Some Discouraging News, I think and random thoughts

Since talking with Uncle Doug on Sunday, things have just become discouraging for mom. There doesn't seem to be a lot of positive news, other than her therapists think she is doing well.

Apparently her feeding tube has caused an infection called MSRA, otherwise known as staph infection. Apparently it has colonized through her skin, so for our protection we have to wear gowns and gloves again to see her. They have put her on antibiotics again for another 10 days to clear it up. It appears that this may have been the infection that she has had the entire time, rather than the other one she was first diagnosed with. In addition to this news, they also told her that she had to have another blood transfusion(which occured today, Wed). She had two units transferred, over a course of 6 hours, so.... this is the discouraging news that she has been faced with. And with this infection, her departure date may be changed.

The other frustration for her and me, is that her Doctor doesn't seem to be in sync with the therapists. The therapists predict a good prognosis for her because she is doing extremely well, but today her Dr. was in and pretty much told her that she didn't think she would be able to manage at home on her own. So, yeah, there is a lack of communication there. We seem to think that the dr. may want to move her to a nursing home, rather than send her home. But I guess time will tell.

I am trying to keep her in good spirits and she appreciates all the cards that she has been getting. She gets to see them everyday as they hang in her room.

On a side note, hope everything goes well for you David with your medical journey and to Fred, good luck with the new job. I must say, with the names of the people you encountered, they could have been in a book. Novella, Sabra. Very interesting. Well, best of luck.

Another side note. I have been doing unemployment the past month so as to be there for mom, well, I have a fact finding interview on Friday. I am so nervous because they could just cancel benefits just like that. I turned down an oncall job, that pays $7/hr with no opportunity for advancement or a raise, so I felt it was acceptable to turn it down. My aunt Donna(dad's side), told me just tell them what you were making before and they will let you keep your benefits. I don't know, it's nerve racking. Honestly, I was making 10.75 at the resort and can't make that much here in Bangor, but know that I can find something for more than $7.00/hr. come on now! Who can survive on that these days.

Okay, I guess that's it from the Maine homefront.
Take care
Tarja

Just Another Manic Monday

Hey Y'all!

Yesterday was a very strange Monday with more than one unexpected twist. I will try to recreate the day for you, don't fall asleep.

I had a job interview at 9am at Varco Pruden Steel Buildings. The interview I had with Sonoco-CorrFlex two weeks earlier was very intimidating, with 3 people asking me many questions about my previous work experience. I don't feel as though I did very well, and since I wasn't offered the job, I must not have. So I asked Barb for a copy of some questions she had for practicing for interviews. So I was mentally prepared for yesterday's interview. I walk into the office. There is only one person interviewing me this time. His name is Terry.

Terry: Can you work any shift?

Me: Yes.

Terry shuffles thru my application, resume and test scores…

Terry: We have had problems in the past with hiring truck drivers. They keep getting the urge to go back on the road.

Me: I can promise you that isn't going to happen.

Terry: I think I have just the job for you. Let’s walk thru the plant.

I get a tour of the plant then Terry takes me to the spot where my job would be. He introduces me to Jeff, the job supervisor.

Before arriving at the interview I already knew a little about their pay scale, and it looked like if I was hired I would start at a grade 4, or maybe 5 at the most. (I will explain the pay grades later)

Terry: This job is the highest pay grade available, it’s a 7.

Terry: Jeff, I think Fred would be great for this job.

Terry leaves

Jeff: Do you want the job? When can you start? We just need to schedule your physical.

In retrospect, it is at this point that I should have just said “well, duh!” or maybe something else to the affirmative.

Me: I think so, but I would like to talk to my wife first.

Jeff: No problem.

Jeff takes me back to the receptionist, Sabra

Jeff: Fred needs to talk to his wife first but then we need to set up his physical.

Jeff leaves

Me: It won’t be today that I get my physical, I have to go to work. It may be later in the week. What is the latest time during the day I can get the physical?

Sabra: 3pm

Me: Ok, I will call you.

I went to work, where I was told to pickup a load in Salisbury, NC and deliver it to Shelby, NC.

