesn't even know it yet, poor
guy) putting on the spare so I can pick her up at 2:30 (we are NOT
walking in Texas 100 degree weather), and then after work as well,
fixing the original. Like he doesn't have enough to do with his time.
And if we have to buy a new tire, I'm gonna buy a bike instead, I'm
sick of it.
Karen
8/26/2002
Brent is doing much better. Had a good report from the doctor this afternoon. Eating more and putting a little of the 40lbs he lost back on.
First day of school for all us today. Mine went well, another small class this year.
Gary
8/26/2002
Ah, school has started! (Here in Lincoln, anyway.) It was really nice to come to the campus this morning and see the sidewalks crowded with students and hear the band practicing in the stadium. Fall is just around the corner! :-)
Hey "Sims" fans: I wanted to let you know about a new expansion pack you might be interested in. It's called "The Sims Unleashed" and it adds one of the things that people wanted most: pets. Your Sims can now own various kinds of dogs, cats, birds, fish, etc., and the neighborhood now includes pet shops, parks, cafes, and a farmer's market. Plus there are some new jobs you can get, including Animal Care. On the downside, it will use up a whopping 950 megabytes of your hard drive (that's nearly a gigabyte), so if you have a smaller hard drive.... "The Sims Unleashed" will be in the stores in about a month, so start saving up! (It's $29.99.) To find out more about it, go here and here.
Keep on improving, Brent!
Karen
8/25/2002
Brent came home on Friday. Doing fairly well. Very tired and weak.
Ryan
8/22/2002
Hey wanted to tell every one there is a little stinker that is sending a
very freaky email around. The culprit goes by the alias Linz and she sent me a
haunted house email that freaked me out. just wanted to warn you.
Gary
8/26/2002
...And I'm back. Had fun in Chicago, and it was good to meet up with the Hatgidakis crowd in the Windy City. (Though this time it was mostly Foggy and Rainy City, including one spectacular thunderstorm which came in over the lake and dumped around 8" of rain one night.) Thanks for your patience. Normal newsletter business now resumes!
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Gary
8/20/2002
OK, I'm off to Chicago. No webpage updates til I get back. See you then, and have a good week! Go Huskers!
Marsha
8/19/2002
We are thinking of the Nelsons all the time -- you all are due some good
news and we hope it comes really soon! Brent is sure one tough guy!! Tristen, have a terrific first day of school. Do you have to take a backpack? Will you take in snacks to share? Is your new teacher nice? Can't wait to hear all about kindergarten in Wichita Falls.
Karen
8/19/2002
Well, not great news from the doctor today. They put a scope down
his stomach. The doctor told me that he has "a bunch of new problems." He wants him to stay quiet for a couple of days, then it looks like it will be more surgery. Major surgery!
Gary
8/19/2002
For those of you who haven't heard and may be interested (which I'm sure is a very small number of you), here's the saga of my car over the past five days. On Thursday, after dropping Mom off in Sioux City at the Nelson household, I was enjoying a beautiful drive back to Lincoln -- windows down and the smell of fresh-cut grass coming in (a very rare scent in Lincoln this summer, where the grass is all brown and crunchy), cruise control on and a good tape in the tape player. Then, just outside of Omaha (almost in view of the Missouri River bridge), I heard a small "pop" under the hood, which I thought (and hoped) had just been a rock or something thrown up from the road. Then the "check engine" light came on; and seconds later the temperature needle started moving fast toward the "hot" side. Within just a mile or two, it was pegged all the way to HOT and the dash readout now said "engine temperature critical." I could now feel warmth around my feet as if the heater was on. I crossed the bridge and stopped at the first station I could find, luckily within a few blocks. I pulled right up to an open bay and popped the hood, which the mechanic lifted before I had even gotten out of the car -- and he immediately jumped back because he saw flames! Yeesh! The flames didn't last long -- it was just some oil or grease burning off -- and the mechanic saw that the water pump belt had snapped (that was the "pop" I heard) and the water pump was locked up. The guy said he could fix the pump in a few hours; but the possibility existed I had burned out the engine, in which case I couldn't drive it anyway. And the engine rebuild or replace could cost ...$1000? $1500? and would obviously take some time. So I decided to have it towed to my mechanic in Lincoln. I called a guy he recommended, and half an hour later a flat-bed truck arrived and they hoisted my car aboard, and I rode with it (me in the cab) back to Lincoln. (Towing charge = $150, but I have towing insurance.) The next day, Friday, my Lincoln mechanics fixed the pump and told me the engine seemed OK -- come and pick it up! So I did, thanks to Donna giving me a ride. I paid the bill ($200 and some) and hopped in the car, but asked Donna to follow me for a while just so I could make sure it was back to normal. And normal it seemed, so I waved her on and started to drive home. But just a block or two later, the temp gauge shot all the way to "critical" again, and I drove it back to the garage. Left it there (for the weekend) and walked home. Today, I waited all day for the call, nervously doing the math on my bank account wondering where I would finagle a thousand bucks from.... And finally, they called with an estimate: $15 dollars! Whew! Seems that the thermostat had gotten fried when the engine got so hot, so I was getting a false reading on Friday. So after being on fire on the road 70 miles from home, I now have a car again for a total repair bill of around $250. Knock wood! :-)
Amanda
8/19/2002
Gary~ I see you are leaving, but in celebration of
Tristen's first day of school tomorrow, Tuesday the 20th, could we do
something special for her? She is very excited! (And there isnt even a
webcam in Wichita Falls? What a loser town!)
