Hello my friends! I certainly have missed you! Life has been a little crummy as of late, and for some reason it has been hard for me to put fingers to keyboard, but here I am. The summer is almost over. OMG where has the time gone? So very much has been going on. Sooooo...just in case you're interested, I thought I'd use this post to catch you up on my less than perfect summer.
Back in March it all started. I found out that my brother in law had cancer. That news really blindsided our family. We had, until then, been so fortunate as not to have had many crisis situations. (In the back of your mind you know that things can happen, but until they happen to you and your family you really don't get the full impact.) He was told that he'd have to undergo chemo, and the prognosis was good. So he began the necessary but distressing process of chemo. Then the next bombshell hit. My little sister found out that she has breast cancer.
We couldn't believe it. As far as we knew(at that time)there was no history of breast cancer in our family. She goes through so much constant discomfort. I don't mean discomfort like when you sit too long and your foot falls asleep. That discomfort goes away after 10 or 15 minutes. Her discomfort began with the healing that comes after a mastectomy. She couldn't sleep on the bed comfortably. Luckily she had a chaise lounge that took the place of her bed for a while. She found that her taste buds were all outta whack. She wanted to eat but nothing tasted good. There was intermittent nausea, overall fatigue. She had to shave her head, because hair began to fall out; chemo does that. When she is finished with chemo, the radiation begins. She longs for a meal that she can enjoy. Heck right now I'm sure that it would make her day if she could have a good cold glass of water that doesn't taste "funny." You really wouldn't know that she has cancer just by looking at her. Yes she wears scarves and sometimes a wig, but other than that, you can't tell. We are blessed however. My sister is doing well....considering. I understand that some people really go through a very hard time. Yet, we are blessed in many ways.
Life happens and we never know how or why. It makes us question our very existence. It makes us embrace our faith or turn away from it. It makes us paranoid. I just had my yearly mammogram. I think that I've mashed my breasts so much feeling for lumps that I've actually made them sore. I had my mammogram on a Friday, and the moment that I walked out of the office I began to obsess about the results. One of the last things that the technician said to me was "if the radiologist finds anything at all different from your last mammogram, he'll let you know immediately." My mind began to race; I panic easily. What if....
Last year there was no history of breast cancer, and now... there is. Actually, there was a history all along, several women on my maternal grandfather's side had breast cancer. For some reason, ma has never chosen to share that info with us. However, now it is in my immediate family; and that changes which box I check when I get my mammogram. Anyway, for three days I've run to the phone praying that there is no call from the imaging lab. Today something told me to check the mailbox (I don't check it every day)and there it was, the letter with my results. I ripped it open, and the box beside normal, negative, no evidence of cancer, was checked! Whew! Then I thought "what if they made a mistake?" Ok, so medication may be in my future, but I'm just sayin...
Summer is drawing to a close. My brother in law has completed his chemo, and is cancer free and on the road to being 100%. My sister only has 2 more chemo treatments to go, then the radiation treatments begin. Once her taste buds get back to normal, maybe we'll celebrate at Five Guys or something. It has been a long challenging summer. It is only by the grace of God that we've all made it through. I'm still unemployed but I'm hopeful that I'll snag that great job soon. Until next time, stay positive. And for all of you sisters out,here's a word of advice, get those yearly mammograms!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Bullying
Hey fans, well at least I hope you’re fans. I hope that you are all doing well. I’ve completed my 4 month temporary job, and the best thing that I can say is that I've met a few nice people. In any event, it was a good opportunity. Now on to the next one. This time I'd like to share with you my thoughts on a topic that has been in the news a great deal lately, bullying.
I was bullied as a child. Let me give you a little background. My father was very strict, and as a result of that my sisters and I led a very sheltered life. We were not allowed to visit with other kids and we pretty much stayed to ourselves. Despite the fact that we did everything together, we each had friends and I dare say that we were pretty nice kids, despite the fact that we led such a sheltered life. Because we stayed to ourselves, the other kids thought that we were “stuck up.” My two sisters and I sat together on the bus each day, and for some reason this made us the perfect targets for various bullies on the bus. I was the oldest and I had taken upon myself the responsibility of being the protector for my sisters. I just figured that the oldest child needed to take care of the others. My sisters and I sat together on the bus so we were an easy target for any bully that chose to harass us.