There are several reasons why I wanted to talk to Alie first.
1) We thought this job was going to be 3rd shift, but it turns out to be 2nd shift. 3rd shift actually works better for us seeing each other once she comes back home to work (which will probably be Jan 2 07). So I wanted her opinion, which was that 2nd shift should be just fine.
2) I needed to crunch the numbers to see if I could afford to take the job. I came into the interview thinking that I really couldn’t afford it. ( I will do the math for you later)
3) I also came into the interview resigned to the idea that I would probably have to keep driving trucks for awhile. I figured that if I couldn’t even get a 3rd shift forklift job at a company where an employee (Barb) was giving me sparkling personal references, then I probably wouldn’t get this job either. So I was not mentally prepared to be offered a higher paying job so quickly, and wanted to think it over.
4) G&P was expecting me in to work at 11am. I would not have had time to take the physical and get to work in time.

So I talked to Alie and Barb. And I did the math on the potential income. And of course I wanted the job.

I finished delivering the load to Shelby then called Sabra back.

Me: I want to confirm that I will take the job and schedule my physical. Next Monday morning would be best for me. Will that be a problem?

Sabra: I don’t think so, but I will transfer you to Novella Hazelwood who handles that.

I get Novella’s voicemail and leave a message.

I then drive over to see Alie since I am in Shelby. Just as I get there I get a call back.

Novella: I need you here at 8am for your physical and drug screen.

Me: Tomorrow?

Novella: Yes, we don’t wait a week.

Me: That’s a problem. I am a truck driver and I probably won’t be home again until the weekend.

Novella: I need you here at 8am for your physical and drug screen, we don’t wait a week.

Me: Let me call my dispatcher and I will call you back.

Satan, um I mean my dispatcher, has me set up on a load to Georgia.

Me: Can you get me home tonight? It’s very important.

Dispatcher: No, I won’t have anyone to cover that load.

Me: Can you get me home tomorrow night?

Dispatcher: No sir.

Me: (in desperation mode at this point) I wanted to give you 2 weeks notice tomorrow that I was leaving G&P for a non-driving job in Kernersville. I just found out I have to take a physical at 8am tomorrow. If you can’t get me home tonight you will force me to quit now. I am not missing out on that job.

Dispatcher: Drop the truck in Charlotte and I will make a note that you quit.

So there it is, my trucking career suddenly over. What I had been seeking had finally happened, yet I was in a funk about it. I think it was the abruptness of it all. I had planned and fully expected to give 2 weeks notice. If I had just taken the physical right away I would have been late to work but at least I would have been able to give 2 weeks notice. I understand the reasoning behind not waiting to take a physical. I should have thought about it, and they should have told me when I was there that it couldn‘t wait. But since I know I am drug free I just didn’t think about it.

So I drove the truck to Charlotte and Alie’s boss’ husband, who works in Charlotte, drove me back to Shelby. It was 6:30pm at this point and Alie didn’t get off until 10:00, so I took her car to get dinner. I went to Zaxby’s and then went to the theatre to watch Stranger Than Fiction (Slow, boring, predictable). Then when Alie got off work I drove us back to Kernersville. My poor baby, she got up at 6am Monday then drove 2.5 hrs to work, then worked 13.5 hrs then took another 2 hr ride back home, arriving at 1am this morning. Then she got up this morning at 8:30 and drove back to Shelby again.

**Note to the readers - This is actually my second time typing out the text to this post. It is at this point in the first attempt that my two leftist fingers decided to go spastic and hit some of the bottom left keys and whammo! Everything disappeared! Not sure just what happened but ctrl/v didn’t bring it back. I had not been saving it because as you type a post on Blogger it auto-saves it every minute or so. Or at least it says it does. When I clicked on “restore post” it had actually only saved the first few lines. So I gave up and went to bed for a nap. Couldn’t sleep and here I am again.**

I took my physical this morning, I think it went well enough. Novella says it will be about a week before they get the results from the background check, so I guess I have a few days off. I don’t expect there to be any problems, but if for some reason they don’t approve of my physical or background check, I might actually be unemployed.

I am not sure what my job title will be, but I can try to explain what I would be doing. I would take a coil of steel and feed it into a machine that punches, or maybe drills, holes in it. Then it goes into a machine that heats it up, then it goes thru a machine that shapes it. That's my job, and I would eventually be expected to run about 10,000 feet of steel thru there each day.

