May The 4th Be With You

Today is the day that all true geeks live for.  This is the day where we can quote our favorite movie all day long, and, where people can still think we're crazy, we have a legitimate reason for doing it!  What day is it?  It's International Star Wars Day!!!!

In honor of this most glorious day, here are some great Star Wars pictures, along with some of my favorite quotes!

Try not.  Do or do not, there is no try.

Always let the Wookie win!!

Traveling through Hyperspace isn't like dusting crops

If it smells bad on the outside, it's worse on the inside!

The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1

Wars do not make one great

You must follow your own path; no one can choose it for you

Why you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy looking nerfherder!

Who's scruffy looking?

No, I am your father

Pass on what you have learned

And finally, the quote that has been used throughout all 6 movies, and is often used to parody Star Wars by other shows:

And I'm proud of it!!!

Let The Games Begin

Thursday Brandon had his first check up since beginning his ADHD medication.  Thankfully he hasn't suffered any of the side effects like nausea, or appetite suppression.  When I emailed his teacher's and asked them how they thought he has been doing the past 10 days, I was really surprised.  His reading teacher (beginning of the day) told me that he's been a rock star; showing a complete turn around; talking out so much less, and able to focus so much more.  I was thrilled to hear that.

When we turn to math and spelling however, things look very different.  This teacher told me that Brandon is almost worse.  He's talking out even more, especially during spelling, which didn't happen very often in the past.  Brandon has begun shouting across the room, and getting very upset if he has the wrong answer to a problem.

His homeroom teacher also reported that Brandon is more emotional, especially if he's asked to move a card for displaying inappropriate behavior in class.  It's this emotional turn that has me the most concerned, and was the highlight of my discussion with the doctor.

Apparently this surge in emotions is normal as Brandon's body adjusts to the medication.  These next 2 weeks will tell us which direction to go next.  If his emotions get worse since we increased the dose just a bit, we'll know it's the medication that is the problem and we will change that.  If his emotions level off, or remain the same, we'll know to increase the dose he's taking.

I also found out that the higher the level of medication, the longer it will stay in his system.  I was happy to hear this because I'd already pushed back the time I give him the medication once.  Any later and it wouldn't work during the beginning of the day.  Even with taking it later, the medication has been running out before school is over.  So having it last longer will be a great advantage for everyone.

Now the medication games begin.  Which one will work, which dose is the most effective....all the games I've been playing with my own medication for the past 16 years.

Star Wars Episode VII Cast Revealed!

I realize it's not Saturday, but the day has finally come.  The official announcement for the Star Wars Episode VII cast has been revealed.  Some names were no big surprise, other names I've never heard of.  Here is the official picture of the new cast:

J.J. Abrams tried to keep it quiet, but it didn't work.  We all knew that Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill were going to come back and play Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker.  Let's face it; you can't do another Star Wars without these 3 actors in these roles!  Carrie Fisher has clearly lost a lot of weight, and when rumors began floating this week that all 3 had been seen in London, all that was left was the official announcement.

There is an official article here that gives more detail.

I'm thrilled to see familiar faces.  Peter Mayhew is back as Chewbacca.   Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker will once again portray C3PO and R2-D2.

What I want to know is this:  who in the world are 5 of the 6 actors on the top of this picture?  It seems like Abrams has done what Lucas did before him...cast a bunch of unknowns.  For those of you (like myself) who can't read the names, here are the actors on the top row, in order.

Adam Driver
I've never heard of this man, and even after looking him up, I've never seen anything he's done, so I have no opinion about him.

Andy Serkis
Many of you know him as Gollum from Lord of the Rings.  I can't STAND this character; he's probably the biggest reason I don't watch those movies more often.  I'm also not familiar with any of his other work, so we'll see.

Daisy Ridley
She's an unknown British actress; doesn't even have a Wikipedia file!  Sorry, that's all I have for you!

Domhnall Gleeson
Apparently he was in a couple Harry Potter movies.  Since I've never seen those (close you mouth...you'll let flies in!) I have no idea who this guy is either.

John Boyega
Again, I have nothing for you

Max Von Sydow
This is the most "seasoned" actor of the entire cast, however, I'm still not familiar with his work. People are already speculating that he could be Obi-Wan Kenobi.  I'm sorry, I won't stand for this. Alec Guiness, the original Obi-Wan, is dead.  IF you want to bring him back as a "force ghost", Ewan McGregor could possibly do it.  Overall, I hope this is simply a rumor, because I HATE THAT IDEA!

Oscar Isaac
No clue who this guy is either!

The rumor mill is already spinning again.  This morning, an article about Harrison Ford came out. Read it here.  Considering he has always been very vocal about how he wanted Han Solo killed off at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, and how he would NEVER return to the Star Wars universe, this could be Harrison Ford's Star Wars swan song.  I can't figure out why he's doing this again.  Is it because he's no longer "hot stuff"?  He's over 70, and not considered a leading man in Hollywood anymore.  He definitely doesn't need the money, so why do it?  I'm thrilled he is, but my curiosity is killing me.