The bullies who chose to harass us actually lived right across the street from us in an apartment. Their father drove a long distance truck and they were the kind of kids who were always in trouble. We lived in the house on the hill and we never got into trouble. There were three of them, Carolyn, Donnie, and Mary, the meanest one of the bunch. I think that Mary was as angry as she was because of her insecurities about her appearance. She had what they used to call a “wall eye” supposedly they called it that because it looks like that eye is always staring straight ahead, at the wall. She wasn’t a very pretty girl either, and she seemed to be mad at the world. So, she turned some of her anger towards my sisters and me.
She pulled my hair, tried to trip me, and called all three of us names. She used to call us the Three Stooges because the three of us all sat together on the bus. It was no fun being bullied. A few times I even had to fight because someone had hit one of my sisters or pulled my hair. If I had tried to ignore the bullies, it would not have made a difference. It would have only gotten worse, so I hit back. It was no street brawl just a few girlie hits were exchanged. There was no blood, no scarring just a quickened pulse and the hope that there would be no blood or scarring. Why once Mary and her brother Donnie even tried to bully the bus driver!
They started out taunting me and my sisters and when the bus driver came to our defense they threw balled up paper at her, she cautioned them to stop. The bus driver was so distracted that we ended up having a minor accident. Fortunately no one was hurt. But that poor bus driver was shaking like a leaf. I felt bad for her because there was nothing that she could do. They hauled us all into the principal’s office. I hadn’t done anything so of course I was allowed to continue to ride the bus. The bullies did get put off of the bus, but they blamed us for their punishment. Their mother even had the nerve to call and try to threaten us. I'll never forget, my mother said with fire in her eyes "They'd bednot put a hand on you!" (Yes, I said bednot!) I had my parents on my side, and I knew I'd be alright. After a while, those particular bullies “grew out" of bullying us. There were other bullies, but I was able to get past them.
I’m sure that most of you have encountered a bully somewhere along the way. As an adult I had to step in when a neighbor's child tried to bully my son. I tried talking to the kid's mom, but she was useless. Really, it was like talking to a wall. She was so incredibly uninvolved. I just had to tell my son not to play with the kid. My son was only 4 at the time. He is a grown man now, and I hope that he hasn't had too many other "bully" experiences. I hope that when he has kids maybe they will not have to contend with bullies. I guess that bullies will never go away. Yet,we all can make a difference by being involved. There are some very simple things that might help make a difference.
Tell your children that they can talk to you. Let them now that you are in their corner. They have a right to feel safe. Make them understand that you are there for them. Bullying should be reported to an adult. And adults have a responsibility to pay attention. As a parent, I feel that it is my responsibility to intervene if I see children being bullied. Once I saw some kids beating up on another kid from the neighborhood. I broke it up and told them to go home. I don't know what happened later, but I did the best that I could do in that situation. I think that folks have become desensitized to the bullying that goes on. One doesn't need to be bullied in order to grow up. Bullies are mean; they hurt others, emotionally and sometimes physically. The thing that really bothers me is that the parents of bullies are oblivious, or even sometimes supportive of their little mean kids. If you have a kid who is bullying talk to him or her, and if that doesn't work, get him/her professional help!
I know that nowadays it can be dangerous to reprimand other children. However, as an adult it is our job to let kids know that we can help. Speak up when you see bullying going on. We have got to let our children know that being bullied is not a rite of passage into adulthood. Bullying serves no purpose. If you know of any initiative to end bullying in your church, your school or your community, get involved. We owe it to the children! Following is a link to a great website for anyone who needs info about bullying.
http://www.stopbullying.gov
I hope that you all will check me out again soon. Have a great week! How bout some "Peace in the Middle East?" for real tho!
