Mat's TV Debut

Mat will be featured on Studio 5 tomorrow11-noon, a local TV station here in SLC talking about his Vietnam trip and what to do if your child gets bit by a dog.  You can also read about more about his trip on his blog .  He goes into a little more detail about what went down in Hanoi.  Thanks for watching!

Baby Doll, Let's Talk

Baby Doll is our beloved mini van who is a practical prankster! Last Wednesday, I went to start the car to take the kids to school, and it wouldn't start. (Mind you I have 4 minutes until the bell rings because that is the way I roll most mornings.) This is nothing new with Baby Doll, I give her a little gas and she starts to purr more like growls.  I shift her into Reverse and she dies.  I give her a little encouragement and rev her up again, throw her into R and she stalls right in the middle of the parking lot blocking the way for two people to get to work. Shameful. My sub-She-ra kicks in and I pop it into Neutral and push her into the stalls behind me with my wee arms and bellowing grunt all the while time is ticking to get my off-spring to school. "Kids, head to Daddy's car.  Hurry, move, move, out, out, we're going to be late!" They were late, but when I got back to the parking lot, I looked Baby Doll square in the headlights and told she better start.  Well, she did, but only enough to pull her half way back into my stall. You're pathetic. "Forget it!" I yelled. Ooooh, I could of kicked her tire!  I'm taking Mat's car for the remainder of his trip because there is no way I'm going to be left stranded with my kids. And, that's what we did. 

I tried to start her Sunday, figuring she had some time to think, but she choked on my hope. Monday, I charged her for twenty minutes with Mat's car, gently IVing her with gas, but as soon as I left off, she died.  Could this be the end of our dear, sweet not-so-sweet Baby Doll? I called the tow truck Monday and he drove her to the shop until that night.  Our mechanic appears on my caller ID and spring to get a pencil and paper to write down the dreaded costs. Queue pit in my stomach.
Me:"Whadya find out?"
Mechanic: "Nothin'."
Me:" Excuse me, but did you say nothing?"
Mechanic: "Your van started right up."
Me: "No it doesn't. It hasn't for the last 5 days. I even had trouble with it stalling to get it on the tow truck." In my head I'm saying--Story. Of. My. Life. Mechanics are voodoo car doctors as far as I'm concerned.
Me:"How much do I owe you?"
Mechanic:"Nothing." voodoo car doctors who have the heart not to charge when they don't find anything:)

Picked her up today and it was the silent treatment the whole drive home. For your information Baby Doll, April fools day is weeks away! I still love you though, I'll just be mad for a day or so.

What a history!

Returns with Bacteria

I was rather excited to have Mat home Sunday, but he is sick with bacteria in the gut. Dog sick. He must have eaten something or drank water from the rice patties. Whatever it was, it has had him laid out for a few days now only eating applesauce and Gatorade. He had to cancel his patients on Monday and he barely got through his 2 surgery cases on Tuesday.  Fortunately, the Dr. of infectious diseases at the U squeezed him in at the end of the day and we got him on an antibiotic. He is looking perkier although jet lagged. He'll leave to St. George tonight and hopefully be back to his normal self when he returns on Friday.

Be sure to watch Studio 5 on Tuesday! Mat will be on talking about dog bites and Vietnam.

Child Labor Laws-Out

I put Micah to work stuffing 100 bags with eye gels for patients after surgery.  Her payment, 1 mint. She couldn't watch her normal shows at the office anyway because she didn't make her bed.  I know! Oh the consequences!  She kept telling me: "Oh, I'm sooo tired.  Mom I've done like 789." Then I'd ask how she was doing a tad later.  Micah: "Oh! I've done like 927." She was practically a prewar Mary Crawley from Downton Abbey.