Piling On

The Girl woke up with really puffy eyelids yesterday morning. We were baffled. She looked like she'd just gone 12 rounds with Hagler. Otherwise she was fine so we had no clue what it could be about. As the day progressed her puffiness increased and then it dawned on us that she might be allergic to the sulfa based antibiotic she has been prescribed to prevent infection in her kidneys. A quick call to the doc and her prescription was changed. We also gave the Girl a dose of Zyrtec to smack down the allergic reaction.

But the puffiness didn't go away. This morning it was worse. So the possibility that it isn't an allergic reaction to the antibiotic is raised. What else causes puffy eyes? Ahhh, yes, how bout something else to frighten the hell out of parents who have so much to worry about as regards the Girl. How bout something like, say, Nephrotic Syndrome. Edema in the eyelids is a nice telltale sign of the condition, as protein leaches from the blood into the urine by way of a scarred kidney. Only one surefire way to know: test the urine for protein. So the Doc has ordered a urine test.

Doc still believes it's an allergy but best to make certain. We are hoping she's right. All we need right now is the recent infection to have so badly damaged the Girl's kidneys that they just don't work worth a damn. As it is the Girl is scheduled for tests in two weeks to determine the cause of her bout of pyelonephritis. Hell, the reason she is taking the antibiotic at all is not because she still has the infection; it's because she will continue to get them now and the kidneys get bitter about that - they make you pay for the abuse.

Maybe they weren't so patient.

The Girl ain't making our lives easy.

Ahh, The Nearness Of Death

HelmetCam video of a skier caught in an avalanche. Being buried alive has never been more terrifyingly captured. He was dug back out after four literally heartpounding and gasping minutes Companions found him near where his lost glove had landed.

His moment of uncovering is worthy of Hollywood

What Does An Apocalypse Look Like?

A dustorm in an Australian town in the course of one minute. Rather ominous.

So Good It Hurts

The Girl returned to the Doc today for a follow-up re her kidney infection. She was promised no more needles but was nonetheless terrified upon entering the office. The pokes and proddings still fresh in her memory left her feeling less than trusting of her parents' promises. We were told that the flu shots were in and even though we already have an appointment scheduled for all of the kids to get their shots we were asked if we would like the Girl to get hers today. Out of deference to her we declined - "no pain," we promised.

One of the things all parents wish for their children is that they do not hurt. We do not want them to feel pain. It is awful - for them and for us. It is also ridiculous to hope they never suffer. But what if it wasn't a pipedream? What if your child would really never feel pain?

Consider the case of the Gingras family. Their daughter, Gabby Gingras, was born with a congenital disorder that makes it impossible for her to feel pain. Though she she can feel heat and cold, vibration and movement, all the things we feel, the sensations of pain never reach her brain. This is not a good thing. Says her mother, Tish Gingras, "Pain teaches. Pain protects. Pain can save you from a lot of bad things in life."

She was always a delightful baby - she never had a moment of discomfort or pain. As an infant her parents would sometimes wake her on chilly mornings and she would be freezing - sleeping soundly, but stone cold. She was a blissful child. Nothing bothered her - nothing at all. Not even chewing her own fingers off. Gabby had to have all her teeth pulled because she mutilated her hands when her teeth began coming in. She lost an eye because she kept poking herself and must now wear googles to keep from losing her remaining eye. She fell and broke her jaw, but no one knew it until an infection had set in. She has had to be taught to say ouch when she bumps into things, not because it hurts, but to let her parents know they must check her for an injury. In short, she is immensely happy, and a terrible menace to herself.

Pain is crucial to our awareness of the world. Without it we are adrift, unable to discern the potential dangers that await us around every corner, unable to develop a set of skills to keep us out of harm's way. As horrible as it is to parents, our children must suffer to survive.

I'm reminded of an old science fiction novel, Ringworld, that I read in my youth. It takes place many years in the future and in it the main character is putting together a team to explore a new and very strange world. He gathers many experts in various fields but decides the important component for success that he is missing is luck.

In the story lotteries have been going on for many years so he begins to look for lottery winners who had offspring that were lottery winners who had offspring that were lottery winners and so on and so on in an effort to recruit someone who has a genetic predisposition for "luck". When he settles on a woman from a long line of lottery winners he is certain the expedition will be a success. But everything goes wrong. They crash. People get hurt. Nothing goes as planned. He just can't imagine that she could bring them such bad luck.

Until it dawns on him that she is lucky after all, but luck has determined that she must suffer a little to be better. Her good luck is the pain and loss we all experience - not enough to kill her, but just enough to save her from herself.

What we wish for our kids seems, in the abstract, to have their best interests at heart. In reality, however, the things we would keep them from are the very things they need to be complete, well-rounded, and happy human beings. I don't want the Girl to suffer needlessly. I don't want that for any of my children. But I would never wish them the life of Gabby Gingras either. Good luck sometimes hurts.

A new documentary about Gabby, A Life Without Pain, is set for release.

The Water Theater

Revolutions in technology that literally change the world are rare commodities. If one is fortunate one might see a stunning breakthrough in one's lifetime, but they are not common. Welcome to ours.

Welcome to the Teatro del Agua.

British designer, Charlie Patton, has created a water desalination plant that produces fresh water from thin air. The water needs no treatment to be potable, is produced continuously, requires no fossil fuels to power it, and is not a pipedream.

The first will be built by the Spanish government in the Canary islands. Others are scheduled for the coasts of desert countries like Oman.

The plant consists of tall vertical pipes through which cold seawater is pumped and recirculated. Seabreezes loaded with moisture blow across the pipes and moisture condenses out of the air, dripping down the pipes into a trough where it flows away to storage. The pumps are powered by either solar or waves and currents in the sea. In the event that the humidity drops, seawater is misted on the front grid of the theater where it is evaporated by the breeze and then condensed (minus its salt) on the pipes behind.

It can provide enough fresh water for medium sized cities.

Traditional desalination plants consume fossil fuels at astounding rates in order to produce steam that is then distilled. The water must also be treated. And they are butt-ugly.


This building serves a practical purpose but also stands tall as a public structure, functioning as a naturally cooled ampitheater. It will provide one of the most precious vital resources needed in an era of droughts and climate change. It can be built virtually anywhere there is a coast and an onshore flow. It is a beautiful piece of architecture and not an eyesore. And it is dual-purposed as a public gathering space with the ambient sound of dripping water as a background.


This is our generation's revolution.