I was bullied as a child. Let me give you a little background. My father was very strict, and as a result of that my sisters and I led a very sheltered life. We were not allowed to visit with other kids and we pretty much stayed to ourselves. Despite the fact that we did everything together, we each had friends and I dare say that we were pretty nice kids, despite the fact that we led such a sheltered life. Because we stayed to ourselves, the other kids thought that we were “stuck up.” My two sisters and I sat together on the bus each day, and for some reason this made us the perfect targets for various bullies on the bus. I was the oldest and I had taken upon myself the responsibility of being the protector for my sisters. I just figured that the oldest child needed to take care of the others. My sisters and I sat together on the bus so we were an easy target for any bully that chose to harass us.
The bullies who chose to harass us actually lived right across the street from us in an apartment. Their father drove a long distance truck and they were the kind of kids who were always in trouble. We lived in the house on the hill and we never got into trouble. There were three of them, Carolyn, Donnie, and Mary, the meanest one of the bunch. I think that Mary was as angry as she was because of her insecurities about her appearance. She had what they used to call a “wall eye” supposedly they called it that because it looks like that eye is always staring straight ahead, at the wall. She wasn’t a very pretty girl either, and she seemed to be mad at the world. So, she turned some of her anger towards my sisters and me.
She pulled my hair, tried to trip me, and called all three of us names. She used to call us the Three Stooges because the three of us all sat together on the bus. It was no fun being bullied. A few times I even had to fight because someone had hit one of my sisters or pulled my hair. If I had tried to ignore the bullies, it would not have made a difference. It would have only gotten worse, so I hit back. It was no street brawl just a few girlie hits were exchanged. There was no blood, no scarring just a quickened pulse and the hope that there would be no blood or scarring. Why once Mary and her brother Donnie even tried to bully the bus driver!
They started out taunting me and my sisters and when the bus driver came to our defense they threw balled up paper at her, she cautioned them to stop. The bus driver was so distracted that we ended up having a minor accident. Fortunately no one was hurt. But that poor bus driver was shaking like a leaf. I felt bad for her because there was nothing that she could do. They hauled us all into the principal’s office. I hadn’t done anything so of course I was allowed to continue to ride the bus. The bullies did get put off of the bus, but they blamed us for their punishment. Their mother even had the nerve to call and try to threaten us. I'll never forget, my mother said with fire in her eyes "They'd bednot put a hand on you!" (Yes, I said bednot!) I had my parents on my side, and I knew I'd be alright. After a while, those particular bullies “grew out" of bullying us. There were other bullies, but I was able to get past them.
I’m sure that most of you have encountered a bully somewhere along the way. As an adult I had to step in when a neighbor's child tried to bully my son. I tried talking to the kid's mom, but she was useless. Really, it was like talking to a wall. She was so incredibly uninvolved. I just had to tell my son not to play with the kid. My son was only 4 at the time. He is a grown man now, and I hope that he hasn't had too many other "bully" experiences. I hope that when he has kids maybe they will not have to contend with bullies. I guess that bullies will never go away. Yet,we all can make a difference by being involved. There are some very simple things that might help make a difference.
Tell your children that they can talk to you. Let them now that you are in their corner. They have a right to feel safe. Make them understand that you are there for them. Bullying should be reported to an adult. And adults have a responsibility to pay attention. As a parent, I feel that it is my responsibility to intervene if I see children being bullied. Once I saw some kids beating up on another kid from the neighborhood. I broke it up and told them to go home. I don't know what happened later, but I did the best that I could do in that situation. I think that folks have become desensitized to the bullying that goes on. One doesn't need to be bullied in order to grow up. Bullies are mean; they hurt others, emotionally and sometimes physically. The thing that really bothers me is that the parents of bullies are oblivious, or even sometimes supportive of their little mean kids. If you have a kid who is bullying talk to him or her, and if that doesn't work, get him/her professional help!