Ok let me explain the pay grades.
Pay grade 4 starts at $12.99 then after 60 days goes to $13.75 then after another 60 days goes to $15.28
Pay grade 5 starts at $13.52 then after 60 days goes to $14.32 then after another 60 days goes to $15.91

$15.91 x 40 hrs x 52 wks = $33,092.80 annually
Which represents a loss of annual income of about $12,000
This is the reason I thought I couldn’t afford to take this job.

Pay grade 7 starts at $16.something and goes to $17.something (sorry forgot the cents)
Oh, I forgot to mention the mandatory overtime. They are working 10 hr days and 8 hrs on Saturday (another reason I wanted to talk to Alie first).

So…
$17.00 x 40 hrs x 52 wks = $35,360.00
Plus…
$25.50 x 18 hrs x 52 wks = $23,868.00
Equals…
An annual income of $59,228
Which represents an increase in income of about $14,000 while working 5-10 hrs less per week.

Like I said, “well, duh!”

Ruth's ThanksChristmas Photos

Here is a link to all the photos I took in Seattle during our ThanksChristmas celebration. Snapfish Photos If you don't have a Snapfish account, you may have to create one but it's free so no problem.

And may I be the first to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas!

David And The MRI

8:30AM
I had my MRI today. It went just fine after the tech finally showed up...the normal one was snowed in up in Everett and the secondary tech was an hour late. As you've probably heard, it's incredibly claustrophobic, like you've been slid into a flattened tube just big enough for your body. There's no leeway for raising your head, even a little bit and you're supposed to remain rock-still throughout the test anyway. However, I kept my eyes closed so it didn't bother me and I actually nearly fell asleep a couple of times. It's loud with rapid bangs and clunks and clicks as they through intense magnics waves through your body and measure the vibrations they cause in your cells, but they put ear plugs in your ears to make it tolerable. They were scanning my lower back and hip and it felt like the left side of my hip was heating up a little during the scan. They did a series of five scans: 30 seconds, 12 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 6 minutes...so I was out of there pretty quick once we finally got underway. The tech said the doctor should have my results in a day or two...I'll keep you posted.

6:30PM
Here's an MRI Update

My doctor just called with the MRI test results. Wow, that was fast! He says I have a small protrusion of the disc between L5 and S1 that could be causing pressure on the nerves there and causing the leg pains I've been experiencing. I've swiped a sample picture from the web and will attach it below to show what it looks like. I've asked the Dr. if there's a way to get an actual image from the MRI and if I do I'll post that too.


As for treatment...in extreme cases they recommend surgery but at my stage they recommend an epidural steriod injection under active fluoroscope imaging so they can be sure to get the steroids to exactly the right spot. The stats say that 50% of patients get significant relief for several weeks up to a year. My doctor suggests that it may reduce the swelling enough for the disc to heal itself and allow me to exercise with less pain and that exercise is helpful to healing as well. Here's a link you can review.

I'm giving it serious consideration as I'd like to be able to get around better with less pain.

Linda Update

Tarja called me a couple of times Sunday. My phone was off because I was playing Santa Clause for the 4 H club in Marysville. She said that Linda is up to 12 steps in her rehab and the Dr.'s said that she should be able to go home in 2 weeks. Looks like she's going to make it for Christmas.

Snow from Eric and Peggy's Balcony

Looks like y'all left Seattle a little too soon...we could have had a white ThanksChristmas. :-) This is the first snow we've had in two or three years.

Fun Fun Fun

Alie and I would like to thank everybody for such a wonderful time and all y'alls warm hospitality.


I only put on 2 lbs while on vacation, which is surprising since I showed absolutely none of the restraint that I used to lose 20+ lbs prior to coming to Seattle. I am not going to stop improving my health now just because vacation has come and gone. My next goal is to lose 20 more lbs before our Arizona trip next July. So I have 32 weeks to lose 20 lbs. No problem.


I received a letter while we were away. I did not get the job I had interviewed for. I have an interview tomorrow though for another one.

This Old Gingerbread House

Hi Everyone...

I'm working on the DVD from the gingerbread competition and karaoke night, but in the mean time I'll share with you the photos of the finished houses and their architects.

Hi (because I can't come up with another original title)

I am happy to hear that you all had a good time with your gingerbread houses. Can't wait to see some of the pictures. It's funny, because everytime I see a gingerbread kit, I think of all of you and what you created. It has been ages since I have done anything that neat.

