Blog is short for weblog (weBLOG).
Check here to see the latest information about my site (and, occasionally, about my life in general).
It isn't a conventional blog—it just lets you know what I'm currently working on!
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
I finished the web exercises for Fundamental Trigonometric Identities.
I'm still sick—just can't seem to shake this nasty bug.
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Merry Christmas, everyone!
I've been sick for three days—started with a very sore throat, and progressed into lots of congestion and a hacky cough. I didn't go to the family
Christmas celebration, so as not to spread germs—am having a quiet, snuggly day with Julia and Tony's three kitties instead! (However, Mr. Nels and Don Paquito seem to be very confused over the ownership of my Christmas poptart!)
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!
I've made more progress on Fundamental Trigonometric Identities.
Getting close to being done with the concept discussion.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
I got a good start to the concept discussion for
Fundamental Trigonometric Identities.
There's a lot going on during the holidays,
so my progress has been pretty slow.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
I added a new Family Home Evening lesson on developing a
Personal Mission Statement.
Monday, December 15, 2014
I finally finished the web exercises for
Trigonometric Values of Special Angles. This took me a long time, to get the generality that I wanted. What a nightmare!
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Today is: 12/13/14
What a cool date!!!
Saturday, December 6, 2014
I finished the concept discussion for
Trigonometric Values of Special Angles.
Today is Marybelle's birthday celebration! She's $\,18\,$ today. Her birthday dinner request: lasagne, salads (with sprouts), eggnog, and tres leche cake for dessert. (I also made bread, and had clementines for color on the plates.
Bethany decorated! We put both leaves in our new table, since Joshua joined us
for dinner and we had Marybelle's ‘apartment-starter’ gift on the
table.)
Friday, December 5, 2014
I'm almost done with the concept discussion for
Trigonometric Values of Special Angles.
My two paper-pieced quilt projects are coming along nicely: a sampler quilt,
and my log-cabin blocks for Christmas gifts.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
A user asked for textboxes on worksheets, so answers could be typed in at the computer. Then, users can get a printed hardcopy (or print-to-pdf) with their typed answers in place. I've put a prototype on my most recent exercise:
Signs of All the Trigonometric
Functions
. Scroll down to the worksheet, check the appropriate box, and
then create the worksheet. Check it out!
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
I went to start a new section today, and realized I hadn't yet finished the
web exercises on
Signs of All the Trigonometric
Functions
! They're now done. Things got so busy with two
Thanksgiving celebrations that I lost track of where I was!
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
I just sent a (slightly modified) version of my
TeX Commands Available in MathJax document to Peter Krautzberger for use in a github respository. I used a very non-restrictive license that will allow it to be used in the MathJax documentation. (It can also be used commercially.) People just need to retain the link back to my site.
This is also the first I've heard about
XyJax,
an extension for MathJax that enables you to draw various graphs and diagrams. (I currently use
JSXGraph for all my drawing needs.)
A couple other things I hadn't heard about and want to keep track of here:
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Our new table arrived yesterday! Palettes by Winesburg, rustic cherry, with two (self-storing) leaves. It's beautiful! My little Flagstaff table served us well for almost three months while we awaited our new table's arrival.
I was just contacted by Dr. Peter Krautzberger, MathJax Manager. He asked for my permission to replicate
TeX Commands Available in MathJax in a GitHub repository. He indicated that
‘this would allow others to contribute to your excellent guide and possibly make other forms of delivery (epub3 etc) possible.’ I gave him
permission, but indicated that the resource must remain free; that no one may profit from this document without my written permission.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
I finished the web exercises for the Trigonometric Functions.
This section has some randomly-generated JSXGraph problem types.
I'm making a sampler paper-pieced quilt—there are about $\,100\,$ different
blocks in the book I have, and I'll use most of them at least once to make a queen-size quilt.
There are some I won't use (like the cars and trucks) and there are some I'll double up on (like the log cabin and star designs). I'm trying to do one block per day. They started out easy and are getting harder—but I'm also getting better at the method. It seems to be taking me about one hour per day.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
I spent a long time deciding how to present the motivations for the names
‘tangent’ and ‘secant’, and creating the graphics.
Now, I'm close to being done with the concept discussion for the Trigonometric Functions.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
I got started on the concept discussion for the Trigonometric Functions—then Ray came home in the middle of the day
and we ended up practicing rumba, mambo, and cha-cha for a long time!
A link I don't want to lose:
Pentatonix (I had never heard of them before) singing ‘Mary Did You Know’. I cried!!
There's a moment when the soprano gets this brief look on her face—the ‘it's so beautiful I can't keep my joy from sneaking onto my face’ look. I know the look. I got it last night while practicing the Messiah with Ray in a tiny church room! Alto and tenor can sound wonderful together!!
Monday, November 17, 2014
What an exciting day for me! This morning, I got a \$50 donation, which is
double my biggest donation ever! (It's also more than I've made in
many of the months for the past year.) Then, this afternoon, I got
another donation, for \$100!! The only thing that has changed is that my biography as a featured speaker for CAMT 2015 went ‘live’. Could
it be that news about my site is finally getting out to people who can appreciate its value—or was today just an exceptionally lucky day for me? Whatever—it was a fantastic day for me!
Friday, November 14, 2014
I've finished all the exercises for
Relatively Prime Numbers and Related Concepts. After an extended break to improve my Algebra I course, I will now return to trigonometry!
Monday, November 10, 2014
The speakers for CAMT 2015 (the Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching) just went live! (I'm a featured speaker, near the bottom—scroll down.) They didn't end up using the bio I sent (it was likely waaayyyy too long). I spent many hours writing it, though, so I'll include it here:
Since 1999, Carol has put more than 10,000 hours into creating about 350 free online
math lessons ranging from arithmetic to calculus, each offering unlimited, randomly-generated
exercises and worksheets for both online and offline practice. Carol has a Doctor of Arts
in Mathematics (a doctoral-level degree that emphasizes effective teaching), and has taught for about 30 years at both the college and high school levels.
For her entire adult life, Carol has been passionate about the language of mathematics—teaching
foundational concepts that empower people to teach themselves mathematics.
These skills are woven throughout her sequenced curriculum at http://www.onemathematicalcat.org
and her online book:
One Mathematical Cat, Please!