I know that nowadays it can be dangerous to reprimand other children. However, as an adult it is our job to let kids know that we can help. Speak up when you see bullying going on. We have got to let our children know that being bullied is not a rite of passage into adulthood. Bullying serves no purpose. If you know of any initiative to end bullying in your church, your school or your community, get involved. We owe it to the children! Following is a link to a great website for anyone who needs info about bullying.
http://www.stopbullying.gov
I hope that you all will check me out again soon. Have a great week! How bout some "Peace in the Middle East?" for real tho!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Dream Guy
How’s everybody? I’m ok; there is nothing spectacular happening in my life. The temporary job assignment that I’m on ends in mid March, and that’s just around the corner, so I’m intensifying my job search. Life chugs on, with me scrambling to keep up. My days are pretty much routine. I get up, go to work, come home, cook, and get ready to do it all again. Same old same old, things change but really they basically remain the same. Sometimes though, life throws you a little somethin somethin to shake you up. Last night as I slept, I had the most comforting dream.
I dream on a regular basis, it seems like my mind races all the time. Last night it was working overtime. The dream that came to me only lasted a few moments. It appeared that I was back on my old college campus, and I happened to bump into an old friend. Initially I hardly recognized him. I had nodded to him and for some reason begun to turn to walk away. He said my name aloud and we looked into each other’s eyes. In that moment we recognized each other. As he said my name he pulled me to him in a warm embrace. His lips met mine and we melted into each other. He squeezed me tighter and tighter as we kissed. In my mind I saw us embraced, woman to man, friend to friend. It seemed that the embrace lasted for a while. When we parted he hurried as though he was late for something. As he trotted away he turned and gave me an impish grin. I awakened with a comfortable warm feeling (no, it wasn’t gas, or anything else that you might be thinking.) I laid there in the dark savoring the feeling, reliving the kiss and embrace in my mind. The feeling of peace that enveloped me was wonderful. For a few moments I felt that all was right with the world. I was calm and emotionally satiated, for a few moments…Then I began to wonder.
I have thought about my old friend on numerous occasions throughout the years. As a matter of fact, I’ve thought of him often over the last year. I’ve even seen a picture of him and his wife visiting a mutual friend. It’s funny, back during the time when we were friends there was no physical contact between us. We laughed a lot, shared a lot. It was comfortable. He was a shoulder to lean on, a friend who interrupted my tears with laughter. I miss the friendship. We were friends, who lost touch. After we left school, our paths crossed only once or twice. So it has been years since we’ve last spoken to each other. He is happily married, and I…well…..I am married. I would love to reconnect with him. We just seemed to hit it off. He was a good friend; and I’d just like to talk with him, and catch up.
It’s strange, when he turned and grinned at me in the dream; it was as if he knew that I needed that moment in time. Before, he had always known the right things to say to make me laugh, and to make me feel better. He’s doing it again, taking care of me, even in my dreams. Wow, I am amazed at what the mind does to compensate for the gaps in reality. For a long time I’ve felt unappreciated, emotionally ignored. So my subconscious kicked in to smooth things out. In my life, as I can recall, this has been only the second time that I’ve had such a dream. It is one that I will likely never forget. It just had such a real feel to me. I don’t think that I’m one who is able to think a dream into existence. However, if I could, I’d conjure up my friend tonight, and we’d sit down and chat. However, that will not be the case. I hope that someday we can reconnect, but it may not happen. Perhaps he will always just exist as the friend who gave me a moment of happiness, of comfort, if only in my dreams….
Hope you don’t mind, I just needed to share with you. I woke up this morning feeling a little confused, emotionally reaching for something that wasn’t real. It was good while it lasted. Funny how a warm hug from a special friend can raise one’s spirits. Oh and btw, the person that shared my dream with me is not on facebook, just in case you’re trying to figure out my old friend’s identity. Until next time, pleasant dreams.