I hope that the people involved in this movie don't make the fans wait for plot information.  One of the biggest flaws with the prequels is that no one knew anything about the plot.  We waited, hoped, and prayed, believing we were going to get what we had in the original trilogy.  And when the stories sucked, we didn't have months to already put it past us and prepare for the fact that the stories weren't good.  Throw us information this time.  Give us time to digest, prepare, etc.

I'm still very skeptical about this whole thing.  I'm hopeful, but not holding my breath!

What do you think of the announcement?  It's too bad they didn't wait until this Sunday to tell the world:  Sunday is "International Star Wars Day", and people will be heard saying, "May the 4th Be With You"....seems like that would've been the perfect day!  Oh well.

30 Days of Music Recap

Day 1:  A Song That Annoys You

Day 2: A Song That Helps You Clear Your Head

Day 3: A Song That Makes You Happy

Day 4: Rock Anthems

Day 5: An Acoustic Song You Love

Day 6: Guilty Pleasure Songs

Day 7:  A Song That Means A Lot To You

Day 8: Songs That Make You Want to Dance

Day 9: Songs That Remind You of Something Sad

Day 10:  What is a Fanilow?

Day 11:  Disney Songs

Day 12:  A Song You Liked When You Were Younger

Day 13:  A Song That Reminds Me of A Loved One

Day 14:  A Song That Makes Me Cry

Day 15:  My Current Ringtone....and Star Wars!

Day 16:  A Song You Like Hearing Live

Day 17:  A Song From A New Album That You Are Waiting To Come Out

Day 18:  A Cover Song

Day 19:  A Song That Reminds You of Your Best Friend

Day 20:  A Teenage Pop Star You Like Better As An Adult

Day 21:  Random Country Songs

Day 22:  A Song You Can Always Relate To

Day 23:  A Song That Makes Me Laugh

Day 24:  Michael Jackson

Day 25:  A Song That Would Be The Theme Song For Your Life

Day 26:  A Song by Your Favorite Band

Day 27:  Musicals

Day 28:  Oldies!

Day 29:  The Piano Guys

Day 30:  A Song You Haven't Heard In A While

The Pharmacy Trip From Hell

Yesterday morning I called Brandon's pediatrician to find out if they had heard back from the insurance company regarding his medication.  I come to find out that there was no authorization needed for his medication, so I've waited almost 7 days for nothing.  Fun.  His medication can't be faxed to a pharmacy, so I needed to get the doctor's signature on an actual script.  Of course, the doctor wasn't in his office yesterday, so I was stuck.

I called them this morning to remind them.  I finally received a call at 3pm telling me that Brandon's script was ready.  We stopped by on the way home from school.  Luckily I called the Macey's pharmacy to see if they had the medication in their pharmacy BEFORE I went there.  I WANT TO GET THIS STARTED! Turns out, Macey's doesn't even offer the medication that Brandon needs!  So, it was off to the pharmacy from hell:  Walmart.  (Dun, dun, dun!!!)  I already hate Walmart as it is...don't EVEN get me started on their pharmacy.  Long lines, ridiculously long waits, that's why I prefer Macey's!

The script is for only 14 days, and then we'll evaluate if the medication is working, and decide what to do next.  I've already spoken to my insurance company, so I know that all ADHD medications are in the 3rd tier, which means this medicine will cost $60...FABULOUS, because I'm made of money.

I turned the script in, and was told that they only had 10 of the 14 pills I need.  Wonderful. Walmart only orders medication once a week, (unlike most pharmacy's that will order the medication the next day if a customer needs it!) so if I wanted the entire script, I would have to wait until next Thursday to get it.  I could choose to get the 10 pills, but then I would have to go and get another script from the doctor.  Macey's would've filled the script and then ordered the 4 remaining pills, saving me another phone call and trip to the doctor.  Stupid Walmart.

Again, I WANT TO GET THIS STARTED, so I decided to take the 10 pills and go back to the doctor tomorrow for the new script for the remaining 4.  I was hoping that since I was only getting 10 pills that it wouldn't cost $60.  I was told it would take about 30 minutes, so Brandon and I went walking around Walmart...just how I want to spend my afternoon!

About 20 minutes into the wait, I hear my name over the PA system calling me back to the pharmacy...that can't be a good sign.  We head back and they made a mistake with the insurance.  I also discovered that 10 pills were going to cost me $60!  Whether it's a 30 day supply or 10 pills, it's the same copay.  Stupid insurance.  The nice lady put my script on "critical", which means GET MOVING ON IT, since she made a mistake.  I appreciated that.  We FINALLY got out of there 60 minutes later!

Brandon is oddly excited about starting the medication that is going to help him "sit quietly in his chair, and not shout out".  What bothers me now is that in 10 days we'll have to pay ANOTHER $60 for medication.  Eventually we'll be on a regular schedule with Brandon's medicine, and won't have to pay so much, so often.  And the bottom line is that as long as it works, it will be worth it.

So tomorrow we begin.  Hopefully Brandon won't suffer from any side effects.  And now that the script has been filled at Walmart once, they now have it on file and will be ordering it so that it will be in the pharmacy from now on.  A light at the end of the tunnel....yippie!