Anyway, I visited with mom on Thanksgiving and it was actually a good day for her, because they allowed the patients to have the day off from therapy. Mom was very happy about that, she was actually able to catch up on some of her sleep.

The update. We no longer have to wear gowns and gloves and visit her because it turns out that she didn't have the bacterial infection they thought she had. Also, once again, they are changing the tube feeding schedule so that she will start eating during her scheduled meals. She has started taking strides to eating some soft solid foods, such as mashed potatoes, cream of chicken soup, pudding, and jello. She did attempt mac and cheese one day, but said the hospital version was disgusting.

My guess is that it will still be another couple weeks before she leaves rehab. My goal, hopefully is to have her home in time for christmas. We will see.

And for me, nothing new going on. Just hanging out, trying to maintain my apartment, while taking care of gram, and visiting mom. Sometimes trying to be in 3 places at once can be exhausting.

Well, that's it, from me until Thursday. I will be at Grams, if anyone needs me.
Tarja

Next Year's Gingerbread House

After taking Fred and Alice to the airport today, we went to have Dim Sum with Momma. Then we took a trip over to Ikea and discovered they have a gingerbread house kit. It already has windows and door cutouts, as well as, a chimney. The question is whether you all liked the competition enough to want to do it again next year. Please let us know.

To Esther and Barbara

It was GREAT to have you both here with us this year. I'm sorry that you had to leave early to go back. Maybe next year you can put up with us for the full week. Sometimes we tend to get a little roudy but thats what makes it family. (and fun) I hope you had a safe trip home and Love to you both.

Hello

First off, I would like to say, I hope everyone had fun with their gingerbread contest. I hope there are more pictures to see. And I hope everyone there has a happy thankschristmas.

After talking with Uncle Doug, I had learned that mom actually climbed 4 stairs and her goal is 14, so it may take a while. Also, they have started to cut back on her tube feeding, and they are making her eat solid foods. Because another goal is to have the tube feeding possibly removed, by the time she leaves. But in order to do this, they need to her to eat regularly to continue getting the nutrients she needs.

Anyway, I am going to be visiting with her on Thanksgiving, to give her some company. She is usually the one helping to prepare the meal, so this year will be a bit different. And as always I will keep you posted with updates either through me or Uncle Doug(assuming he doesn't lose this phone, hehe:) )

Have a good week.
Tarja

More update & new address

Linda has been moved to the rehab Intitute. They are giving her 3 t0 4 hrs of rehab every day. This consist of getting dressed, getting up and down, walking, and leg exercises. All this is heading toward going up and down steps. She has a bacterial infection that they are treating. They have taken the IV's out. Tarja said that they expect her to be there for about 2 weeks. The new mailing address is,

Rehabilitation Institute
Seton Unit
Linda Keddrell
Room 311
30 Chase Ave
Waterville, ME 04901

VoiceBio

Back in August I was trained to be a Sound Therapists using the VoiceBio technology. What is that, you might ask. Well, each time you talk your vocal cords bounce off your internal organs. We live in an ecological environment (the planet) and our bodies have their own ecological environment based on the 12 cords of music. Kay Thompson-Liu has developed techonolgy that will help us determine the weak and strong areas in our bodies.

Visit her website at www.voicebio.com for more information.

Well, I will be bringing with me the equipment to do voicebio's on anyone who is interested. I will be downloading the program to Peggy's laptop and will give one to anyone who is interested. It takes about 15 minutes to administer the test and another 15 or so minutes to read the results. I will have you talk into a microphone and I will ask you 3 questions. The first questions is a neutral question, the second question is a stress question and the third question is a happy question. Based on the readings it will show where you are having problems and where you have too much energy. I can give some suggestions of things to do to help correct the imbalance in the body.

I think this will be fun and will cause great discussion. I can't administer the test to Fred because our relationship is too close. I will let either Barbara or my Mom give him the test.

If you have any questions, I will answer them the best that I can. Remember I am still fairly new at this and am still learning. But it has been a great experience for me.

Happy Anniversary!!

Well well...20 years ago today Freddy & Alie eloped!! Happy Anniversary you two!!

Gingerbread Houses

Alie and her momma were playing around with gingerbread tonight, practicing for the big event next Sunday.

Here is Alie's vegetable house, with broccoli bushes. She only did landscaping tonight. She didn't want to give away her house design secrets.