I dream on a regular basis, it seems like my mind races all the time. Last night it was working overtime. The dream that came to me only lasted a few moments. It appeared that I was back on my old college campus, and I happened to bump into an old friend. Initially I hardly recognized him. I had nodded to him and for some reason begun to turn to walk away. He said my name aloud and we looked into each other’s eyes. In that moment we recognized each other. As he said my name he pulled me to him in a warm embrace. His lips met mine and we melted into each other. He squeezed me tighter and tighter as we kissed. In my mind I saw us embraced, woman to man, friend to friend. It seemed that the embrace lasted for a while. When we parted he hurried as though he was late for something. As he trotted away he turned and gave me an impish grin. I awakened with a comfortable warm feeling (no, it wasn’t gas, or anything else that you might be thinking.) I laid there in the dark savoring the feeling, reliving the kiss and embrace in my mind. The feeling of peace that enveloped me was wonderful. For a few moments I felt that all was right with the world. I was calm and emotionally satiated, for a few moments…Then I began to wonder.
I have thought about my old friend on numerous occasions throughout the years. As a matter of fact, I’ve thought of him often over the last year. I’ve even seen a picture of him and his wife visiting a mutual friend. It’s funny, back during the time when we were friends there was no physical contact between us. We laughed a lot, shared a lot. It was comfortable. He was a shoulder to lean on, a friend who interrupted my tears with laughter. I miss the friendship. We were friends, who lost touch. After we left school, our paths crossed only once or twice. So it has been years since we’ve last spoken to each other. He is happily married, and I…well…..I am married. I would love to reconnect with him. We just seemed to hit it off. He was a good friend; and I’d just like to talk with him, and catch up.
It’s strange, when he turned and grinned at me in the dream; it was as if he knew that I needed that moment in time. Before, he had always known the right things to say to make me laugh, and to make me feel better. He’s doing it again, taking care of me, even in my dreams. Wow, I am amazed at what the mind does to compensate for the gaps in reality. For a long time I’ve felt unappreciated, emotionally ignored. So my subconscious kicked in to smooth things out. In my life, as I can recall, this has been only the second time that I’ve had such a dream. It is one that I will likely never forget. It just had such a real feel to me. I don’t think that I’m one who is able to think a dream into existence. However, if I could, I’d conjure up my friend tonight, and we’d sit down and chat. However, that will not be the case. I hope that someday we can reconnect, but it may not happen. Perhaps he will always just exist as the friend who gave me a moment of happiness, of comfort, if only in my dreams….
Hope you don’t mind, I just needed to share with you. I woke up this morning feeling a little confused, emotionally reaching for something that wasn’t real. It was good while it lasted. Funny how a warm hug from a special friend can raise one’s spirits. Oh and btw, the person that shared my dream with me is not on facebook, just in case you’re trying to figure out my old friend’s identity. Until next time, pleasant dreams.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Facebook and Me
How’s everyone doing? I trust that you’re succeeding in implementing your New Year’s changes. I’m doing pretty well with my exercise change. I’ve begun walking at work, during breaks and lunch. I just have to keep it up. Well, for my first blog of the New Year I thought that I’d share with you my thoughts on facebook and some dos and don’ts for using this wildly popular social site.
It’s funny, I remember what it was like before all this twittering and facebooking began. One of the first social communication programs was Prodigy. I can remember my excitement when logging on and connecting. Back then, we used a dial-up connection, and sometimes you couldn’t even get the “handshake” to say that you’d actually connected. Logging on to Prodigy took forever, but it was fun once I got on. It was great to talk to random people out in the world. I loved it! Then AOL came along. I had such thrilling conversations with folks all over the place. It was new and exciting, but the cost per hr was daunting. I remember once my husband ran up a monthly bill of over 300 dollars. Crazy! Then other social sites came about, MySpace and so forth.
I had no desire to set up a MySpace account. It seemed to me as though that type of thing was far too intrusive, and it looked like there were a lot of teeny boppers on there. For a while I resisted Facebook, for the same reasons. I didn’t want to “put myself out there” so to speak. Well, 5 years later, I decided to create an account. One of my sisters had an account and suggested that I set up one too. I found that it is actually a great way to share pictures, and events etc. with family and friends. It was fun, and then I really began to get into it. I looked up old school friends from high school and college. It was exciting to reconnect with old friends and to see how their lives had progressed.