Tune in tomorrow.... --Gary
Karen
8/19/2002
Brent is still in the hospital, not much of a change the
last two days. Stomach isn't draining like it should -- so they are
going to look inside of it today. Should be another fun adventure for
him. Mostly he is miserable being in the hospital this long. Bored
and ready to come home!!
Donna
8/19/2002
Hi, Brent, I hope you're feeling better. Do you think it
was the eggs benedict?
Amanda, it's nice to have you guys back on line. I wasn't all that
excited about LOTR either, but loved the movie and can't wait for #2.
I may even read the book.
I'm having a fantastic lunch. I think I'll put it on the recipe page.
Gary and Marsha's, have fun in Chicago. I hope you're staying at the
Hotel Monaco. I saw it mentioned on a travel show and it looks really
nice.
Gary
8/19/2002
Hi everybody. After tonight there will be no webpage updates for about a week, as I'm heading to Chicago tomorrow morning. (As are the Hatgidakis's -- see you there!) You can continue to send in newsletter items, reviews, etc., but they won't show up on the webpage until next week. Sorry about that!
Also, for all you Netscape-impaired people who don't see the "crawl," I would like to bring today's to your attention: "You don't order eggs benedict at a truck stop. --Erika Nelson" :-)
And finally, I have added a new webcam: in place of Omaha you'll now find a shot of Dallas, TX. Closest thing I could find to Iowa Park.... Check it out. (Both the Minneapolis and Cape Hatteras cams on that page are down at the moment, but that is temporary.)
L8r!
Karen
8/17/2002
Brent is doing soooo much better today. Taking a few short walks and
sitting up now.
Karen, Brent and Erika
8/17/2002
Happy Birthday Zachary!!
***EMILY***
8/17/2002
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACH!
Donna
8/17/2002
Happy Birthday, Zachary!
Paul, Lori, Lindsey, and Olivia
8/17/2002
Hope Brent gets to feeling better soon!
How is your stay going Grandma? By the way, who's watching Penny? Anyway,
we will go over and check on her today.
Talk to you guys later, Bye
Karen
8/17/2002
Entering day 12 of the hospital... the tube is still down Brent's stomach,
they ended up getting 2 gallons out of him. Still draining a little, once it is
completly empty they will take the tube out. Then he will VERY SLOWLY be able
to try to have a few things to eat (mostly ice chips). Once the stomach is doing
what it's supposed to do, he can go home..... Looks like it may be another 3-4 days......
Karen
8/16/2002
Brent WAS home. After 5 hours of being home, we took him back to
the emergency room. We were foolishly optimistic that he was able to come home.
Thinking he just needed some rest. After a few hours I began to realize he was not
doing well -- not with pain, but clammy, glassy-eyed and not very "with it." We
called the doctor for advice and he told us to go back to the hospital. After
admitting him, they started a heavy duty IV, and then they had to put that tube
back down his stomach and drain it. It was gross, but they drained over 4 liters out
of his stomach (this after not eating for 10 days). He is now able to breathe with
ease and feels much better, in spite of the discomfort of the tube. So we are having
another doctor check him out tomorrow -- not real happy that the surgeon missed
this. Keep you posted!!!!!
Karen
8/16/2002
Brent is home!!!!!
