Sean updates...
As some of you know, I was roughed up by a back pack wielding assault "artist" last Thursday at the Metro station. The original diagnosis from George Washington University Hospital was that I had come out of the mess with a fractured jaw. Today's appointment with The Oral Surgeon revealed that that isn't the case!
Instead it looks like I am suffering a joint injury that basically has resulted in the area where the joint and cartilage of the jaw coming together being badly jammed. I may still hear a click the rest of my life as I age but otherwise the inflammation and probable internal bruising at that spot will go away in a few weeks and I will be somewhat back to normal.
Our theory is that I also received a mild concussion which is affecting me and will affect me for a few more days plus just the stress of the whole thing happening just making me tired, dizzy, and confused at times. But I can say today I feel so much better! And I am so glad my jaw isn't broken! If The Oral Surgeon found that it was, I might have had to have a medical procedure immediately! So thank God that didn't happen! I will be sitting back now and keeping to the liquid/soft food diet the next two weeks - The Oral Surgeon's orders. I have a check up Sept 2.
Thanks for all your support over the last few days! Your words, phone messages, and good vibes have really helped me through this whole drama.
All give Stefan a pat on the back for taking good care of me here at home! He does what he does because he is who he is!
Huggles to you all!
The McFreeds reveal...
Well a few of you have asked where we have been as of late and there is a complex answer to that.
- We have been concentrating on planning for our 2nd Annual McFreed Family Summer Shindig and getting the house ready for visitors.
- Stefan was recovering from his successful deviated septum surgery. Sean can report that the snoring has improved in a low volume way.
- And we also had the unexpected reality of Sean being assaulted on Thursday August 7 around 830am as he walked to work from the Washington DC Metro. A random act of violence that we don't think we will ever get an explanation for since nothing was stolen and only Sean's cell was smashed when he broke his fall with his own back pack.
Sean is doing OK. There are no visible bruises, but he has a hairline fracture of the jaw that has him on a liquid and soft food diet for the next two weeks. The assault was a bizarre case. Sean was smacked on the right side of his head with what he believes was a canvas back pack. He was knocked to the ground but other than a loud ringing in his ear and a pain in his jaw the rest of him was fine. A CAT scan later revealled the jaw fracture. His hearing is fine with no ringing.
Sean has spent most of the last few days tired and in slight pain with moderate swelling to the right side of his face. Unless you look close you can't tell. But besides the limited diet and the prospect of seeing a oral surgeon soon for a check up, he is doing fine. Stefan of course is making it all comfortable for him and making lots of pudding! Sean is back at work and suffering through not talking a lot... and you know that is hard for him!
More on the Summer Shindig and visits with Sean's Mom, sister, and nephew in later blogs!
"When was the last time you were at a wedding that had a death defying hike, rogue waves, a luau, ultimate fighting, a presidential candidate and a budding bromance?" asks Papi Chulo. For most of us, the answer is never, but luckily, Papi Chulo and Secret Agent Scotch took the time to Vox all the amazing moments during their unforgettable Hawaiian wedding on 08.08.08 so we could all take part in the festivities.
The story began last February, when Papi Chulo popped the question and Secret Agent Scotch said yes! Since then, they've kept us in the loop about all the details, from the bride's veil to the wedding song to the final To-Do List. And throughout it all, they inspired us with their love for each other. (I'm pretty sure it doesn't get any better than knowing your future husband thinks you are The Perfect Girl.)
It's an amazing love story and we are thrilled they shared it with us. Watch the video of the ceremony and please join us in wishing Papi Chulo and Secret Agent Scotch the fairytale ending they deserve.
And What's a Team Vox Post without New Themes?
Spice up your Vox blog with one of our latest themes (found in the design area under "New") or any of our hundreds of themes. From shopping to sushi, comics to cycling, there's something for everyone.
Can't get enough of the wedding? A few lucky Voxers - Krissy, djchall, and Beau Smith - made the trip to Hawaii to take part in the celebration. Check out their Vox blogs for more pictures and stories.
Congratulations again to Secret Agent Scotch and Papi Chulo! Enjoy the Honeymoon!
At Vox, we believe that change is a good thing. After all, you wouldn't wear the same t-shirt day in and day out, so why should your blog have to suffer the same fate? Give your blog a new look with one of our latest themes (found under "New"), or pick from any of our hundreds of themes designed with your passions and personality in mind.
Until then... Enjoy!
-daisy
The McFreeds share with you...
Randy Pausch, best known for his "Last Lecture" presentation, has passed away. Here is a story about his passing and his full life.
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose "last lecture" about facing terminal cancer became an Internet sensation and a best-selling book, died Friday. He was 47.
Pausch died at his home in Virginia, university spokeswoman Anne Watzman said. Pausch and his family moved there last fall to be closer to his wife's relatives.
Pausch was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer in September 2006. His popular last lecture at Carnegie Mellon in September 2007 garnered international attention and was viewed by millions on the Internet.
In it, Pausch celebrated living the life he had always dreamed of instead of concentrating on impending death.
"The lecture was for my kids, but if others are finding value in it, that is wonderful," Pausch wrote on his Web site. "But rest assured; I'm hardly unique."
The book "The Last Lecture," written with Jeffrey Zaslow, leaped to the top of the nonfiction best-seller lists after its publication in April and remains there this week. Pausch said he dictated the book to Zaslow, a Wall Street Journal writer, by cell phone. The book deal was reported to be worth more than $6 million.