I sent friend requests to people that I hadn’t spoken to in years. Oh BTW, just because your friend request has not been acted upon, doesn’t mean that you’re being ignored. Sometimes, people really don’t login to Facebook on the regular. One of my friends is rarely on except to check the accounts of his teens. Initially, I was hurt when a friend request wasn’t accepted. I got over that, you see I’ve found that if a request isn’t accepted it may be because the request has not been seen. However, sometimes…. Well, there have been requests that I’ve ignored, and who knows, maybe one or two have ignored me.
One lady, who had never really been my friend, sent me a request. Not only was she not my friend, she was one of my husband’s uh “dalliances” from back in the day. So you know that I wasn’t accepting her friend request! I have less than a hundred friends. That brings me to another topic, the number of friends one has. Why is it that some folks have thousands of friends on facebook? How is that advantageous? First of all I don’t need that many people in my business. Everyone that is a friend of mine on facebook is actually someone whom I’ve known well over the years, specifically family and friends. I can honestly say that there is only one person on my Facebook page that I don’t really know well. I kinda met her on Facebook through my brother in law. I’ve failed to mention that there are also those who use facebook to further their careers in entertainment and other areas, and that’s cool, but they also have to manage their accounts. You just never know who you’re letting into your world (Can you say Stalker?) Just one more reason not to accept all friend requests!
I do not “friend” folks just because I know them. Like I’ve said before everyone is not my friend, nothing personal. Sometimes though, I don’t friend people because I don’t want to mix my worlds. Work folks don’t need to look at my backyard barbeque pictures and so forth and so on. I’m just sayin….the two worlds don’t need to mix, which brings me to my next point. Don’t put anything on Facebook that is questionable.
If you happen to have outspoken friends with strong opinions that may offend, caution them about posting those opinions to your wall. If you think that the picture of you holding a bottle of liquor in each hand is cute, think again. Did you know that sometimes employers check Facebook? I don't think that they should, but they do. That's why I only friend those that I know. It’s amazing the information that folks put out there for total strangers to see. You dirty dancing with a stripper may not be something that everyone needs to see. Despite the fact that Facebook has become a window to our personal worlds, we still have power over it. We can decide what and what not to share.
I’ve noticed that some people use Facebook as a personal journal. Some use it as a way to look at themselves, picture after picture, after narcissistic picture. .. sorry… anyhoo, to each his own. Oh and to any of you who find that a particular friend (oft times a youngster) seems to always pop up with mindless silliness that you don’t care to see, use the hide feature. He or she will still be one of your friends, but you will not have to see all of the sometimes meaningless statements about any and everything. I find this helpful when dealing with my teen friends. They are good kids, bless their lil hearts; it’s just that I’m not real interested in talk about Justin Beiber and I don’t really have a burning desire to see the “Teach me how to Dougy,” video.
Facebook can be fun, but one still needs to manage it responsibly. I love the new technology, yet I still like being able to pick up the phone to reach out and touch someone. Texting can be expressive, but there is nothing like sharing a laugh out loud, or hearing the happiness in another’s voice. Smiley faces are nice, but the human voice can convey such rich emotion. I’m just sayin….I’ve even seen some of my teen nieces and nephews text each other across the room, come on now really. Can’t we talk? The times, they are a changing.
One last little thing, you don’t have to put all of the specifics about you in your profile. You can omit anything that you’d like. For instance, for your date of birth, using the month and day is perfectly acceptable. If you want someone to know how old you are, you can tell them. Do take time to check out the account settings. Well, I can tell you that Facebook is a good thing if used sensibly, and I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to share my blog with you through Facebook. Until the next time, stay safe and warm. Peace Out!
