Kayt's Blog

My Road Trip

2011-10-14T13:09:00.001-07:00

OK, so I've gotten so heinously depressed lately, that I've lost all touch with actually WANTING anything. I realized that was a bad thing, but didn't have much of a solution, since, as I mentioned, I couldn't manage to want much. I had ceased caring if I ever actually got to Mexico (I didn't even want to get out of bed in the morning, Mexico was not exactly on my radar). Then, as I was casually flipping through the latest issue of Sunset Magazine, I saw these gorgeous pictures of recommended road trips for the Fall out here in the West. I used to like road trips (before they involved moving heavy crap and dragging 50 pets cross-country as fast as possible), and I love taking photos! And suddenly, I wanted to go somewhere and do something again. So, in an effort to relocate my sanity, I decided to do something I actually WANTED to do and hit the road.

Day 1: I drove up to Vegas where I had an absolutely fantastic time hanging out with RockabillyGypsy and her Purple Fairy Cohort. Freemont street was a blast! And then the three of us went and got me the tattoo I've been wanting for forever. It was brilliant all the way around. I'm totally going back up to see Gypsy when she's back in LV, or else we can always tear-up Phoenix ... or Guadalajara (or wherever I end up) ... or Dublin ;-)

Video of the view from my suite (they upgraded me, bless them) @ the Gold Spike - that´s part of the canopy over Freemont Street you can see:

And the tattoo (the morning after).

Supposedly / hopefully it means "Serenity"

Day 2: I went to Zion National Park and took these pics (before spending the night in Lehi, UT):

Day 3: Started off the day doing the Alpine Loop (heaven on earth):

And then finished the day at Arches National Park:

Day 4: Started in Monument Valley ...

and ended in the Grand Canyon:

And on Day 5 I got some pics of Oak Creek Canyon and Red Rocks State Park on my way home from Flagstaff:

Now, my depression came back about 3 hrs. after I got home and I'm still kind of grasping blindly for something to WANT ... but the trip was a very good thing overall.

BTW, more photos will be posted to flickr and redbubble soon.

daydream believin'

2011-08-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

So after a totally disastrous week-long return home in early July, and another month in the hospital and SNF (skilled nursing facility - the PC term for nursing home), my mom finally came home on August 9th. Now, I love my mom and I'm glad she's home and doing as well as she is, but the ONLY thing keeping me marginally sane at the moment, is a combination of daydreaming about, and actual planning for, my move to Mexico (which I'd decided in April/May that I'd do in July). So come hell or high water I'm not putting it off any more!

I'll be heading down to GDL in November (by myself) to get a house and everything sorted. Then I'll come back up for a couple weeks at Christmas and pick-up Gracie. I'm giving myself until I come back up to PHX for my dad's birthday in May (it'll be his 60th so we're gonna do something big(ish) and invite everyone) to decide whether GDL specifically, or Mexico in general, is a good fit for me. If I don't absolutely hate living there, then I'll seek out a real/legal TEFL job (not just the tutoring work I'll be looking for in the interim) and get myself some legal residency. And if I did hate it ... there are plenty of other places to try .. but I really liked Guadalajara when I visited in 2009, so I don't think I'll be too unhappy there.

I'm STILL holding out some hope that my mother will stop being SO stubborn (she's the only hold-out) and consider moving down to Chapala/Ajijic with all the other gringos. My personal theory is that, sadly, location has MUCH less to do with one's quality of life than economics. And that to be a ¨rich American¨ in Mexico - complete with a maid, a private nurse, and doctors who make house calls - is fundamentally better than being an average American trapped in the US health ¨care¨ system; at the mercy of what insurance will cover. But if being in a nursing home doesn't open her eyes about her future, I don't know if anything will. I honestly think there's a way better chance that, being left alone with my mother, my dad will come around to my newly acquired/internalized point of view - which is that the person who cannot take care of themselves shouldn't really have the right to determine where/how those taking care of them live.

