The bad new is, you have diabetes.

So after a long while of successfully playing keep away from all things medical and doctor related I have amassed a long enough list of things "I should probably get checked out" that I decided it was time to do the responsible thing. Funny how when you turn 40 suddenly your body doesn't snap back from things the way it used to! Being diabetic and being unreasonably afraid of doctors is a bad combination :-)

With much fear and trembling I made an appointment. Emphasis on the much. My blood pressure at my first appointment was 170 over something. I lamely looked at the nurse and tried to explain that I knew I would epically fail this test and that I would rather be any where else in the universe then right there. I was very fortunate to get a doctor I connected with on the first try. I ran through my list of concerns and she barely batted an eye at any of them. Not that she wasn't concerned, but she just wasn't impressed. Personally, I thought she was going to tell me to get my affairs in order, go home and enjoy what was left of my life. The more relaxed she remained, the more relaxed I was able to become. I did however get her to be a little impressed with a spot on my leg. She looked and looked and looked and finally said, "Well, we can either watch it and wonder if it is pre-cancerous cells or we can make an appointment to cut it out the next time you're here." Yeah, let's just cut it out, like I'm an apple with a bad spot! Only the apple isn't a big baby when it is in a doctor's office! But she's right. Better to cut it out then wonder.

I was supposed to call today for the results of some blood work, and I did. The person on the other end of the line pulled my chart, and I could hear her reading through things. "Yep, that is fine. Yep, that one was normal, and so on. Then she stops and says, except. And pauses. Here is comes. The one where she says I have 2 weeks left. Finally she goes on. "Your blood sugar is high". I tested myself right before going in and it was 124. (80-120 is normal for a non-diabetic). I thought, "Great. So along with skyrocketing blood pressure my blood sugar also spikes when I'm in a tense situation. I'm imagining it was 300 or 400. I didn't say anything and waited for her to go on. She waits a little also. Finally she says, "Your doctor will probably want to discuss a plan with you" Then it hit me. This poor woman doesn't know that I know I'm diabetic. I quickly let her off the hook and say, "I'm a diabetic." I could hear the relief in her voice and she says, "Oh, then you already have a plan." Yep, I've got a plan.

I guess if the worst news I got today was that I was diabetic, I'm in pretty good shape!

We got our money's worth.

I was going through some stuff today in an attempt to weed out junk I do not use and came across this gem.



At first glance it is just a score card from a (semi) local putt-putt golf place. It is so much more though. It is testament to what an adult experiences when you take a 5 year old putt-putting. Mom, Dad, and I took Colby and Kate to Paige's Crossing a couple of years ago. Kate would have been around 5 and Colby would have been around 7. If you've ever putt-putted with a 5 year old, none of this will be startling or revelatory. But. Have you ever recorded how a 5 year old putt-putts? All of the agony of standing around waiting for them to finish a hole kinds of fades once you are done. You file it away and the specifics blur.

I opened the card to see if there was anything worth saving. I don't remember doing this, but it was so funny to see how I recorded the day. Here's the score:



I'll translate in case it is hard to read.

Hole 1, Colby 2 Kate 20

Hole 2 Colby 5 Kate 30 (picked up)

Hole 3 Colby 5 Kate 17

Hole 4 Colby 7 Kate 19 (push 1 pick up)

Hole 5 Colby 4 Kate 7 (2 pick ups)

Hole 6 Colby 5 Kate 8 (wind blowed it--apparently that is what she reported)

Hole 7 Colby 4 Kate 4 (1 pick up and put in hole)

Hole 8 Colby 5 Kate 5 (kick and roll)

Hole 9 Colby 8 Kate 9 (pick up and put in hole)

Hole 10 Colby 8/pick up Kate 50 (2 carry 1 push)

Hole 11 Colby 10 Kate 15

Hole 12 Colby 4 Kate 40

Hole 13 Colby 7 Kate 9 (1 kick)

Hole 14 Colby 4 Kate 6 (kick, carry)

Hole 15 Colby 5 Kate 8

This one is my favorite....
Hole 16 Colby 7 Kate 2 (started at hole)

Hole 17 Colby 5 Kate 9 (started 4 feet from hole)

Hole 18 Colby 3 Kate 27

My conclusion is that with nearly 400 strokes between the two kids our golfing was much more cost efficient than the people that strive for par which would have been 82. If two rounds of golf cost $10, we paid about 2.5 cents per stroke. The golfer who made par paid about 12 cents per stroke.