From humble beginnings with custom-made IBM selectric typewriter elements,
to state-of-the-art dynamic web mathematics made possible by MathJax,
Carol's love of mathematics has been complemented by her desire to present it beautifully to the world.
Want more information about Carol and her web site?
The easiest way to get to Carol's site is to type three words—‘math cat burns’—into any search engine!
Friday, November 7, 2014
As per my ‘bonus daughter's’ request, I added a ‘no variables’ checkbox to Mixed Basic Add/Subtract Multiply/Divide Practice.
(‘Bonus daughter’ sounds a lot better than ‘stepdaughter’!)
I'll be starting my first paper-pieced quilt soon. I found these
two fantastic videos:
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Several weeks ago I purchased an annual
WolframAlpha PRO subscription (\$65.88), so I could start exploring graph interactivity, which requires their
CDF player. Thus began weeks of technical support via email, since the
CDF player did not work for me. I have MAC OS X, version 10.6.8, which is stated as a supported system.
As of today, it works! There were several steps in the process:
When I downloaded the product from
Wolfram Alpha's online link, the application was not recognized by my system, and would not install.
Technical support sent me a download link in an email, which allowed me to successfully install the CDF player. However, it still did not work on the WolframAlpha site to enable interactivity. I kept getting a big red star that says ‘Refresh Page or Restart Browser’ (neither of which worked).
Next, technical support informed me that the CDF browser plugin will not work in a 64 bit browser. I was instructed to try Firefox in 32-bit mode: in the Applications directory, right-click on Firefox.app . Select Get Info . Check the Open in 32 bit mode box. However, it still didn't work.
However, something new was happening: I got
an activate Wolfram Mathematica grey screen before the (now familiar) red star error message. Technical support indicated that this grey screen comes from the browser trying to block the plugin.
To solve this final issue, they had me do the
following: in Firefox, I selected, from the menu, Tools--Add-ons--Plugins (on left). I then navigated to the Wolfram Mathematica plugin. I changed its setting from ‘Ask to Activate’ to ‘Always Activate’.
It finally worked!
I am very thankful to WolframAlpha Technical Support for working with me on this issue. As my users know, I use WolframAlpha a lot, and I want to be able to share what PRO has to offer!
On a different note, my incredible husband Ray came up with a beautiful derivation of the
sum formulas for sine and cosine, which I have his permission to use in my
future trig sections. He's amazing!!
Friday, October 23, 2014
I'm giving three talks at the 2015 CAMT conference and have been spending lots of time getting my biography, talk titles, and talk descriptions done. In the process, I'm cleaning up a lot of
my online resources, like finally replacing the text math with MathJax
in Algebra Pinball!
Friday, October 17, 2014
The last couple weeks have been crazy, so I've gotten very little web work done.
Hopefully things will settle soon.
I've put a couple more Family Home Evening lessons online: Table Manners A Brief Introduction to WolframAlpha
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Based on a user email, I added more info about efficient methods of
finding the least common multiple.
In particular, I extended an efficient method for finding the
greatest common factor to one for finding the least common multiple.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
I added a discussion of size/sign to Reference Angles.
I also added a collapsing paragraph that explains why an illustrated technique (to adjust the size of the angle to a size between $\,-180^\circ\,$ and $\,180^\circ\,$) always works.
This has ended up being a pretty long section. I'll need to make a decision about breaking it into two pieces, or keeping it as is.
Monday, September 29, 2014
I edited/finished the concept discussion for Reference Angles. For a newbie, this can be confusing, since three angles make an appearance for every problem: an original angle
for which you want to find trig values (like $\,1747^\circ\,$); remove extra
rotations to make it easier to work with (giving $\,1747^\circ−5\cdot 360^\circ=−53^\circ\,$); and the reference angle (which is $\,53^\circ\,$).
Saturday, September 27, 2014
I'm not quite done with the concept discussion for Reference Angles, but I'm close!
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Today is my third wedding anniversary to Ray Burns! We went for a beautiful hike in the Catalina mountains. While on this hike (of course, without any paper or pencil), Ray (my brilliant husband) came up with a
great mathematical model for my ‘years with partners’:
$$
f(x) = \left|\frac{30x - 70}{x - 3}\right|
$$
Note that:
$$\,f(1) = \left|\frac{30(1)-70}{1-3}\right| = \left|\frac{-40}{-2}\right| = 20\,$$
My first marriage lasted $\,20\,$ years.
Also,
$$\,f(2) = \left|\frac{30(2)-70}{2-3}\right| = \left|\frac{-10}{-1}\right| = 10\,$$
My second ‘marriage’ (not a legal marriage) lasted $\,10\,$ years.
So, prediction for my third? Of course, $\,f\,$ is not defined at $\,3\,,$ but
$$
\lim_{x\rightarrow 3} f(x) = \infty
$$
I like it!!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
I added a second example to the Unit Circle Approach to Trigonometry,
and will be adding web exercise(s) corresponding to this example.
Monday, September 15, 2014
I finished the web exercises for
the Unit Circle Approach to Trigonometry.
As for my health, I haven't taken a pain pill since 11:15AM on Sunday—1.5 days. I haven't been able to do this since mid-March.
This is real progress for me!
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
I finished the web exercises for
the Right Triangle Approach to Trigonometry.
Whenever I try to use JSXGraph in the randomly-generated worksheets, it takes
a long time. This was no exception! It just fights me every step of the way!
After 8 months of living in our two tiny trailers (Dew Drop and Morning Mist; a
total combined floor space of about 40 square feet), we've decided we need to
break down and rent a house. We've made a lot of progress in the past 8 months (mostly cleaning), but estimate that we have at least a year before we'll be able to live in the Rock House. It was a good challenge passing through one Arizona summer and monsoon season in our trailers, but I'm not up for a repeat!
I will miss the serenity and gorgeous stars and all the
critters, but I will so appreciate a refrigerator inside the house and a real kitchen to prepare meals for my family! The place we're hoping to get has
a large tiled room where Ray and I will be able to dance (as much as my leg will permit). So, house-finding has pre-occupied me this week; the actual move will likely postpone serious progress on trigonometry for yet longer. Also, I'm
getting another IVIG treatment for my CIDP the next couple days, since the
numbness has started to return to my upper back, and I want to ‘catch’ it before it gets as bad as it was several months ago.