It’s funny, I remember what it was like before all this twittering and facebooking began. One of the first social communication programs was Prodigy. I can remember my excitement when logging on and connecting. Back then, we used a dial-up connection, and sometimes you couldn’t even get the “handshake” to say that you’d actually connected. Logging on to Prodigy took forever, but it was fun once I got on. It was great to talk to random people out in the world. I loved it! Then AOL came along. I had such thrilling conversations with folks all over the place. It was new and exciting, but the cost per hr was daunting. I remember once my husband ran up a monthly bill of over 300 dollars. Crazy! Then other social sites came about, MySpace and so forth.
I had no desire to set up a MySpace account. It seemed to me as though that type of thing was far too intrusive, and it looked like there were a lot of teeny boppers on there. For a while I resisted Facebook, for the same reasons. I didn’t want to “put myself out there” so to speak. Well, 5 years later, I decided to create an account. One of my sisters had an account and suggested that I set up one too. I found that it is actually a great way to share pictures, and events etc. with family and friends. It was fun, and then I really began to get into it. I looked up old school friends from high school and college. It was exciting to reconnect with old friends and to see how their lives had progressed.
I sent friend requests to people that I hadn’t spoken to in years. Oh BTW, just because your friend request has not been acted upon, doesn’t mean that you’re being ignored. Sometimes, people really don’t login to Facebook on the regular. One of my friends is rarely on except to check the accounts of his teens. Initially, I was hurt when a friend request wasn’t accepted. I got over that, you see I’ve found that if a request isn’t accepted it may be because the request has not been seen. However, sometimes…. Well, there have been requests that I’ve ignored, and who knows, maybe one or two have ignored me.
One lady, who had never really been my friend, sent me a request. Not only was she not my friend, she was one of my husband’s uh “dalliances” from back in the day. So you know that I wasn’t accepting her friend request! I have less than a hundred friends. That brings me to another topic, the number of friends one has. Why is it that some folks have thousands of friends on facebook? How is that advantageous? First of all I don’t need that many people in my business. Everyone that is a friend of mine on facebook is actually someone whom I’ve known well over the years, specifically family and friends. I can honestly say that there is only one person on my Facebook page that I don’t really know well. I kinda met her on Facebook through my brother in law. I’ve failed to mention that there are also those who use facebook to further their careers in entertainment and other areas, and that’s cool, but they also have to manage their accounts. You just never know who you’re letting into your world (Can you say Stalker?) Just one more reason not to accept all friend requests!
I do not “friend” folks just because I know them. Like I’ve said before everyone is not my friend, nothing personal. Sometimes though, I don’t friend people because I don’t want to mix my worlds. Work folks don’t need to look at my backyard barbeque pictures and so forth and so on. I’m just sayin….the two worlds don’t need to mix, which brings me to my next point. Don’t put anything on Facebook that is questionable.
If you happen to have outspoken friends with strong opinions that may offend, caution them about posting those opinions to your wall. If you think that the picture of you holding a bottle of liquor in each hand is cute, think again. Did you know that sometimes employers check Facebook? I don't think that they should, but they do. That's why I only friend those that I know. It’s amazing the information that folks put out there for total strangers to see. You dirty dancing with a stripper may not be something that everyone needs to see. Despite the fact that Facebook has become a window to our personal worlds, we still have power over it. We can decide what and what not to share.
I’ve noticed that some people use Facebook as a personal journal. Some use it as a way to look at themselves, picture after picture, after narcissistic picture. .. sorry… anyhoo, to each his own. Oh and to any of you who find that a particular friend (oft times a youngster) seems to always pop up with mindless silliness that you don’t care to see, use the hide feature. He or she will still be one of your friends, but you will not have to see all of the sometimes meaningless statements about any and everything. I find this helpful when dealing with my teen friends. They are good kids, bless their lil hearts; it’s just that I’m not real interested in talk about Justin Beiber and I don’t really have a burning desire to see the “Teach me how to Dougy,” video.
Facebook can be fun, but one still needs to manage it responsibly. I love the new technology, yet I still like being able to pick up the phone to reach out and touch someone. Texting can be expressive, but there is nothing like sharing a laugh out loud, or hearing the happiness in another’s voice. Smiley faces are nice, but the human voice can convey such rich emotion. I’m just sayin….I’ve even seen some of my teen nieces and nephews text each other across the room, come on now really. Can’t we talk? The times, they are a changing.