Amanda
8/15/2002
HELLO! Holy cow, yes we are here!!! And look at all the things that
happen when we fall off the face of the earth. Our thoughts are with Brent, but
Tristen says he will be OK if he has Jell-O. So we got here ok, a 12 hour drive last
Tuesday. Closed on the house at 2 pm last Wednesday, wrote out a check I never
want to think about again, and moved in our stuff that night. A lot couldnt get
moved in right away as we had to take out a door in the livingroom, build a wall
there, and paint that room, paint Tristen's room (not to mention put about 70
pounds of mud on it, as they textured it SO BAD she would have scratched herself
had she brushed up against the wall), and painted our ceiling. But, tonight, we
finally found the hardware to the computer desk, so we finally got it hooked up! We
only have a few more boxes, and tons of pictures to hang. But that is about it. The
house is nice, small, but nice. We have changed a lot already. Man will we ever get
the award for the projects page now!! (And pix will be here soon) I will keep you updated, for now
I just wanted to see what was going on, and tell everyone hi, (NOT howdy) and
pass on our new address and stuff.
Karen
8/14/2002
I think Brent is finally beginning to feel human again. He had a bad
afternoon. The doctor ordered some tests. He had to drink this nasty liquid, then lay on a cold, hard table for two hours and get an x-ray every 15 minutes. He is getting stronger and may be able to eat again tomorrow.
Grandma
8/14/2002
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZACH !!!!
Lindsey
8/14/2002
The "People who look like their pets" are pretty cute. I have seen them all in advance though! Anyway, have a good trip to Chicago Hatgidakis's and Gary! Hope the Green Jello works for you
Brent.
Yesterday, Donna, Grandma, Gary, and I went to Signs. I did a review on it, but it was Ok, wasn't blown away by it but it was good.
Lindsey
8/13/2002
Get well soon, Brent!
Marsha and John
8/13/2002
Hope Brent is feeling better! That green jello usually does the trick.
Donna
8/13/2002
Mmmm, green jello. But hey, green jello isn't clear and it isn't liquid. Wouldn't water be the only thing on a clear liquid diet? Glad to hear Brent's doing better.
Karen
8/13/2002
Another update on Brent. Still not great, but looks like maybe a slight improvement. Had a very rough night and morning. The doctor put him on a clear liquid diet today, so he had his first food in over a week -- Green Jello!
Paul and Lori
8/12/2002
Hope things go better Brent, get well soon
Hang in there Nelson's
Gary
8/12/2002
FYI, I have updated the weather page, removing Offutt and adding Iowa Park, TX, so we can all keep tabs on everyone's weather again.
Hang in there, Nelsons...we're all thinking of you!
Karen
8/12/2002
Day 6 in the hospital. This morning was not a good one. Brent is
miserable, not in pain, but he can't eat, can't drink, can't sleep, can't
relax. The doctor was in this morning, had a long talk with us. Took out 3
tubes, so that was some relief to him. I left about noon and he was sleeping.
All we can do now is to wait and see if his body does what it needs to.
Karen
8/11/2002
Brent continues to improve. Up and walking more, but still very tired
and thirsty. Keeps having wierd dreams about drinking water. Hope to have the
tube down his nose out tomorrow. Probably won't be home until Friday or so.
Emily and Erika went to the "farm" with their Aunt Marcia. Called to check on them,
having a great time. They went bike riding at the lake this morning and off to the
fair with their cousin this afternoon. Should be home tomorrow afternoon.
Karen
8/11/2002
Hi, Brent is slowly improving. He was able to sleep last night, and isn't
nearly as thristy. Said he dreamt that he had 4 gallons of water and a gallon of
lemonade as he was driving. Up and walking this morning, but that pretty well tired
him out, sleeping again. Waiting for the doctors report so we know how he's doing
"inside."
Karen
8/10/2002
Another medical update. Went in to see him this morning about 7. He
had a tough night, no sleep and desperately thirsty. The doctor came to see him at
9, said he could have ice chips and a popsicle. He was thrilled!! They will get him
up at walking a few steps today. Still has lots of tubes and medications, but
hoepfully those will be less every day. Waiting about 2-3 days to see what
happens to see where we go from here, hopefully no more surgery, but not sure yet.
Karen
8/9/2002
Brent had his surgery today. He was in intense pain this morning when
the doctor came to see him so they moved the surgery up a few hours. He was in
for 1 1/2 hours. They were able to clear the blockage and took a good long look at
his insides. Now we just have to wait a few days to see how things will work. Took
him a long time to come to out of recovery (over 3 hours). He is still in pain from
the surgery and on heavy duty drugs, but all in all doing much better. I'll keep you
all posted.