But my bottom line is that I'm 35, and I've been doing this off and on for 15 years now. My mother ALWAYS told me to NEVER become a nurse because it's hard/horrible work, with grueling anti-social hours, for comparatively little pay, and shockingly little respect. But for 15 years I've been doing exactly that - and for no pay. In fairness, I haven't spent every moment of the last 15 years in servitude - there have been stretches of time when my mom wasn't very bad off, a few respites of total freedom, and times when I came home of my own volition after royally screwing up my life - but I have definitely done this ENOUGH. So I'm going to do what I need to do - my parents can come along, or not. I can't make their decisions, but I will be making my own. And since years could pass (and have) while waiting for the best time to make my exit, I'm going to have to stick to my own schedule too.

“Man is free at the instant he wants to be.” —Voltaire

And we moved here for better health care?

2011-06-09T15:54:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday morning my mom fell. We got her off the floor alright, but once up she found she couldn't stand on her own (forget about walking). So, 911 was called, and off she went to the nearest ER. Now, my mom's been there a couple times before (brief visits), and didn't hate the place. And I've been once - though my opinion of the place was not quite as high.

My estimation of the place is that they're probably good for GSW's and addicts shopping for pills - they are VERY free with the pain meds - but anything else is probably beyond them. I was personally offered 5 different narcotics during my visit - 3 of which I should NOT have been offered because of allergies (not that they cared, apparently, since I was the one googling the drugs on my phone). Eventually I was given some Tylenol and parked in a wheelchair in some holding area for 4 hours before being sent home with NO answers (other than that it wasn't my appendix). I considered this fairly 3rd world - have never had such a bad experience in an ER in my life. But my mom's bad experience is topping mine by leaps and bounds!

For the first 7 1/2 hrs. of her time in the ER (with no food or water for the diabetic patient!) they kept telling her there was ¨no reason¨ to admit her, since no bones were broken, and they were going to send her home. My mom kept trying to explain that she can't go home if she can't stand well/long enough to even get into the car. At one point, some IDIOT of a 'doctor' came in and told her they were going to have to send her home because ¨Nothing's broken, so this seems to be just a chronic thing you're dealing with.¨ I was on the phone with her at the time - couldn't believe my ears! What part of "I was walking UNTIL I fell this morning." do these people not understand?!?

So eventually, (7 1/2hrs. after arriving) they tried to get her to stand with a walker (and a whole handful of people holding onto her). She couldn't (DUH! That's why she's there, geniuses!). And a full ten hours after arriving at the ER she was admitted to the hospital - still without food or water. It was about 12 hours total before anybody brought the diabetic a sandwich and some ice water! As of this writing, they have still done NOTHING about the knee (beyond the ER x-rays), so we have no idea what's wrong with it. They've taken her for ECG's (for no fecking reason - her bad heart is the most stable thing about her at this point), but not for an MRI (or something) of her KNEE. And they've put her on the cardiac diet instead of the diabetic diet - her breakfast consisted of two poached eggs (OK), and 20,000 other HIGH SUGAR, but low sodium, items. Surprise, surprise, her pre-lunch blood-sugar was 296! Feckin' IDIOTS!!

Their focus is apparently on trying to 'find' qualifying reasons to keep her for three days in the hospital so Medicare will cover a subsequent stay in rehab. Now, I don't object to the rehab idea (my mom needed another stint there BEFORE she fell), but I have the sinking feeling that it's the glorified nursing home version of the word rehab. I also find it disturbing that a) her inability to stand is not considered a qualifying reason on it's own, and; b) nobody's investigating / treating her inability to stand. I just don't want this turning into them shuffling her off to a nursing home where she never walks again!

All I know is that NOBODY from this household is EVER going back to this hospital - not even if I'm bleeding to death or gasping for air do I ever want to be taken over there.

Yesterday's Hobby Lobby Haul

2011-05-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

So Hobby Lobby was having a sale on Simplicity patterns. I got the following for only $1.99 each ... yeah, I am THAT cool ;)

Simplicity pattern 2201: Bags Satchel, purse and clutch

Roman Shades Sewing Pattern 3910 Simplicity

Walker bags and accessories. Sewing Pattern 2300 Simplicity

Simplicity pattern 2229: Misses' & Miss Petite Sportswear jacket, pants and skirt

Simplicity pattern 2249: Misses' & Plus Size Dresses in two lengths or tunic and skirt