Friday, August 22, 2014
I did end up breaking my one looonnnnggg section into four different
sections:
Thursday, August 21, 2014
I got a lot more done on the concept discussion for
Introduction to Trigonometry.
I'll probably end up breaking this single section into three sections: an introduction, the right triangle approach, and the unit circle approach. It's way too long already, and I'm not done!
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
I got a good start to the concept discussion for
Introduction to Trigonometry.
Introductions are always hard. You can't say everything first.
And, you shouldn't say everything right away, because it's too
overwhelming. I'm fairly pleased with what I have so far.
Monday, August 18, 2014
I've finished the exercises for Doubling Time, Half-Life.
Finally, after all these years, on to trigonometry!!
Saturday, August 16, 2014
I've finished the doubling time and half-life discussion for Doubling Time, Half-Life. Next, I want to include a short section
on a general situation.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
I had missed a large donation (\$25.00; received \$23.97 after PayPal fees) when
reporting my July income. I've corrected it. I believe this is my largest donation ever!!
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
I finished the concept discussion for Solving Exponential Growth and Decay Problems.
I also had my first ‘dry needling’ session, to see if this will help the pain in my right leg.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
I finished the web exercises in Solving Logarithmic Equations.
These took a long time to code!
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Ray and I thought that it might be helpful to have two differently-styled hyperlinks: one style for intra-page links (in the same page); a different style
for links that go to a
different page. When we re-do the web site, this is an idea that we might incorporate.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
I started creating my own Amazon store.
I finished the concept discussion in Solving Logarithmic Equations.
Harvest sunflower seeds after the flower begins to die back, and most if not all, of the petals have fallen off. Pull out a seed and open it to see if it is full. Cut off the head, leaving a few inches of stalk. Hang the stalks to dry in a well ventilated area. Do not stack them in a box, as mold can develop during the drying process. As soon as the flowers have dried, extract the seeds by rubbing two flower heads together. They should come off of the flower head fairly easily.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
I finished the concept discussion in Solving Exponential Equations. Has it really been more than a week since
posting anything new? Sigh!
Friday, July 11, 2014
Now, you can click on a cell in the ‘problem type’ table and it will give you
that problem. Check it out in Logarithm Summary: Properties, Formulas, Laws. (I changed the color scheme, too.) So, teachers can say (for example) ‘practice problems 3, 7, and 11’.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
I've finished the exercises in
Exponential Growth and Decay Problems—Introduction.
Upon suggestion by my brilliant husband,
I also created a visual indicator of problem types ‘in progress’,
‘mastered’, and ‘available’. Again, I'm really pleased! I'm hoping this will be
useful for my users.
I also went back and updated Logarithm Summary: Properties, Formulas, Laws to this graphical style.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
I've finished the exercises in
Logarithm Summary: Properties, Formulas, Laws. Forty of them! This section is a great thorough review of logarithms (yes I'm biased).
Plus, I added a button so you can remove a problem type you've already mastered.
Also, you can see just how many problem types you still have to master. I'm
very pleased with this section!
Monday, July 7, 2014
In the past few days, we've found a
bark scorpion, a
western diamondback rattlesnake, a
black widow spider
and a
tarantula near our trailers. I guess the rains must be bringing them all out. A few weeks ago,
we saw a
gila monster (pronounced HEE-la). I've already had lots of ‘training’ in the
dangerous Arizona vegetation, and now I'm getting my training in the dangerous Arizona wildlife!
Following a user's suggestion, I created a couple sketches to help explain
why you must change the direction of the inequality symbol when multiplying/dividing by negative number. Search for this text (it's about
halfway down the page):
Here are a couple sketches to further help you understand this concept.
Friday, July 4, 2014
I've got a good start to the exercises in
Logarithm Summary: Properties, Formulas, Laws. I've finished the exercises through the Change of Base Formula. More to come!
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Since we have (no joke) $\,200\,$ wheels and about $\,140\,$ tires on the
land we're cleaning, I'm collecting some ideas.
I want to make sure that water isn't going to get inside and breed mosquitoes.
Also, I don't want pack rats to think they've found a new nesting place!
There are also concerns about toxicity (zinc, etc.), and you don't want any chance that they'd burn.
Friday, June 27, 2014
I finished the exposition for
Exponential Growth and Decay Problems—Introduction
.
I just realized that I haven't yet written the exercises for the previous
lesson, so I'll back up and get that done.
My husband Ray and Bethany have gone on a DDD (a Daddy-Daughter-Date) to Patagonia Lake in southern Arizona, fishing!
My bookmarks list has gotten out of control! Here are some links I want to keep
track of (but move off the list):
bunkbed designs: great inspiration for Bethany's room (and more) in our future Rock House
hand-pollinating: I hand-pollinated two pumpkin plants (successfully) last week. Seems we just don't have enough bees around. (Ironic—a couple months ago we had to hire an exterminator to remove a
nest of killer bees who took up residence in the insulation beneath the storage trailer near our garden coop.)
Thursday, June 11, 2014
I've finished the web exercises for
Continuous Compounding. On to
logarithmic functions!
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
I've finished the ‘Rock House Story’ (our emerging country home) up to present time.
I've finished the exposition on
Continuous Compounding.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
My homemade grow boxes did not work out well. They turned into sewage-smelling, ant-attracting, soggy messes. The plastic containers that I bought from Walmart were brittle and cracking after only a couple months in the Arizona sun. The plants did not do well in them, and I ended up transplanting directly into the soil in our new coop. The genuine Earth Box that I purchased is doing fine—we're getting lots of delicious cherry tomatoes. Well, it was fun to try!
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
[update: June 28, 2014] I will never do this again. To me, it's worth the money
to have it done by a professional. I didn't have a cool, protected place to work, so contending with wind and sun was very difficult. I found it near impossible to position the film correctly, and to get out air bubbles and wrinkles. Ah well!
I want to tint the cars on our car, Blossom. The car gets really hot in the Arizona summers.
You're expected to abide by the laws in the states where you're driving, even if you're just visiting.
As of 1994, here are Arizona's requirements:
Windshield: AS1
On the windshield, there is a mark that says ‘AS-1’ toward the top that defines that the tint cannot go below this marking.
