Nikki didn’t think much her friend Lisa’s pain in the knee, said she should probably ice it, remembering all the aches and pains she had after moving up to select softball. Lisa proved herself a cool friend having made the cheerleading squad, but still down to earth and a great athlete. Basketball was just the next school sport after volleyball. All the girls celebrated a bit more, hugged each other and left with their parents, Lisa limping alongside her mom back to the car.

Next week at practice a surprise, Lisa was on crutches. Everyone gathered around her giving her more hugs and questions. Of course, she had to say that she didn’t really need the crutches, and tossed them aside and bounced around even handling the basketball, until the coach walked in and sent her back to the bench with her crutches. Coach said, “Lisa, your mom said the doctor told you stay off the knee until your MRI on Thursday. We want to make sure you are ok. Everybody else let’s go”

The MRI found something, and after more doctors’ visits, a dreadful conclusion was coming, and finally the second opinion confirmed it. It was cancer; a sarcoma in the ligaments around her knee was causing the pain and chemotherapy had to be started right away. A true test of friendship followed, “what to say, what to do, will I get it too?” were her teammates questions. Lisa was a strong girl and had a passion for life that not found in many kids her age. Her eyes let you know that everything was going to be all right with her, but she wanted to know how you were doing. Nikki didn’t know what ask, but just listened to her friend’s concerns. She shuddered when her friend said the word “amputation” and thought at 14-years-old how could this happen.

Cancer is something very rare in teenagers. After treatment, most teens go on to live normal lives the survival rates for teens is over 85%. Just as teens think life is so random, the cause of most teenage cancer is also random. For Lisa, the random sarcoma cost her hair, and eventually her knee and parts of the muscles and tendons, which had to be removed. With a knee replacement and therapy, Lisa beat the random sarcoma and is now in high school with her friends. When Nikki asked if she could touch her scar, her eyes confidently beamed back and she reassured her friend that it wasn’t contagious. For more information about Teen Cancer or to make a donation visit the Teen Cancer Trust.

Portable Power

At only 9 inches long, the Spyder Arctic III may not seem like it is capable of delivering much power, but behind its understated size lurks an immensely powerful laser. The Arctic III comes with a carry case complete with clever magnetic latch to keep the laser safe for transport. Even inside its case (and with necessary safety goggles – more on that later,) the kit is easy to transport in a bag or backpack. I’ve found the quoted two hour battery life to be about accurate, which may not seem like much, but is more than sufficient for this type of device. Due to its power level, most users will not run the laser for long periods of time anyway, as it is extremely destructive to its target.

Talk About Intensity!

The Arctic III’s most talked-about feature is of course its extreme output range, which hovers around 1 Watt. By consumer laser standards, this is the most powerful hand-held laser device in the world. Because of this, users must be extremely responsible. Take it from me: the safety information for this laser is not an exaggeration. Always wear eye protection and treat the laser itself like a weapon; it is capable of nearly instant destruction if not properly utilized. The laser’s icy blue beam will quickly burn through nearly all materials, and superheat any it cannot penetrate. Extreme caution must be exercised. I would strongly recommend against any in-home use of this device; the potential for harm to property or bystanders is too great.

Safety First

The fact that safety equipment is required for use of this powerhouse is a testament to how serious a gadget it is. The Spyder Arctic III ships complete with a set of safety goggles that normally retail for about $100. The quality on these is excellent; the manufacturer didn’t cut any corners. Safety gear that feels well-made is certainly a confidence booster when making use of this type of technology. Additional pairs of safety glasses are available for order as well. I highly recommend them, after all, what’s the fun of a real lightsaber like this without friends?

So there you have it! The new Spyder Arctic III 1 Watt personal laser was without a doubt above and beyond my expectations. From its military / sci-fi exterior to its incredible beam to the completeness and attention to detail evident from the kit, the Arctic III sets the standard for consumer laser technology. I can’t wait to see the next designs in the series!