Things I've Learned (mostly the hard way) Since My Last Blog Post

2011-04-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

So, the last few months have been slightly unkind. Pretty much everything I had planned fell apart. I went from heading full-sail towards exactly what I wanted in life, to feeling like I'm treading water as I blink at my capsized boat - not sure how I ended up in the water. But I have learned (or been reminded of) the following important lessons (so I am not complaining, too much):

People can only be as honest with you as their level of self-awareness will allow.
The countdown to disappointment usually begins when someone says they "won't let you down". If you forget this, you will regret it nine times out of ten. If you remember it, you will be pleasantly surprised once in a blue moon.
No one who genuinely cared about you would rank their own comfort as a higher priority than alleviating your suffering. The loss of such a person in your life ... is no real loss in the end, no matter how much it hurts.
When the foundation of your planned future cracks, it's probably best to pause and re-evaluate the whole plan before you start mixing more cement. In other words DO NOT start dating anyone while you still feel like you're treading water! ... I think I just mixed my metaphors beyond recognition ;)
People who smother you while dating, probably cannot dial it down enough when trying to remain friends. Don't waste each other's time - make clean breaks.
People who believe the world rejects them based on a perceived "flaw", will, apparently, never believe that you are rejecting them for a behavior they could/should probably work on.
Some people can pick up on subtlety. Some people require directness. Some people just live in a fantasy world where they imagine they can will things into being the way they want, and you are wasting your time trying to disabuse them of any part of it.
Statements in the vein of "I'm not giving up on this/us/you." and "friends are friends forever" are downright scary coming from the wrong person.

So I am now (at least temporarily) burnt out. I just want to be ALONE. And being burnt out while in the midst of trying to make more/new major life decisions ... is hard.

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Great! (dripping with sarcasm)

2010-12-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

I started taking Midrin when I was 9. I was in an accident, got a nasty little concussion, and was prescribed Midrin for the torturous headaches that ensued. Over time the headaches disappeared and I had my last one about 15 years ago ... until 2009. Suddenly they returned, and with all kinds of other fun symptoms like nausea and auras (neat little sparkly things). So I requested my old friend Midrin (I have a policy of not liking/wanting to try/take NEW drugs - if it ain't older than me, I don't want/trust it!). Ever since then it's been an obnoxious little roller-coaster ride of it being available, and then not being available. It'll be discontinued, then available, then on backorder, then available from ANOTHER pharmaceutical company, then discontinued again. It just keeps bouncing around and/or disappearing. And now it seems like it might really be gone for good.

This isn't fun/funny. Midrin is the ONLY thing that works on my migraines without making me drowsy/drunken/non-functional. Last night I spent about 12 hours being SERIOUSLY stoned from a single Fioricet (I won't be taking that again!). And the only reason for this nonsense is that the drug companies can't make as much off Midrin as they do off the newer drugs. 30 capsules of Midrin were costing me about $32 at my local Walgreens (not covered by insurance since the FDA declared them to be only "possibly effective" awhile back (despite a 2006 study which showed it to be slightly MORE efficacious than Imitrex)), but 27 Imitrex tabs are currently going for $791.50 on drugstore.com. No, that's not a typo - that's almost $800! Hmmmm, $32 vs. $792? I wonder which one the pharmaceutical industry would rather see people take ... yeah, that's a real tough one to figure out!

But if Midrin is really truly gone this time .... my only alternative seems to be to go to Mexico (where I've read Midrin are actually sold over the counter!), or move there (yet another thing to be written in the "pro" column for that option). I understand the process of making the trip over the border just to get the meds can be a bit scary - they say that if you have a US-issued prescription ON YOU (even if you purchased something that's over the counter in Mexico), in your name, and you only have a small personal use supply, and you declare it all to the customs folks and jump through governmental hoops and red tape ... then you supposedly don't get arrested. And it's not like I'm trying to import something that's banned here (it's just getting impossible to come by) - no one has ever declared it dangerous or anything. But, I'd rather not end up in the pokey.