Esther's house is a colorful combination of typical gingerbread house goodies. She also isn't finished yet.

Here are 2 more pics of Esther's house with more goodies added.

Thanks from Linda

I have a thank you from mom to David and Chunnan for the fun loving bear. And a thank you to Ruth and Merle for the card(I think yours was the turtle), if it was, it was absolutely perfect.

I visited with her today and she really is doing much better, even though it still is a long road ahead. Sometime this week they will be moving mom to the rehabilitation center, at another hospital. My guess is that she will be there for 2 weeks or so.

When I receive yet another address I will gladly relay the information for you all to have.

Have a good weekend.

Karaoke Update

Here are all the songs we have downloaded. Some were part of a compilation set, others we actually wanted. There should be plenty of songs here for hours of entertainment. But if somebody still has that special song they want to sing, and it ain't here, let us know.

OLDIES

(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley

Always On My Mind - Elvis Presley

Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley

Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley

(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding

Born Free - Andy Williams

Good Vibrations - Beach Boys

In My Life - Beatles

Long And Winding Road - Beatles

Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers

COUNTRY

Amanda - Waylon Jennings

Guess Things Happen That Way - Johnny Cash

Crazy - Leann Rimes

Daddy Frank - Merle Haggard

The Way I Am - Merle Haggard

Okie From Muskogee - Merle Haggard

Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus

Friends In Low Places - Garth Brooks

American Honky-Tonk Bar Association - Garth Brooks

Gambler - Kenny Rogers

Hard Workin' Man - Brooks & Dunn

Boot Scootin' Boogie - Brooks & Dunn

Here's A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares) - Travis Tritt

T.R.O.U.B.L.E. - Travis Tritt

I Wanna Talk About Me - Toby Keith

Jezebel - Chely Wright

Jukebox In My Mind - Alabama

Tennessee River - Alabama

Love You Out Loud - Rascal Flatts

Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys - Willie Nelson

Hello Walls - Willie Nelson

My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys - Willie Nelson

On The Verge - Collin Raye

Sleeping Single In A Double Bed - Barbara Mandrell

That's Why I'm Here - Kenny Chesney

Walkin' After Midnight - Patsy Cline

Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks

CHRISTIAN

Agnus Dei - Michael W. Smith

How Great Thou Art - Popular

Amazing Grace - Popular

I've Got The Joy, Joy, Joy - Standard

POP

I Love Rock and Roll - Joan Jett

What A Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong

She's Always A Woman To Me - Billy Joel

Falling Into You - Celine Dion

Love Shack - B52's

Hopelessly Devoted to You - Olivia Newton-John

The Rose - Bette Midler

From A Distance - Bette Midler

The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand

Theme From The Monkees - Monkees

Time - Alan Parsons

Eye In The Sky - Alan Parsons

Dancing Queen - Abba

You Are The Sunshine Of My Life - Stevie Wonder

If I Could Turn Back Time - Cher

If You're Gone - Matchbox 20

Angel - Sarah Mclachlan

(They Long To Be) Close To You - Carpenters

David's Health Update

Well, I feel a little foolish detailing my health situation when Auntie Linda is in the hospital being really sick, but some of family members have requested an update so here it is. :-)

Blood Pressure: 117/74 today. Continuing on 10mg Lisinopril each morning.

Cholesterol: Don't have a current reading but I'm taking 40mg of Lovastatin each morning.

Piriformis Syndrome/Sciatica: No real change here. This is caused by an inflamed sciatic nerve that passes through the piriformis muscle (hense the names) on it's way from your spine to your knee. The result is that my right leg hurts like the dickens from my right butt cheek down to my right knee if I walk more than a block or two or if I just stand around for any length of time. Sitting is like blessed relief. Vicodin (codeine) didn't help but it made my brain all foggy. Methocarbamol (muscle relaxant) helps a little but not enough to actually make me reasonably mobile. Physical Therapy gives Chunnan and me some interesting contortions to get into in an effort to stretch the muscle but hasn't been much help overall. The therapist mentioned that Cortisone injections might be helpful so I'll discuss that with my doctor and see what he says.