At Carnegie Mellon, he was a professor of computer science, human-computer interaction and design, and was recognized as a pioneer of virtual reality research. On campus, he became known for his flamboyance and showmanship as a teacher and mentor.
The speech last fall was part of a series Carnegie Mellon called "The Last Lecture," where professors were asked to think about what matters to them most and give a hypothetical final talk. The name of the lecture series was changed to "Journeys" before Pausch spoke, something he joked about in his lecture.
"I thought, damn, I finally nailed the venue and they renamed it," he said.
He told the packed auditorium he fulfilled almost all his childhood dreams -- being in zero gravity, writing an article in the World Book Encyclopedia and working with the Walt Disney Co.
The one that eluded him? Playing in the National Football League.
"If I don't seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you," Pausch said.
He then joked about his quirky hobby of winning stuffed animals at amusement parks -- another of his childhood dreams -- and how his mother introduced him to people to keep him humble: "This is my son, he's a doctor, but not the kind that helps people."
Pausch said he was embarrassed and flattered by the popularity of his message. Millions viewed the complete or abridged version of the lecture, titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," online.
Pausch lobbied Congress for more federal funding for pancreatic cancer research and appeared on "Oprah" and other TV shows. In what he called "a truly magical experience," he was even invited to appear as an extra in the new "Star Trek" movie.
He had one line of dialogue, got to keep his costume and donated his $217.06 paycheck to charity.
Pausch blogged regularly about his medical treatment. On Feb. 15, exactly six months after he was told he had three to six months of healthy living left, Pausch posted a photo of himself to show he was "still alive & healthy."
"I rode my bike today; the cumulative effects of the chemotherapy are hurting my stamina some, but I bet I can still run a quarter mile faster than most Americans," he wrote.
Pausch gave one more lecture after his Carnegie Mellon appearance -- in November at the University of Virginia, where he had taught from 1988 to 1997.
Pausch often emphasized the need to have fun.
"I mean I don't know how to not have fun. I'm dying and I'm having fun. And I'm going to keep having fun every day I have left. Because there's no other way to play it," he said in his Carnegie Mellon lecture. "You just have to decide if you're a Tigger or an Eeyore. I think I'm clear where I stand on the great Tigger/Eeyore debate. Never lose the childlike wonder. It's just too important. It's what drives us."
Born in 1960, Pausch received his bachelor's degree in computer science from Brown University and his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon.
He co-founded Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center, a master's program for bringing artists and engineers together. The university named a footbridge in his honor. He also created an animation-based teaching program for high school and college students to have fun while learning computer programming.
In February, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences in California announced the creation of the Dr. Randy Pausch Scholarship Fund for university students who pursue careers in game design, development and production.
He and his wife, Jai, had three children, Dylan, Logan and Chloe.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Sean and Stefan celebrate today with this musical moment...
How can you not smile over the outlandish but good-hearted act that was Carmen Miranda! Enjoy!
Sean finally answers a tagging...
Martini Mom tagged me a while back and I never answered! I will try and count this toward Jamie's tag as well... (can I do that?) What in the world should I write about with this one!
Here's how it works...
- Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
- People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
- At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
- Don’t forget to leave them a comment on their blog and tell them they’ve been tagged, and to come back and read your blog for the whole story.
1) I once participated in a drinking contest in college where the conditions were that for every tequila shot I drank I would learn scandalous information about a couple I knew. I made it to 7, vomited, woke in my dorm not remembering how I got there, but still remember ALL the information (hehehe).
2) One of the most enjoyable evenings I ever had was spent off Canyon Ferry Lake, Montana. My fellow political co-workers and I had retreat one summer weekend. We drank beer, ate s'mores and hamburgers, talked about saving the world, and listened to the same vinyl record (What's Goin' On by Marvin Gay) over and over. I actually saw satellites and meteors in the sky that night.
3) If I had to continually eat one dish for the rest of my life, it would be my mother's tamale pie.
4) Stefan likes to introduce me at parties with this fact, "This is my partner Sean, he was on It's Academic 4 times!"
5) I met Jacques Cousteau on the Calypso.
6) When E.T. The Extraterrestrial came out in the movie theatres in 1982, I was so frightened to see it I screamed and cried while standing in line. I had gotten it confused for some reason with Alien, which wasn't even out that year.
7) My sister Holly and I would convince our sister Mikelle to climb into a pink, pig-shaped toy box with the promise of not sitting on the top and locking her in. We always lied and fed Lincoln logs and Lego pieces in through the airholes and told her we were making stew.
8) I began to learn to dance from watching Soul Train on Saturday mornings when I was a kid. My mother always insisted we watch that rather than American Bandstand.
The McFreeds surprisingly realize something...
Well an anniversary came and went this month and we almost forgot about it! Our blog is now 1 year old! Yes, we your favorite "celebrity" blogging couple has now been blogging for over a year now! Let the dancing begin! (Cue Matt Harding and his amateur dancers!)
The McFreeds would like to share the following...
This is an excerpt from the New York Times interview from the June 13, 2008 issue.
Q: President Bush believes that gay couples should not be permitted to adopt children. Do you agree with that?
Mr. McCain: I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no I don’t believe in gay adoption.
Q: Even if the alternative is the kid staying in an orphanage, or not having parents.
Mr. McCain: I encourage adoption and I encourage the opportunities for people to adopt children I encourage the process being less complicated so they can adopt as quickly as possible. And Cindy and I are proud of being adoptive parents.
Q: But your concern would be that the couple should a traditional couple
Mr. McCain: Yes.
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