Stupid corporations and their almighty dollar! :(

Merry Christmas 2010 ;)

2010-12-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

FYI

2010-11-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

If you follow me on Twitter, or are friends with me on facebook, you probably already know that I've just started selling AVON. If any of you are receiving promotional e-mails and want them to stop, just let me know, no offense will be taken! While I promise to try not to annoy anyone with overzealous interjections about how EVERYTHING now ties into an AVON product (wink), I will, from time to time, post things to twitter/facebook/blog that I think are worth mentioning. In that vein, I feel compelled to let everyone know that AVON has some great stocking-stuffers / gifts available for

under $20: http://tinyurl.com/AVON20BUCKS
under $10: http://tinyurl.com/AVON10BUCKS
And even under $5: http://tinyurl.com/AVON5BUCKS

Coupled with this weekend's free shipping (without minimum purchase) offer (enter promo code: FREE2010 during checkout) which is good through Monday ... it's an AMAZING deal that I just had to pass along! So, check it out at: www.yourAVON.com/kludi

Happy Holidays :)

Phase One of Front Yard Landscaping

2010-11-07T17:32:00.001-07:00

Our trees arrived on Nov 1st and we promptly played around with placement. The main goals were to shade a couple of windows and to fill out the bareness of the yard a bit. We also ATTEMPTED to dig the holes (briefly), but then WISELY called our blessed/beloved handyman Jose (so far, he's trimmed our palms, unloaded our moving truck, and now planted our trees). It required a pickaxe! But the trees have been in for a couple days now and I finally got around to taking some photos this afternoon.

On the left (background) is the Jacaranda, on the right (foreground) is the Mexican Lime.

Background Left (by my car) is a Meyer Lemon, Foreground is a Navel Orange, and Background Right (by the house, kind of behind the palm tree) is either a Peach or a Nectarine (neither we nor the Nursery folks could tell the difference).

Oh no they di'in't!

2010-11-06T15:28:00.001-07:00

OK, I am semi-stunned. I think someone must be drunk here, and it ain't me (wish it were at this point). Here's the story ....

In August I signed up for classes at Glendale Community College (Glendale, AZ not Glendale,CA) the nearest Community College. In order to get a degree, I needed to take some Math classes (not the sort of thing I am really capable of doing online or "testing out" of since Math is NOT my forte - I honestly anticipated I might need tutoring), and something "fun" along with it to make it bearable (a spoonful of sugar with the medicine, if you will).

So I enrolled and registered, etc., etc., for a Math class and an Anthro class. But when it came time to start my classes on a Tuesday in mid/late August ... I had come down with pneumonia (yeah, lots of fun!). I didn't make it to class on that Tues, crossed my fingers for the next class date, but was still wheezing like an accordion on Thurs so I figured I'd throw myself on someone's mercy come Monday morning. But I got online to check things out (check the "drop by" dates, etc.) on that Friday (this is still the first week of school mind you) and found that I technically had until Monday to drop out, but that I had ALREADY BEEN dropped from both classes! Huh?

So that was incident #1 that got me a little miffed at GCC. But I figured it was probably for the best anyway since I had most likely been a bit over ambitious about going to school (even 2 days a week) SO SOON after getting here. There was a LOT of stuff to do around here (still is) even without the pneumonia.

Now, I had a grant for all this. A grant that was going to cover BOTH classes and ALL the books, with some left over. The excess was placed on a Maricopa County Community College Visa debit card by the school, and when I was dropped from the classes I gave the school back the money that had been put on the card. I assumed we were now square since they weren't out anything and I hadn't profited. But apparently that's not the way MCCC & GCC do things.

In logging on to the site the other day to register for Spring classes I was informed that they have actually placed a permanent hold on my account until I pay them $304. I repeat, I am stunned. They honestly expect me to pay them $304 for something I NEVER got the benefit of (never set foot in class), NEVER had an option to do any adding/dropping with after that Thursday, was basically dropped FROM against my will (I totally would have gone to class the following week if they would've let me), and would have been TOTALLY covered by my grant (and therefore FREE to me) if I had gone to class for so much as 5 minutes on that first Tues or Thurs- sweating and hacking my strep-pnuemoniae on everyone? Seriously? They're really going to hold next semester (and all future semesters) hostage unless I pay? Please - they can bite me!

OK, so I could pay the $304 and go on with my educational career and obey the little voice in my head (which is my mother's and not really mine) that says "GET YOUR DEGREE". But I know perfectly well that there is an online ASU BA in History option (I could at least TRY to stumble through the math online). And on top of that, this all occurs at a time when I am re-thinking my general priorities anyway. I've recently decided to embark on a major project that makes me more interested in DOING than studying - more interested in making/saving some dinero and building a more stable foundation for myself and my future.