Type II Diabetes: Ah, this is the new one. I failed my third A1c glucose blood test a couple of weeks ago and earned the right to call myself a Diabetic. To be fair, the failure was a squeaker. The high end rating is 6.0 and I scored 6.7, 6.6, and 6.4 over about a year. So, I've been ordered to monitor my glucose at home each day and to take a new A1c test in 3 months. To prepare for the next test I get to reduce my carbohydrate intake (you know, yummy things like cake, bread, M&M's) and exercise more. Ah, but there's the rub, Horatio. With the Piriformis thingie going on I can't go for nice moonlight strolls unless there's a wheelchair waiting for me at the end of the block. So, remembering that sitting is painless I've decided to try my luck on a recumbent exercise bike. I just ordered one and it'll be here before ThanksChristmas (I think) so y'all can help me put it together and we can all have fun with it.

Ok, that's about it for now. I'm fully medicated, partially mobile, and feeling a craving for Ben & Jerry's...Oh joy!

Hugs & Love to All

Happy Birthday!!

Tomorrow is Merle's birthday...HAPPY BIRTHDAY MERLE!!! Have anything special planned?

more update & address

Tarja just called me. Linda has been move to a room and has a roommate. They took the catheter out so she is getting up and using bathroom on her own. She also goes to physical therapy.

The address is:

Linda Keddrell
Mid Maine Medical Center
North Street
Room 426-1
Waterville, ME 04901

Tarja suggest that we send NO flowers as Linda is alergic to so many of them.
They are not allowing phone calls at the present time. Will advise if that changes.

Another Update-It's good

Just came from visiting mom today. She is doing so much better. They got her blood sugar straightened out, so they removed the insulin feed tube. And while I was there, the physical therapists, got her to walk from her bed to the chair with a walker. A bit painful, but a huge improvement. Here is the best news. Tomorrow they are moving her out of CCU and putting her on the 4th floor, where she can have friends visit too. They feel that she is progressing well and a slight possibility that she will be released from the hospital as early as one week. Definitely progress. I don't have a mailing address, as of yet, but will get it shortly. Oh yeah, they also started her on baby steps with solid food again. She is allowed one ice cube an hour and they gave her some ice cream today. MMM tasty!!

Personally, I would like her to stay in the hospital a bit longer, just for an easier recovery, but it's up to the docs. I guess that's it for now.
Tarja.

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Esther!! Hope you have a good one!!

HMMM???

I have a job interview tomorrow (more about that later) and I was just wondering which hairstyle to go with. What do you think?

Hey gang. I am new to this whole blog thing, but I posted a bit about mom under uncle doug's post on Oct. 30th.

I just read the info about her visit with Uncle Fred. It's amazing how much information get's thrown around and is inaccurate. We have been told up to now that they had to remove a part of her intestine, yet the doctors have informed Uncle Fred that they weren't touched. All we have asked for is legitimate information and I guess we weren't asking the right people. But on a side note, it is correct that her antibiotics are working and the whiteblood cells are going down.

So, more later
Tarja

Linda Update

Fred (brother) drove over to see Linda on Thur. He got to talk to the Dr. and was told that the upper intestines wern't touched. The perferated ulcer punched a hole in the bowel hence human waste got into her system, This has been fixed and Fred and the Dr. said that she is in great pain. They brought another specialist in from Portland to see if another operation was nessacery and he didn't think so at this time. Fred gave Linda the usual pep talk as only he can. The Dr. called Fred this morning at 10am EST and asked him what he said to her. Her attitude has turned around and the antibiotics seem to be working as her whitebloodcell count was starting to go down. Thats all for now. Tarja is going to see her on Monday and I willask her to get me a good address and room number if she is able to receive mail.

20 Questions

Some gifts for ThanksChristmas still need to be purchased, so I need EVERYBODY to answer ALL of these questions:

1) Do you drink coffee?

2) Do you drink beer or wine?

3) Do you have diabetes?

4) Do you wear jewelry?

5) Do you have pierced ears?

6) Do you have a pierced navel?

7) Do you read books?

8) Are chipmunks furry or fuzzy?

9) Do you enjoy massages?

10) Do you like frozen pizza?

11) What kind of music do you listen to?

12) What is your favorite color?

13) Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma?

14) Boxers or briefs?

15) Do you write real letters to mail to people?

16) Do you juggle knives?

17) Do you plan on painting your residence soon?

18) Are you a genius?

19) What is your Chinese zodiac sign?

20) Anything else we should know about you?