Even Sin City has become less sinful, heavily promoting new non-smoking slot areas in casinos. Attempt to light up inside of Marquee, The Cosmopolitan’s hot new club, and you will be peremptorily ushered to the outdoor patio. In Las Vegas, electronic cigarettes have become a popular choice among tourists who are “social smokers” or smoke when they drink, allowing them to indulge in their vice without making it a long-term habit. Anyone who has quit smoking and had “just one” while drinking on New Year’s Eve, at a Rolling Stones concert, during finals, or while going through the mortgage approval process (yes, I’ve all of the above), resulting in a three to six month downward spiral of smoking, has benefited from the invention of the electronic cigarette.

E-cigarettes have become a popular way to quit smoking, far less punitive than cold turkey or nicotine patches, indulging in the oral and manual fixation that keeps many smoking, and giving you the nicotine your body is craving, without the smoke. The rise of their popularity has also been largely affected by the plummeting economy and rapidly increasing cost of smoking, a pack of cigarettes now costing more than a bottle of Barefoot wine. Even Pall Malls have become expensive and you can forget about smoking Capris, packing a mean blow to the budget in every pack. Electronic cigarettes are not only cost-effective, they also encourage “smoking” the amount of nicotine that you need, rather than finishing an entire cigarette, lowering the total amount of nicotine inhaled and prolonging the life of the electronic cigarette, making it equal far more than the stated number of packs that it represents. The ability to smoke in your car or home without devaluing it or upsetting your landlord, the ability to smoke without it lingering on your clothes and in your hair, are all benefits of electronic cigarettes, making it evident why they are popular among “closet smokers.” Whether you are trying to quit smoking, reduce the cost of smoking, work around your city or state’s smoking ban, reduce the health effects of smoking, get around your landlord’s no smoking policy, smoke while drinking or in times of stress without it becoming habit-forming, or remain in the closet about your habit, electronic cigarettes have become a popular and satisfying alternative for many types of smokers.

My right hand throbbed as I fumbled for the remote. I suppose I should have removed my hand from the car door as I slammed it shut on my ex-boyfriend, trapping him inside his vehicle and telling him that he couldn’t get away fast enough. The sudden dart of pain in my hand took me right back to standing there, holding my now injured hand and yelling at him through the car window as he stared at me as though I’d finally lost it. Why was it that he was the one who had laid a hand on another woman, yet I was the one with a hand that was black and blue.

I slid out of bed, heading to the kitchen so that I could create an ice pack and place it on my hand. I sincerely hoped something wasn’t broken, I was in no mood to go to the hospital. How would I explain that to an E.R. doctor without looking like a crazy, jealous girlfriend? I didn’t need any more humiliation after finding thirty racy emails and text messages shared between my boyfriend and my hair stylist.

I’d never broken anything before, so I figured I should check to see what the symptoms were exactly, and if there were any tell tell signs that would let me know for sure what sort of damage I had (other than a throbbing headache, swollen eyes, and a heart that was shattered into a million pieces.) I trudged over to my desk and Googled ‘broken hand symptoms’. After seeing a list of pain medications, I realized I had some leftover Tramadol (a non-narcotic pain medication) left over from a knee injury I’d had a few months ago.

I took the Tramadol and plopped back down into my computer chair. I found myself Googling ‘Tramadol for a broken heart’. Unfortunately, no helpful websites popped up, no offers for free shipping or information on where to buy Tramadol online cheap without a prescription to stop ‘moderate to severe pain’ of a broken heart. I did, however, learn Tramadol was being prescribed with an off-label use for depression by many doctors, so maybe taking the Tramadol for the possibly broken hand would slightly aid my broken heart? Depression and heartache have to be slightly similar, right?

If I do have to go to the E.R, I’m going to cross my black and blue fingers that the doctor is cute and takes pity on a woman who was wronged.

Follow up: I went to the E.R, and my hand is actually broken. The Vicoden is helping. My heart is also broken, and I’m sure it’s black and blue as well, but unfortunately I still haven’t found a cure for that. Web M.D. really needs to get on that.