So, I think GCC has just reordered my priorities for me. Or at least they've given me a nice little shove off the cliff I was leaning over anyway.

Undercover Cat

2010-09-23T11:48:00.001-07:00

So yesterday afternoon I went into my bedroom to start painting my bathroom and discovered my bed in shambles. The culprit? Not Bitty Kitty, who was sitting on top. The responsible party was Muneca - as evidenced by her little "wicked witch under the house" feet. Cats!

Eeeeeeeeeew!!!

2010-09-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

I was greeted this AM (upon exiting the shower) by a 3" long roach-like creature on my bathroom wall. Obviously my glasses were off at the time, but I grabbed them as quickly as possible in order to identify the LARGE dark spot on the wall that didn't belong there. I was almost sorry I did (it would have ALMOST been better NOT to know). I got dressed as quickly as possible while he crawled down the wall slowly. I simultaneously watched him like a hawk, and glanced around for something to squash him with if he made one false move. But I couldn't find anything, and suddenly he ran to the floor and bolted out of the bathroom towards my closet. The cats were in hot pursuit at this point, and after chasing him around the room a bit (at one point, I swear, he charged at me!) they cornered him under a piece of luggage long enough for me to go get my dad to catch and squish him (I love my cats! ... and my dad for that matter).

When we arrived, I found a dead one in the same bathroom before it was cleaned. But, not knowing what it really was, and not really believing that there could be such a thing as a 3" long roach, I looked it up online just now ... and found ... that Arizona is, apparently, home to a "sewer roach season" (which we are smack dab in the middle of). They apparently live in the sewers and come up through the drains! Being that my bathroom is currently sans a sink, I have very little doubt about my little friend's access point.

Painting that wall, and getting my pedestal sink installed just moved up to priority #1 as far as I'm concerned - I'm SO grossed out!

Mystified

2010-08-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

While waiting around for the appliances to be delivered this AM, a very nice man came to the door to offer his roof repair services. His card was in Spanish, but he spoke English to me (and I to him). We chatted briefly and then I thanked him and told him I'd pass his card along to my dad. He added, at the end, that if we had any questions his partner speaks English. First of all, his English was just fine and we didn't have any trouble communicating, but as he left I was reminded how shocked I always am that people decide, on site, to speak English to me (even IN Mexico and Spain). My hair is brownish, as are my eyes (though I insist on calling them hazel), I could honestly be almost any ethnicity. How do people make that split-second decision that I won't understand them if they speak Spanish to me? Hmmm. I guess I must do/be something that screams gringa.

Misery

2010-08-19T21:07:00.001-07:00

So we got into Phoenix this afternoon (after an arduous drive) to find a less than ideal situation. Someone broke in and took the stove and put some holes in the walls looking for copper pipes (stealing one piece that my dad can probably replace fairly easily). There are also items in the backyard (mattress and children's toys) that should not be there - not to mention the INSANE stockpile of buckets of paint on the back patio (anyone want house paint?) indicating that someone seemed to feel comfortable using our yard for storage. But the main problem is that the a/c isn't working (just blows around the hot air). So until the man comes out tomorrow AM (because it was 113F here today our home warranty provider considers it an emergency - which is good, 'cause I do too!) to fix the stupid thing we can't do much over there. So tomorrow we have to get up at the crack of dawn to try to get a few things done (locks changed, curtains/blinds measured for, etc.) before it gets too hot (simultaneously crossing our fingers that the a/c man can get it working QUICKLY). Until then, we are stuck in Motel 6. To add to my own misery I have (on both arms, but worse on the left) the ragingly itchy sunburn/bumpy rash that my (literal) allergy to sunlight causes. Its torture! I also have 3 mosquito bites and the right shoulder of an 85 year old. I frequently feel like I'm still moving when I'm not, see the highway every time I shut my eyes, and I keep hearing the ringing of my bluetooth even though it's been out of my ear for hours now. And ... I'm totally suffering internet withdrawal (posting this from my Blackberry). But we're here and that's what counts! :)

Nuevo Specs & Shades

2010-07-08T02:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my dad and I picked up our new glasses and sunglasses. Thought this momentous occurrence in my life merited a bit of photography:

damn!