Front side windows: 33% Visible Light Transmission (VLT)
Back side windows: ANY VLT (as dark as desired)
Rear window: ANY VLT (as dark as desired)
% of Reflectivity: 35% (I couldn't find this info on my purchased car film)
Here are the basic steps for applying window tint:
Check state tint laws.
This is a lot of work. You don't want to have to rip it all off soon after you're done!
COOL, CLEAN WORK AREA: Do the application in a shaded, well-lit, dust-free area.
I had a big sheet of styrofoam that I propped against the car to provide shade while working.
HINT: In hot Arizona, the sprayed liquid dried very quickly, so the film would start to fall. If it hits the ground and gets dirty, then that piece is ruined. I recommend doing this in the very early morning, and also having a second person to help, who can hold the film if it starts to fall.
Apply when the outside temperatures are expected to be less than 98°F for three consecutive days.
I don't have this luxury in Arizona in the summer, so I kept the styrofoam board leaned against the car to provide shade.
CLEAN OUTSIDE WINDOW: Clean outside car window thoroughly. I washed first with water and paper towel. Then, I used the special cleaning solution in the
Gila Window Tint
Application Kit
, and dried with the lint-free cloth.
The outside of the window provides the pattern for cutting the film.
CLEAN INSIDE WINDOW, as in previous step.
CLEAN INSIDE EDGES OF INSIDE WINDOW: Wrap lint-free cloth around hard edge of squeegee. Wet cloth with spray. Clean entire perimeter of inside window inside gaskets.
IDENTIFY STICKY/LINER SIDES OF FILM: There are two sides of the film: a smooth side (the liner) and a sticky side
(the actual film). The ‘sticky side’ doesn't actually feel sticky to the human touch, but it does feel sticky when rubbed on itself (as in the video). Usually (and this was true for me) the liner side is on the outside of the roll (the exposed side when it is rolled up).
SPRAY OUTSIDE OF WINDOW with the special cleaning solution. This allows the film (next step) to stick to the window.
UNROLL FILM FROM ROLL, liner side OUT (away from window).
It will stick to the wet window. Cut off a piece big enough for the entire window. Put the remaining roll in a safe place for future use. Don't let it fall on the ground!
ADJUST FILM ON WINDOW: For roll-down windows, adjust the position of the film so that the straight bottom is about 1/4" to 1/2" below the bottom of the window. This bottom edge does not get cut with the razor blade.
WET/SQUEEGEE TO HOLD IN PLACE: Spray the adjusted film and squeegee to get out wrinkles and hold in place for trimming.
TRIM VERTICAL EDGES WITH RAZOR BLADE: I cut top to bottom. Tear any excess film away from the window area.
GET WINDOW ROLLED DOWN A BIT BEFORE TRIMMING TOP: Open door. Lift bottom edge (only!) of film from glass. Roll down window about two inches.
TRIM TOP OF FILM: Rest razor blade on top of window and cut across. Again, tear excess film away from window area, as needed.
I was working in high heat, so things dried out quickly. I had to re-apply spray solution between the window and film to keep it from falling off.
REMOVE CLEAR LINER: As in the video, use two pieces of scotch tape in upper left corner to separate the sticky film from the liner. Peel slowly, spraying the sticky section as you go. Discard the liner. Remove the piece of tape on the sticky section.
THOROUGHLY SPRAY INSIDE OF WINDOW.
REMOVE FILM FROM OUTSIDE OF WINDOW: Standing on the inside of the door, carefully lift the film up and over the top of the door. Immediately stick it, somewhat centered, on the inside window. Move slowly and carefully—you don't want it to stick to itself, and you don't want any part of the film to touch anything dirty!
FOLD UP BOTTOM OF FILM before correctly positioning the top, so that it won't touch any dirty area below the window.
CORRECTLY POSITION FILM ON WINDOW: Before positioning, spray beneath film again, as needed. For roll-up windows, leave a gap of about 1/8" to 1/4" at top. The bottom is still folded up at this point.
SPRAY/SQUEEGEE TOP OF FILM. Squeegee out all wrinkles and liquid from the top (not-rolled-up) part of the film.
ROLL UP THE WINDOW, because now you'll finish the bottom (rolled-up) part of the film.
RE-CLEAN BOTTOM OF WINDOW: spray, squeegee, spray again.
UNFOLD BOTTOM OF FILM ONTO CLEAN/WET WINDOW.
SLIP BOTTOM OF FILM BEHIND BOTTOM GASKET. Use the squeegee tool to press out all wrinkles and liquid, and to push film firmly to edges and inside gaskets.
FINISHING: REMOVE ANY EXCESS LIQUID TRAPPED BENEATH FILM: Wrap the low-lint cloth around the hard edge of the squeegee. Firmly squeegee entire window, from center to edges.
CONGRATULATE YOURSELF! You've saved money and developed a worthwhile skill. You've exercised patience and perseverance. Hooray! All future windows will be easier to do, now that you've done it once!
I learned that Google did a Panda 4.0 update on about May 19, and this is
precisely the date that my hits started increasing dramatically. This update
is “designed to help boost great-quality content sites while pushing down thin or low-quality content sites in the search results”. Finally, there
seems to be recognition that I have great content! Woo hoo!
I'm hopeful that my Adsense income will start to improve with the additional hits.
Ray (my husband) and I have been working hard at cleaning out the Rock House!!
It's very satisfying to have progress that can actually be seen. (Ray has been doing lots of structural engineering and architectural work, but this is all in his head, on paper, and on his computer.) We do
a lot of work very early in the morning (5 AM and even earlier) because by 7 AM
it's already very hot here in Arizona.
Also, Ray has finished our beautiful chicken-coop-turned-garden-coop. It's lovely! I painted the boards, put a latch on the door, and provided lots of
cheerleading—Ray did everything else (and Bethany helped a bit too). We have (some are from seed and have not yet sprouted): lettuce, morning glories,
cherry tomatoes, garlic, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, squash, cantaloupe, watermelon, wild flowers, sunflowers, and carrots. My daughter Julia gave me a
lovely hanging fabric planter, which I'm using for an herb garden, and it is hung on one wall of the coop. Hopefully, I'll have fresh basil, oregano, parsley, chives, tarragon, rosemary and thyme!
