FYI: shabbat shalom 01.11.07

Linda Whittaker
Email: olsvig2000@yahoo.com wrote:

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Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2007 10:37:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: Linda Whittaker <olsvig2000@yahoo.com>
Subject: shabbat shalom 01.11.07
To: Linda Olsvig-Whittaker Linda.Whittaker@npa.org.il

Hi everyone,

I just got back from a long day at a conference in Tel Aviv, pretty tired, so this will be short. It was fun, though--haven't been to Tel Aviv in years, although it is only about an hour away by car. Just no reason to go. This time it was a meeting of scientists from various conservation organizations in Israel, to discuss data collection and management. This was my cup of tea, and I participated with enthusiasim despite my lousy Hebrew. We agree to keep meeting; looks like the nucleus of an Israel conservation informatics working group. Fantastic.

I needed a boost. Had a bad cold for two weeks (I'm still coughing, though it is on the way out). On top of that I got an infected hand after one of my cats bit my thumb last Thursday (served me right, I was chasing her around the house until I caught her, and scared her). My thumb was double its normal size by Sunday, so rather than go to work, I went to the health fund clinic and spent 5 hours waiting to see a couple doctors. Antibiotics did the trick, and my hand is back to normal now. But a week on both antibiotics and cold medicine left me pretty washed out. I was in the office, but pretty obviously only half baked this week, and hacking like a TB victim for most of it.

Some good news, however. Saw my hemotologist and it seems I'm free and clear. The protocol I am using to treat anemia is working very well, and although my stomach has serious damage from autoimmune gastritis, it will not get worse. (Damn, why can't my immune system attack what it is supposed to attack, like infections and viruses???) The erosion of my mucosal lining happened a long time ago and it is not progressing. So I'm released from further testing (no cancer, thank God) and won't have to get another gastroscopy for five years (gotta keep an eye on possible cancer anyway). Just keep doing what I'm doing and I'll be okay.

Domestic news: the Greenland cousins had a baby boy and named him "Kunnak Kaakajik Karl Olsvig Kristiansen"; Kunnak is Greenlander for the Norwegian name Gunnar; Kaakajik is for an Inuit shaman great grandfather, and Karl for his dad. We Olsvigs are definitely multicultural. Kinda neat to be named for a shaman, I think. I have to send a Christmas present to young Kunnak Kaakajik; haven't figured out what yet. Maybe a Jewish baby amulet.....

My newly born European grant is making a splash also. I found out today that it already has reached third hand news in Israel; in another month all the ecologists will know about it. These days I have a grin like a Cheshire cat; in January the real work will begin. It is good for business, though. I'm getting a lot of respect from everybody but the departmental secretary, who still thinks I'm a dork, I guess. (I think God put her in that job just to keep me humble. She's a fat little Moroccan with a high school education and, near as I can tell, puts Gentiles roughly where white folks used to put black folks when I was a kid. Isn't it funny how people with low status just have to look down on somebody else?? She'd still spit at me if I got the Nobel Prize....)

Ah well, even the secretary can't spoil my mood these days. I have ridden out a lot of trouble in the last year--the threat of getting fired last year evolved into having the guy who tried to fire me now under me on this project (heh heh). A whole slew of health problems which scared me half to death have now cleared up. I was afraid of my old car seriously breaking down any day for the last year, and now I have a new one being delivered on Sunday, bought and paid for, and even have the insurance settled (now I just have to learn to drive the darn thing).

This last year was awfully stressful in so many ways. But for the moment, all the stresses seem to be resolved. Even my critters are all healthy at the moment. I guess if I am not careful, I will forget all about last year's troubles. Better not, though--it is good to also be grateful, and also remember that I can survive stuff like that without going to pieces. (and like, who would pick up the pieces if I did??? nobody, that's who.... so I gotta keep my wits, no alternative....)

So, I'm tired, looking forward to a long winter's nap. G'night.

shabbat shalom,

Linda
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