Paul
8/8/2002
Hope you're feeling better soon, Brent. Does not sound like any fun at
all.
Karen
8/8/2002
Well it's surgery for Brent tomorrow. The doctor finally came in
to see him. Said he could either continue with the medication and hope it
doesn't get worse, or surgery. He choose surgery! Not sure what time it will
be or which "type" it will be, one is fairly small, the other is going into
the colon. Fun times for us!!!!
Gary
8/8/2002
Hey "Mole" fans: OK, "Mole 2" is a done deal now (I still can't believe it wasn't Heather...), but at the moment there are no official plans to do a "Mole 3." So, go here and sign the petition urging ABC to put "Mole 3" into production! You can view all the signatures and read their comments. (I'm #6229!)
Get well soon, Brent!
Karen
8/8/2002
Still not much improvement on Brent. Been waiting all day for the doctor to come and see him. Let you know when we know.....
Donna
8/8/2002
Really sorry to hear about Brent. That sounds horrible. I hope he gets better soon.
Karen
8/7/2002
Brent's in the hospital!! He had been having stomach pain since
Sunday, but with Brent that's not all that unusual. Stayed home on Monday,
still no improvement on Tuesday so he went to his doctor. He gave Brent some
very powerful drugs and said to try it for a day. The pills did make him feel
no pain and he was in a VERY good mood for the night. Still no better this
morning so I took him to the hospital at 6:30. He had x-rays and a
colonoscopy. Then he was really in pain. They admitted him and put in a room
about 11. The doctor said he had adhesions from previous surgeries they had
grown together and blocked his colon.
He is currently on a morphine drip, which was beginning to help when I left.
He will probably be in the hospital for another day -- hopefully he won't be
needing surgery!
Erika
8/6/2002
Sorry to Hear about you Having to Leave Amanda, Ryan, Tristen & Teghan. :(
Samantha
8/5/2002
Hi everyone! I got a new e-mail address and here it is:
pink-panther2004@juno.com.
This has been updated on the contact page. --Gary
John and Marsha
8/5/2002
THANK YOU so much for the anniversary card and $$! That was really
wonderful to receive today! You are all so thoughtful and we appreciated it very much.
Donna
8/5/2002
Thursday Tristen, Olivia, Lindsey, Mom and I went to the County Fair,
then to the Dairy Queen and home to watch Stuart Little. We had breakfast Friday
morning at Pioneer's Park. It's been awhile since I had been there and had trouble
finding it. But as Tristen said, "Well, if we all just work together, I know we can
find it." She was right. We climbed up to the Indian and sat by a pond full of
ducks and geese. Then we came home and had a water balloon fight. Tristen even
did her goofy cat dance. Lindsey and I laughed so hard our cheeks hurt.
Donna
8/5/2002
Happy belated anniversary Karen and Brent!
Happy 25th anniversary Marsha and John!
Lindsey
8/5/2002
Happy 25th Anniversary, John and Marsha!!
Grandma
8/5/2002
Happy 25th Anniversary, John and Marsha!!
Gary
8/5/2002
Anybody out there still playing "The Sims"? I just got word of some new Sims stuff coming out soon. On the shelves next week or so will be something called "Sims Face Factory," which will let you put your own face -- or anybody else's, of course -- on your Sims characters. Make your whole family! Two more programs will come out closer to Christmas: "Blue Print Pro" will allow you to create your own objects for the game (furnishings, etc.) and "Career Creator Pro" will enable you to make your own career decisions and paths.
Also, when was the last time you checked the recipes page? Added a new one over the weekend....
"Lord of the Rings" is out tomorrow on DVD/VHS! :-)
Emily, Erika and Karen
8/2/2002
One year ago was the downburst in Sioux City, beginning to see a
trend here?????
Emily, Erika and Karen
8/2/2002
Last night we noticed some water in our basement. Then Brent saw
the water heater was leaking. We called the plumber first thing this morning.
There was water most everywhere in the basement. The plumber is due to come
this afternoon. But in the meantime it started to hiss and leak a whole more.
We shut the water off and mopped and mopped and mopped. Brent came home from
work and turned off the water heater. Now it is draining and most of the water
is cleaned up. So we are waiting for the plumber to come and fix it.
So the picture on the front page looks kind of familiar to you, right? :-) --Gary
Amanda
8/2/2002
Our internet will be shut down sometime soon here today, so I won't
be checking as often, or be on here. Just to let you all know! Getting closer,
check the countdown for moving day.
Hurry up and get re-connected! :-) --Gary