2010-06-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

I just found out that ChillerTV has been playing Afterlife (think Ghost Whisperer - except GOOD and worth watching). They put the first season (or series, if you're on the other side of the Atlantic) on BBC America a few years ago (the interweb tells me it was Nov 2006), and then it just disappeared. They never played season 2 - or maybe I just lost track of it after a break between the seasons.

Anyway, I just tried to add it to Netflix, but it's not available there. Then I looked up the schedule on Chiller to find that it is NOT replaying! Grumble, grumble! Guess I will have to buy the DVD, but the only sources I can find online are selling it in PAL format. I think I remember reading that my usb dvd player/burner will play PAL, but I'll have to check to be sure. Fingers crossed.

The New Look Unveiled

2010-05-30T15:14:00.001-07:00

So I got to feeling, a few months ago, that my blog needed some massive updating. Whether I was just in a "mood" or having some life-altering epiphany about new chapters beginning in my life ... This, my friends, is the end result. New look ... and a new address (which will be incorporated into a new website - still under construction).

So that's all for now ... the blog is back ... though I can't promise to write more often for awhile yet (still working on moving).

I couldn't have trained her if I tried!

2010-05-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

Gracie decided to try on one of my slippers:

Happy Easter 2010 :)

2010-04-03T21:57:00.002-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!

Happy St. Pat's!

2010-03-16T21:32:00.001-07:00

Quasi Brush with Fame?

2010-03-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

On a trip over to Lowes for boxes ... saw an RV/bus parked outside the Holiday Inn, prominently marked with "Ghost Hunters Academy". My best guess would be that they might be filming out at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston.

Eureka!

2010-03-02T00:13:00.000-07:00

So, it seems we've settled on our next abode - FINALLY!! Our offer's been accepted, and the inspection went well, so there's really no reason to hold off on announcing it, or posting a couple pics.

It's 3 beds, 2 baths, 1776 sq ft., with a .19 acre lot. and has a nice pool. Escrow is due to close around the 24th ... we are picking paint chips :)

Keep in mind these are the BEFORE photos (the previous owners were obviously in the middle of doing some sort of renovation when the bank foreclosed). Everything needs painting, and half the house was stripped of it's flooring so the photos show the concrete slab (but that's just less for us to have to rip out, IMHO). But the bones are great, and that's what counts! :)

Scooter & Gracie ...

2010-02-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

seem to be enjoying a frolic in the new snow. But the rest of us ... not so much! I think we're ALL hoping for Phoenix SOON ;)

An Addition to the Family

2010-02-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

For the record, I had NO intention of getting another dog yet .... NONE! I was simply engaging in some online research for when I felt "ready" for another fur-baby. I had determined that the right breed for me would be a Boston Terrier, but being that I am an adoption/rescue fan I wanted to make sure there was a BT rescue in Phoenix. I looked it up, and found there was/is ... and then ... I looked to see if we had one for WV (not really expecting there to be one).

Well, there was/is one up in Preston County and on the webpage for the organization was a pitiful tale of a small, deaf, female BT that some TOTAL IDIOT had tried to keep as an OUTDOOR dog (in this GOD-AWFUL winter we've had). If there was ever an outdoor dog - a Boston Terrier would NOT be it! They are tiny and nearly hairless, and I've read that due to their shortened snouts they have a harder time than most dogs regulating their body temp in general. She barely survived.

We went to SEE her yesterday .... and then .... we brought her home :)

She's actually AKC registered, only a little over a year old (born Dec 8th 2008), brindle and white, and her right eye is half blue. She's adorable! :) She's got a couple tiny infections at the moment, but otherwise she's fit as a fiddle. We're calling her "Gracie" for Grace O'Malley, an Irish 'pirate queen', because Gracie has one eye with a black patch (like a pirate) and one that's white. Some grainy cameraphone pics for your enjoyment:

yesterday's tour

2010-02-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

First of all, I have to apologize for the fact that I FORGOT to check the settings on my cameraphone before I took these (once you turn the phone off, it reverts to the default TINY image size settings). I've tried, but can't manage to resize them (without going blurry) with the software I have on this computer - may or may not be able to do better when I get home. But hopefully these will give some idea: