Author's posts
May 01
Happy Beltane!
Summer in Edinburgh, Scotland, kicks off with an evening of whimsical revelry. Colorful characters parade atop a hill, dancing and marching to the beat of pounding drums. Fires blaze, warming the air with their bright, smoky flames. Beltane or Beltain is the Gaelic May Day festival. Most commonly it is held on 1 May, or about …
Feb 10
Happy Chinese New Year – the Year of the Dragon!
Our wonderful daughter-in-law is Chinese, so we are celebrating, too. Embark on a vibrant journey into the heart of Chinese culture with the Chinese New Year, also revered as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year. This exuberant celebration stands as a cornerstone of Chinese heritage, heralding the commencement of the lunar new year. …
Feb 04
Cab Calloway
Since I’ve done the Nicholas Brothers and Busby Berkeley, it’s time for Cab Calloway, another old movie favorite of mine. I think the first time I ever came across anything related to Calloway was in the late 1960s when I was watching That Girl on TV – Ann’s father (Lew Parker) sang Minnie the Moocher …
Dec 31
Happy Hogmanay!
Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year (Gregorian calendar) in the Scottish manner. It is normally followed by further celebration on the morning of New Year’s Day (1 January) or, in some cases, 2 January—a Scottish bank holiday. The …
Dec 26
Happy Boxing Day!
Happy Boxing Day! Boxing Day is a holiday traditionally celebrated the day following Christmas Day, when servants and tradesmen would receive gifts, known as a “Christmas box”, from their masters, employers or customers, in the United Kingdom,The Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Bermuda, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and …
Dec 21
Lockerbie Anniversary
The Lockerbie Cairn, through its 270 blocks of red Scottish sandstone, memorializes the 270 lives lost in the terrorist attack on the United States when Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed Dec. 21, 1988, over Lockerbie, Scotland. It is a gift of the people of Scotland to the people of the United States, financed …
Dec 18
The Nicholas Brothers
I know that I promised in Major Excitement to post about the Nicholas Brothers and this is it! I can’t remember the first time I saw the Nicholas Brothers in a movie but I’ve sought them out ever since. I even bought their biography in 2010, Brotherhood In Rhythm: The Jazz Tap Dancing of the Nicholas Brothers. …
Cushing’s
- 📰 Thymic Neuroendocrine Tumor With Metastasis to the Breast Causing Ectopic Cushing’s SyndromeWe present a case of a 34-year-old woman with a rapid onset of severe hypercortisolism in April 2016. After initial treatment with a steroid inhibitor (ketoconazole) and diagnostics including 68Ga DOTA-TATE PET/CT, it was shown to be caused by a small thymic NET.
- 🦓 Day 4, Cushing’s Awareness ChallengeOur “Official mascot” is the zebra. In med school, student doctors are told “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras“.
- 🦓 From a Past Blogging Challenge ~ Sleep, the Goldilocks and the Three bears of Cushing’s DiseaseInsomnia was one of the first things that troubled me enough to try to get help for with Cushing’s Disease. By my last year in music school, I had flipped my schedule around. I felt best and got more done if I practiced through the night and slept through the day...
- 🦓 Comment added to Day 4, Cushing’s Awareness ChallengeThanks to AI, this year I was able to see a whole lot of zebras outside a hospital :)
- 🦓 From a Past Blogging Challenge: Cushing’s Awareness Challenge – Danielle, Day 3One of my least favorite things about my life with chronic illness is having imaging appointments. Whether it's my yearly brain MRI, or a chest X-ray, the whole process is uncomfortable, and sometimes even painful...
- 📅 Adrenal Insufficiency United’s Lunch & Learn, Los Angeles California, May 3Adrenal Insufficiency United’s Lunch & Learn Events are one day mini-conferences located in different cities in the USA. We find great local speakers to lead sessions and give presentations about issues affecting those with adrenal insufficiency. These one day events will be packed full of opportunities giving attendees more chances to ask questions, share their […]
- ℹ️ Adrenal insufficiency BasicsAdrenal insufficiency is a condition where the adrenal glands don't produce enough of certain hormones, primarily cortisol and sometimes aldosterone. This disorder can be categorized into primary (Addison's disease) and secondary forms.
- ℹ️ Cushing's Disease BasicsCushing's Disease is a rare condition caused by excessive production of cortisol, a hormone essential for various bodily functions. It is a specific form of Cushing's Syndrome, where the overproduction of cortisol is due to a tumor in the pituitary gland. The condition affects 10 to 15 people per million each year, predominantly women between […]
- ℹ️ Cushing's Syndrome OverviewCushing’s syndrome is a rare disorder that occurs when the body is exposed to too much cortisol. Cortisol is produced by the body and is also used in corticosteroid drugs. Cushing's syndrome can occur either because cortisol is being overproduced by the body or from the use of drugs that contain cortisol (like prednisone)…
- 📰 Ivory Tower: New PET Scan Molecule Offers Breakthrough in Detecting Cushing’s SyndromeResearchers from endocrinology and nuclear medicine departments have introduced a new PET scan molecule that enhances the detection of adenoma/small tumour causing Cushing’s syndrome. This development promises to improve surgical interventions and patient outcomes.
Music & Local Events
- 🍿 Coffee & a Classic: An American in Paris, TodayThere’s nothing better on a Friday morning than a classic movie and a fresh cup of coffee in our meeting room!
- 🐥 Raise Chicks this Spring, Today through April 9Purchase your 4 chicks and specify your pick up day April 4-19, 2025. They sell out quickly! Add-on a care kit if don’t have one. Decide where you would like to keep the chicks, laundry room, bathroom, mud room, and set up a box to be their home. (Tips below) April 4-19: The Farm Market […]
- 🛐 Lenten Hymn and Devotion, Week 5Brian Stevenson, Pender UMC Director of Handbells and Ensembles, presents a series of hymn-based devotions on Wednesdays during Lent. “Go to Dark Gethsemane” is a Lenten hymn that spotlights scenes from the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ’s life.
- 😎 Register for Vacation Bible School (VBS)For potty-trained three year olds through ninth graders. Embark on an exciting journey with Road Trip VBS, based on Joshua 1:9 – "The LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Discover God's presence everywhere as we explore new places, make new friends, and experience God's goodness together. Join us in a fun-filled adventure […]
- 🌎 Mini-Makers – Earth Day Edition, April 5Reduce – Reuse – Recycle! Spend a crafternoon making beads for bracelets. necklaces or even toy snakes using old magazines!
- 🧐 Brain Power, All AprilEnhance your mental fitness with “Train Your Brain” activities! Sudoku, crosswords, Color Me Happy, and word searches. Each activity is aimed at stimulating cognitive function and supporting memory improvement.
- 📆 O'Connor Music Studio CalendarUpdated daily with music and Northern Virginia events.
- 🧱 Brick Buddies: Build A Bridge!, April 8Use your imagination and engineering skills to complete the monthly challenge out of basic LEGO bricks. All materials are provided and stay at the library.
- 🎶 More Music OpportunitiesCalling All Musicians: Join Pender’s Vibrant Music Ministry! Are you passionate about music? Do you feel called to share your musical gifts in a community of faith? Pender is seeking talented musicians to join our vibrant Music Ministry team and contribute to our uplifting and spiritually enriching worship services!
- 📚 Toddler Storytime-Read with a Cop, April 16Join us for Early Literacy story time with stories, songs, and finger plays. Read by a police officer from the Fairfax County Police Department!