Friday, May 23, 2014
Here's a handy video for getting rid of fruit flies. In a nutshell: put some apple cider vinegar (about an inch) in a mug, cover with plastic wrap, punch many tiny holes in the plastic wrap with (say) a toothpick. The fruit flies will fly in, get trapped inside, and die in the vinegar. It may take several days to completely eliminate the fruit flies.
[update several days later]: Didn't work at all for me! Maybe Arizona fruit flies don't like apple cider vinegar.
Usually, at this time of the year, my hits go down dramatically as school ends.
However, I've had 1279, 1229 and 1120 page views in the past three days, which
is almost double what I've been getting recently. This is good news—I don't know why, but I'll take it!
I'm trying an organic spray to keep insects from munching on my plants.
I thoroughly blend all the ingredients below in my
Magic Bullet Blender, then
pour into a spray bottle to spray on the plants.
1 teaspoon garlic (insects don't like the smell)
(I use crushed garlic in a jar.)
1 tablespoon dish soap with no bleach content (helps the spray stick to leaves)
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
We're back in Arizona! It's great to be home, and I'm returning in better health than when I left.
I just wrote a testimonial for Even Par Auto Sales. This is a new web site for Mike and Michelle Waldbillig. We bought Blossom from them, and it was a fantastic car-buying experience.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
It has now been just under two weeks since completing my IVIG treatment. I believe
my general health has been an upward trend with oscillations,
something like this:
(Time is along the horizontal axis;
my general well-being is along the vertical axis.)
I have good days, and I have bad days. I have days when I can forget, for short periods, that I've been so sick. I have days when I can barely walk. However, the upper back pain and headache have been entirely gone for about a week and a half now.
I've had physical therapy for the leg pain. The therapist feels my pain is consistent with
a herniated disc in the lumbar region. The stretching exercises seem to help a bit. There is no discernable improvement in the pins-and-needles in my hands, feet, and upper back—my greatest fear is that as each day goes by
with this numbness, it increases the likelihood of permanent nerve damage.
I'm averaging 1-2 percocet per day; one of these is usually to get some sleep at night.
Ray arrives very late tomorrow night, and we'll leave together for Tucson on Monday, May 19th. Overall, I feel it has been a successful trip back here. I'm not going back in perfect health, but I'm definitely not continuing to get worse, and I have more functionality and less pain than when I left Tucson on April 17th.
Monday, May 12, 2014
I just received an email from a friend who mentioned
plasmapheresis. Whereas IVIG adds good antibodies,
plasmapheresis cleanses the body of bad antibodies.
Friday, May 9, 2014
I bought a
Kb sock loom.
It was originally $25.00 at Joann's in Pittsfield, MA, but I had a 40% off coupon. The DVD doesn't work on a MAC (sigh).
I needed to use 54 pegs for my size foot.
How to Make a Slip Knot (there's a video at the bottom of the page, after the written instructions)
loom orientation: toggle bolt in upper right (across from you)
Casting on the Sock Loom
Note that you start on the lower right, using the working yarn.
The first cast-on goes around the back of first peg to the left.
Not too tight, or it will be difficult to pull the bottom loop over the top
in subsequent steps!
After casting on both rows, pull the loose end of yarn (on your starting peg) to the inside of loom between pegs #1 (starting peg) and #2 (just to left of starting peg). It doesn't show this step in
the video.
It did not work for me! I was unable to make stitches loose enough. After many hours of casting on, ripping out, searching the web for tips, I ended
up giving the loom to my sister! Evidently she knows an 80+-year-old woman who
makes lots of socks on a loom, and perhaps this woman can give her tips that will
allow her to be successful. As for me, I found a wonderful pattern for
crocheted socks, and am almost done with my first one. So, I at least get to use the yarn that I bought!
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
In mid-Febrary, 2014, Youngho Cho contacted me from Seoul, Korea. He was
in the process of developing www.easydesk.co.kr for an itembank, online testing and publishing system. He came across my
TeX Commands Available in MathJax and asked my permission to use it, together with a Korean translation created under his direction, in a commercial setting. In their commercial mode, I will be credited when my material (English and/or a translation) is offered in help mode, and a link will be provided to the original Tex Commands Available in MathJax document. It was also part of the agreement that I could make translation(s) available, linked from my original document, since this will provide a wonderful service to the online mathematics community.
Here is the Korean translation of ‘TeX Commands Available in MathJax’.
A Japanese translation may be coming, too!
Thursday/Friday, May 1/2, 2014
Ray arrived about 2AM Wednesday morning. It is so wonderful to have him here!
My two final IVIG infusions, without
steroids, were Thursday and Friday at 8AM at BMC. Unfortunately, at this point in my treatment, my health is
regressing, not progressing. I have greatly increased pain in my right leg; the numbness/pins/needles has increased; extreme fatigue/weakness; headache, nausea,
back/neck pain. Unable to get any sleep, I ended up taking some percocet both Thursday and Friday nights. Sometimes things get worse before they get better, and perhaps that's what's going on here.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Here are a couple cute acronyms/sayings that I've picked up in the hospital:
HUSH: Help Us Start Healing
the Solution to Pollution is Dilution (in other words: drink lots of water)
I'm going home today! I'll have my third steroid/IVIG treatment, and will be released from the hospital thereafter. I'll have the remaining two IVIG treatments done as an out-patient (returning to the hospital just for the treatment). I'll be back at my Mom's house when my husband Ray arrives tonight!
Hooray!
My right leg is dramatically better: no spasms, no severe pain, very little weakness. I still have minor upper back pain, minor neck pain, minor headache, mild nausea, but not severe enough to require pain meds. When the neurologist
‘tickled’ the bottom of my feet this morning, I felt it for the first time, so I may be recovering some of my peripheral senses. Hooray! Overall, I'm feeling better than I have in two months. This speaks well to a
correct diagnosis and treatment.
I'm glad this is my last (third) day of the steroid treatment. The pain at my IV site, during the injection, has gotten worse and worse each day. Today it is quite painful. Usually, the pain disappears a few minutes after they switch to the IVIG.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
The abnormality in my CSR (cerebrospinal fluid) from the spinal tap was
albuminocytologic dissociation. Here's the
definition and I quote:
“increased protein in the cerebrospinal fluid without increase in cell count, characteristic of the Guillain-Barré syndrome; it is also associated with spinal block and with intracranial neoplasia, and is seen in the last phases of poliomyelitis.”
Here is some more info on inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy from
Medscape.
I have cells in my body that are creating ‘bad antibodies’; these ‘bad antibodies’ are breaking down the myelin sheaths on my nerves. This abnormal behavior of my cells could have been caused by exposure to some toxic substances (for example, things that I might have encountered in cleaning the land and filling three 40-cubic-yard dumpsters).
The IVIG is getting rid of the bad antibodies. It is not getting rid of the cells that create the bad antibodies. Steroids, on the other hand, actually kill the cells that are creating the bad antibodies. However, killing the cells compromises your immune system (which is bad), because then the cells are gone and can't do their job in creating the ‘good’ antibodies to fight off other infections.
I am currently on both IVIG and steroids. Here's an analogy—the IVIG is getting rid of the current attackers, and the steroids are getting rid of the intelligence that is sending in new attackers! Since I'm on steroids, it's important that I not expose myself to sickness (get me out of the hospital, right!?). So I ask, please, that if you're sick, don't visit me! Emails, texts, and phone calls are safe!
The doctors hope that this was indeed brought on by (say) toxic exposure, and that, with the toxicity removed, and having ‘cleaned out’ my body of the ‘bad antibodies’, that I will fully recover. He believes that I can recover full ability, including getting rid of the pins-and-needles in both my hands and feet—he doesn't think this has gone on long enough that the damage is permanent. I'm good with this diagnosis!
Here are some possible side effects of IVIG. Today has been a good day for me; I haven't taken any
pain medication in over 24 hours as I write this. However, I have had
a mild headache, mild upper back and neck pain, mild leg pain, normal numbness (hands/feet/back), some minor chills and some nausea—the headache and nausea are not as normal for me, and are listed as possible IVIG side effects.
It's possible that my post-spinal-tap headache is morphing into a post-IVIG-headache! It's also possible that my Motrin-nausea from yesterday is
morphing into some IVIG-nausea!
Monday, April 28, 2014
In the continuing saga of my health (i.e., lack of), they think that I may
have the very rare
CIDP (Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy), which is
‘an acquired immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nervous system’.
I think they may be
getting close, because these quotes from the wikipedia article describe my symptoms
perfectly:
‘Patients usually present with a history of weakness, numbness, tingling, pain and difficulty in walking.
...
Some patients may have sudden onset of back pain or neck pain radiating down the extremities, usually diagnosed as radicular pain. These symptoms are usually progressive and may be intermittent.’
Evidently the spinal tap fluid did show abnormalities consistent with
this diagnosis. Evidently everything else was normal: MRIs, EKG, chest x-ray, bloodwork.
I am going to stop taking the percocet; I do not want to start dealing
with either addiction or building tolerance, on top of my other woes! Today, for the first time, I took a motrin (600 mg); I went from excruciating, level-10, charley-horse cramping pain in my right leg to tolerance in about 20 minutes. It has, however, given me some nausea, whereas I didn't experience
any side effects with the percocet.
They are puting me on
IVIG
(intravenous immunoglobulin). I will have five days of this IVIG treatment. However, they suspect that it will take a few
days for this to relieve symptoms. For the first three days, before the IVIG treatment (back-to-back), they are giving me a 1000mg dose of
methlyprednisolone, a steroid. This should give more immediate relief of pain, and also remediate some
of the possible side effects of the ensuing IVIG.
The steroid, and first dose of IVIG went well! Here is a statement, from
Office of Rare Diseases Research, about the
long-term outlook for people diagnosed with CIDP. I like the part that I've emphasized, and that's going to be ME!
The course of CIDP varies widely among individuals. Some may have a bout of CIDP followed by spontaneous recovery, while others may have many bouts with partial recovery in between relapses. The disease is a treatable cause of acquired neuropathy and initiation of early treatment to prevent loss of nerve axons is recommended. However, some individuals are left with some residual numbness or weakness.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Dr. Marina Zaretskaya-Fuchs (a neurologist in Lenox, Massachusetts) came highly recommended by two very close friend/family members. The first test she did—having read my recent
medical history—was a neurological conductivity test, which yielded highly
abnormal results. She wrote: ‘There is electrical evidence to suggest the presence of
acute, not length dependent, asymmetric, mixed motor and sensory, primary demyelinating polyneuropathy.’ Finally, after two months, a test result that showed something wrong—I was ecstatic! She wanted me admitted to the hospital right away, to gather more data on what is causing this
compromising of the myelin sheath around my nerves.
Since being admitted, I've had a spinal tap (lumbar puncture), blood drawn,
a chest x-ray, an EKG, and just under two hours in the MRI (cervical and thoracic, with and without contrast). I've talked to many doctors and nurses, relating my recent medical history. They
are wonderful here at BMC (Berkshire Medical Center) in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. I feel that I'm in very good hands, with a team that is determined to figure out what is causing my symptoms.
The MRI was
extremely difficult for me—I was fighting panic attacks throughout.
When first pushed in, I made the mistake of keeping my eyes open, and had to be removed immediately, to collect myself.
Second time in, I was sure to keep my eyes closed, and I cycled through three strategies for avoiding panic: praying, singing to myself, and envisioning Ray's arms wrapping around me.
Friday, April 25, 2014
I'm now in Massachusetts, and have a neurologist appointment scheduled for
tomorrow (Saturday). Hopefully this will shed some light on my health condition.
I'm having a wonderful visit with my Mom. Even at age 55, I gain great comfort
from my Mom when I'm in such pain.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
To all my users: I'm sorry I've produced so little new material on my website for months now. I've been very sick.
I'm headed to Massachusetts for about a month to see my Mom, give my sister a much-deserved break for Mom's care, and see some doctors experienced
with late-stage Lyme disease, which I suspect I may have.
I had the
Lyme disease AB, total, W/RFX to WBbtest performed in
Arizona.
The Lyme AB screen maxed out: >= 1.10 is considered positive,
and my result is >5.00.
I was reactive on the 18 kD (IgG) band.
I was reactive on the 41 kD (IgM) band.
I was non-reactive on all other bands.
This resulted in a ‘negative for Lyme disease’ diagnosis.
There is considerable controversy and discussion over testing for and treatment of lyme disease:
see, e.g., discussions at
wikipedia.
In particular, from
lymedisease.org (talking about the western blot) I quote (emphasis is mine):
Different laboratories use different methods and criteria, so you can have a positive test result from one lab and a negative test result from another. Lyme disease is known to inhibit the immune system and twenty to thirty percent of patients have falsely negative antibody tests.
I grew up in Massachusetts, and lived there again from 1999 to April 2011, when I moved to Arizona. I was very active outdoors: hiking, gardening, walking. I know I've had tick bites, because I can remember removing ticks. (In particular, in my health log I have documented, 6/1/2008, ‘tick, right butt, Karl removed’). However, I don't ever recall seeing the ‘bulls-eye’.
In November 2009 I was diagnosed with shingles. I mention this only because I've read that a rash caused by lyme disease is sometimes mis-diagnosed as shingles.
Here are my current symptoms (from oldest to most recent):
January 2014: weeks of dizziness; upon changing elevation; upon rolling over in bed. The room spins. I self-diagnosed as
BPPV, Benign Paroxysmal
Positional Vertigo. I had whacked my head pretty hard a few times on the low mini-dome out at our country land (before I made cute braid ‘pigtails’ to remind me of the low ceiling). The diagnosis seemed to fit. This may or may be related to the subsequent symtoms beginning in late February.
late February 2014: Numb, pins-and-needles hands and feet.
Initially, I was numb all the way up to my knees, and all the way to my elbows, but I gained some sensations back. This numbness has been constant; it never goes away.
early March, 2014: I tried to do a water-only fast. It lasted 54 hours; I had to stop due to headaches, excruciating upper back pain, and the worsening numbness in arms/legs. I also had severe neck pain for several days, but this subsided, leaving only the upper back pain.
early March to present: extreme weakness and fatigue. It is difficult to walk; stairs are particularly challenging. In early April, my entire right leg
has severe muscle pain, making it even more difficult to walk.
Here are a couple notable examples of my weakness:
Under the influence of
pain meds I was doing some gardening, forgot for a moment
that I was sick, and went to hop over a small trench (which normally would be a
trivial move for me). I ended up at the bottom of the trench—no hopping for me these days! (My mind said ‘hop’; my legs said ‘nope’.)
Again, gardening, I was attacked by a bee. It was swarming around my face.
I was trying to get quickly to my trailer, but no going quickly for me—I fell on the ground about four times as I was frantically trying to get away from the bee. Luckly, I was only stung once on the neck.
March 12, 2014: I ended up in the ER with a half-paralyzed face. I was eating oatmeal, and my tongue wasn't working right; I couldn't press down on the spoon. It quickly spread to the right-side of my face; I couldn't blink my right eye; when I smiled, it only went up on the left. They whisked me in (stroke concern), and quickly ruled out: heart attack, stroke, brain tumor, severe anemia, electrolyte imbalances, thyroid issues. They diagnosed
Bell's Palsy, which seems to be a catch-all for
facial paralysis that can't be pinned on any particular cause. They prescribed
prednisone, 60 mg/day, to heal the facial nerve. By March 18, I could blink my right eye (which saved me many hours a day of putting drops in that eye).
Since my ER visit, I have been prescribed percocet for pain. It allows me to sleep at night; for weeks, I had not been sleeping much due to the excruciating upper back pain. My poor husband! I would pace and moan, and try to distract myself with movement. I am trying very hard to not just pop-a-pill every six hours, but instead to wait until I just can't stand the pain any more, since I don't want to develop a tolerance to the drug.
[addition, April 22, 2014] My ankles and lower legs had serious fluid retention on the bus trip from Tucson to Massachusetts (about 72 hours). The swelling has now mostly subsided (about two days after my arrival). My right knee has been troublesome. My entire right leg is much, much worse than it was in Arizona. Pain/numbness extends all the way into my left buttocks. My headache has been much worse than in Arizona.
[addition, April 22, 2014] Pain in stomach/chest area. When I laugh (watching a movie with my Mom!) my entire chest area hurts.
I am determined to figure out what is going on with me, and start on the road
to recovery! If I have lyme disease, then I'm definitely in
the ‘late persistent’ (neurologic) stage. I'm determined to get back to serious work on my Precalculus curriculum!
Friday, April 11, 2014
I've written a couple exercises for
Diluting a Toxic Liquid.
Even though there are only two cases, there is quite a lot of variability built in.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
This is a very powerful movie about lyme disease:
Under Our Skin
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
I've added an optional section to Precalculus,
discussing a
real-life problem where the irrational number $\,\text{e}\,$ makes
a surprising appearance! Diluting a Toxic Liquid
I haven't written any exercises yet,
but the concept discussion is complete.
We've finished the logo and main page graphic for my web site re-design.
They are so beautiful!
Now, I'm thinking that, instead of verbiage on the landing page, I'll have
a slide show of graphics illustrating key features of my site. I've got
Olga working on the first one, over 300 high-quality math lessons.
I need a greenhouse for wind, harsh sun, and pest protection. They're expensive!
I found these DYI plans and youtube video
and am tempted to build one myself.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
In my continuing quest for the ‘perfect garden system for me’
I like this
Square Foot Gardening.
By the way, my sprouts and composter are doing great, and a bunch of seeds are already up (and a few have already been eaten by critters, so I clearly have to solve that problem). Also, birds have discovered our feeder and waterer, which is great.
My face has almost completely recovered from Bell's Palsy (that was the diagnosis at the Emergency Room on Sunday), but my weakness and upper back pain are still debilitating. So, I'm continuing to try and distract myself with gardening projects.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
I put about 15 new cases in
Solving for a Particular Variable,
after some feedback from my niece, Sarah Morley. Thanks, Sarah!
I've been experiencing debilitating symptoms for the past week and a half.
After extensive research, I think I might have the (very rare) Guillain-Barré syndrome.
The good news is that it usually goes away.
Here are some good articles:
To distract myself from my pain, I've been a planting fiend! Cherry tomatoes,
potatoes, cantaloupe, beans, peas, wildflowers and bachelor buttons, green peppers, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, and more! I've constructed two self-made
self-watering grow boxes; ended up buying a ‘hot knife’ to help me
cut the plastic, which works okay (but is very slow).
We've also hung a bird feeder and a hummingbird feeder, and I hope the
birds discover these soon. Here's a neat map that
tracks the hummingbird migration.
Friday, February 28, 2014
I'm so excited!! I've ordered my first illustration from
Olga Dabrowska
(of
a cat on a swing hanging from a branch of a mathematical tree).
This will be my first business with
microlancer.com.
I absolute love her work, and I hope this is the beginning
of a long fruitful relationship!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Unfortunately, things didn't work out with
Godat Design. They decided
that my needs exceeded my budget, so they withdrew their estimate. I am suspicious that I scared them away with too many questions. Sigh.
I feel bad about this. I was disappointed, because
I believe they would have done a good job for me.
Perhaps it's a bit of a blessing in disguise, because in ‘going back
to the drawing board’ I came across
envato.com, with their
web design templates and freelancers.
I've contacted
Olga Dabrowska for a possible mathematical tree.
I've contacted
dabaman (Habibur Rahman) to see if he does custom web design, because I really
like his Jumper and Pen-and-Paper templates.
So, I spent many hours today going through all thirty pages of freelancers
showing off their portfolios.
Everything
just blurs together after a while. I did single out a few that I liked. How
does someone actually find a service that's right for them?
The rest of this entry is going to read like a commercial, but I just have to share!
For full disclosure—if you order this product through
the link I have here, then you support my work. Thanks!
Since we moved out to the country, I've been plagued by this horrible
skunk smell at the end of a nearby storage trailer. For weeks,
I kept telling myself ‘it will air out on its own’. After about
four weeks and absolutely no lessening of the smell, I decided to take some action.
I started doing web research in getting rid of skunk smells. I
tried the spray-with-a-bleach-solution remedy, which did nothing. In the
process of researching, I came across this product, ‘Odors Away’.
I was extremely skeptical. But I was placing an Amazon order anyways, and it
wasn't too expensive, so I decided it wouldn't hurt to try.
Oh my goodness, it works! The skunk smell is completely gone after
two applications, two days in a row. I put a few drops on a piece of glass under the end of the trailer yesterday, and that helped, but didn't completely eliminate the odor. This morning, I sprinkled about 6 more drops around the area. In all, I probably used only 10 drops. I am so happy to be rid of that smell!! After about 2 months of living with skunk smell that made me nauseous (I have to go there, since it's by our outside
water faucet), there was an unbelievably easy solution.
Here's another use. We're currently living in an RV while we build our eventual
home across the street. Those of you with RV experience probably know that the toilets smell. There's really not much you can do, because you're basically on top of where the sewage is stored. I am super clean, and the toilet is clean clean clean, but you flush, and it smells. My husband has very bad chemical sensitivities, so I can't use any ‘traditional’ cleaning or deordorizing products, either. Well, I have now velcroed that tiny bottle
to the wall by the toilet with instructions "put one drop in toilet after use".
What a difference. Hooray!
‘Odors Away’ does have a citrus-type odor, but it seems to
dissipate pretty quickly. Also, you have to work pretty hard to get only
one drop (which is all you need) because a typical squeeze produces two or three drops. But, with some practice, you can indeed get
only one drop, which will then really give you your money's worth from this
tiny bottle!
UPDATE on MARCH 11, 2014:
The skunk smell has returned on various days, and I've had to re-apply some drops.
However, it is dramatically lessened from the initial smell.
UPDATE ON APRIL 5, 2014:
I've had to give this to my daughter, since my husband (who has severe chemical
sensitivities) is reacting to the citrus-like fragrance.
Changing the subject—I'm determined and inspired to not have
any boring bookshelves in our new home!
Finally, this excellent
comparison video for
flashing-light animal deterrent technology
was very influential in
helping me to choose two Predator Guard units to protect my Grow Boxes (see prior day's entry)
from critters. I've now spent days researching grow boxes, composting and
composters, and critter repellents. I think I'm set to go!
Thursday, February 6, 2014
We got our second 40 cubic yard dumpster on Monday, and it's just about full already.
Yesterday, two relatives helped remove about 20 old rusty stakes (and
broken-down fences) using a technique similar to this:
How to Remove
Metal Fence Posts or Tree Stakes
.
However, we used a thick chain with a hook on the end instead of the C-clamp,
and we used a solid steel pipe (about 10 feet long) instead of the two boards.
Also, we put wood blocks as close to the stake as possible, between the stake
and the far end of pipe, and pushed DOWN instead of pulling up. It worked incredibly well! Some of these stakes I had tried to remove (with banging and digging) for hours.
I'm also working on the next Precalculus web exercise,
Introduction to
Instantaneous Rate of Change and Tangent Lines
, but don't quite have it
to the point of uploading.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Google has made available a new AdSense Direct campaign, where a publisher (like myself) can contract with a single advertiser. I'd like to get a reputable,
professional math advertiser for my site, so I could always count on the quality and appropriateness of the ad that appears. I submitted feedback to Google to see if they are planning a system where publishers can ‘make themselves available’ for an AdSense Direct campaign, and/or find out which advertisers are seeking an AdSense Direct campaign.
Friday, January 24, 2014
I decided to change the style on my
homepage.
The design that I viewed as artistic, others viewed as chaotic and
unprofessional.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
This is a great video for the Speedy Stitcher Sewing Awl
that I got for Christmas.
My computer wouldn't turn on yesterday, so I made a trip to the Genius Bar. It is comforting to know that I always have a patient, skilled, professional human being that I can talk to! I needed a new Apple MagSafe 85W Power Adapter, so it was an easy fix (but pretty expensive; just over \$80).
We're getting settled in our two tiny trailers in the country, so that we can spend the next year (or so) building our home across the street. It has consumed us for weeks now, which is why I haven't worked on Precalculus lessons.
But, I'm finally back to it!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
My goodness, I haven't had an entry since December 10, 2013. This is definitely a sign of how busy things have been here—we've started serious
work on our country land. I now appreciate what 40 cubic yards of junk looks like!
Happy New Year, everyone!
I updated my monthly stats
and website income for December, and also for 2013. It's the first time that my stats have declined—this shows the power of search engines. Whatever ‘tweak’ Google made at the end of 2012 hit me really hard. I basically lost two years of progress.
Since I'm making so little income these days, I'm discontinuing my guestbook. People who want to leave me a message can use Facebook instead. I took ‘snapshots’ of all my guestbook entries so I wouldn't lose them,
and I've posted them here.