One last little thing, you don’t have to put all of the specifics about you in your profile. You can omit anything that you’d like. For instance, for your date of birth, using the month and day is perfectly acceptable. If you want someone to know how old you are, you can tell them. Do take time to check out the account settings. Well, I can tell you that Facebook is a good thing if used sensibly, and I’m very fortunate to have the opportunity to share my blog with you through Facebook. Until the next time, stay safe and warm. Peace Out!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
New Year's Changes
Hi there, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It has been far too long since we’ve talked. Lately, I’ve talked too much, eaten too much, and probably gained too much. (I say probably, because I’m afraid to get on the scale to check!) but that‘s just what one does during the holidays. Now it’s time to get serious, fun time is coming to an end and I need to make some difficult changes this New Year. I hesitate to call them New Year’s resolutions, because that seems like just setting myself up for failure. So, I'll share with you my New Year's changes.
One of the first things that I need to do is to become more diligent in my bible studies. I go to a great bible study class, but I only do the lesson assigned. I need to read my bible more so that I can have that spiritual Godly connection that is intended specifically for me. I need the peace that the connection affords. Don’t get me wrong, I believe and I pray, but I’ve got a long way to go. It’s a lifetime journey, but I’m on my way. Again I need to work on me and those things that contribute to my happiness and well being. This brings me to my next change. I have to learn how not to let folks upset me.
There are many people be they friend or foe, who don’t know how they affect others. I’ll give you an example of one such person, my father. He’s the type of person who is never wrong, who takes issue with everything and everyone. This makes conversation with him tedious at best. He never backs down, and he thinks that no one else knows anything. His reality is right and that’s all that there is to it. It’s difficult to talk to someone like that. There is no such thing as a casual conversation with people like him; everything becomes a debate and cause for heated discussion. My new mantra is going to be Listen, Leave it alone, and Let it go. If he says that the sky is green and I know that it’s blue,he can have his reality as long as it isn’t harmful to anyone else. I’m going to try to apply the above (henceforth known as the three L’s) to any conversation with someone who is inadvertently stealing my joy. Life is too short to be bothered just because someone else would rather fight than switch. (Old cigarette ad reference.) No but really, I have to choose my battles, because my psyche can’t take too much negative energy. All in all I need to take better care of myself, mentally and physically.
I’ve mentioned before that at the tender age of 52 there is so much that I need to do, just for me. As a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, I’ve spent a good deal of time worrying more about everyone else and how they feel. Well my question is who cares about me? I mean really, if I don’t take care of me, no one else will. I must, yes I said must, lose weight and exercise to become healthy. It seems as though whenever I listen to the news,some famous person around my age has died. Blue eyed soul sistah Teena Marie is the latest in a string of deaths of people around my age. They said that she died of natural causes. What does that mean? I imagine that anything short of an airplane dropping out of the sky or a train wreck would be considered a natural cause. I have to assume that she had a heart attack or something. My gosh, she was only a few years older than me! I’m fortunate, despite the fact that I’m overweight with a few medical problems, I’m relatively healthy. Unfortunately food has been my friend, my comfort, my port in the storm, you get the picture. I’m just saying... I don’t have much money, my job is temporary and my buddies are spread out all over the country. All of this and I have to deny myself a piece of chocolate cake? The injustice of it all! Yet, I know that I can do this.
Over the last 20 years I’ve reached a couple of marvelous milestones. When I was in my late 30’s I began to drive, up until that point I’d renewed my license every year, but I was scared to drive. At the young age of 45 I completed my undergrad degree; so one might assume that I’m a late bloomer. Well, I’m bound and determined to lose weight. I want to look good and feel good while I’m young enough to still really enjoy life. Pray for me, this weight thing is difficult. I swear I think that my metabolism is on permanent hiatus.
Help me, help me please! I want to wear a t shirt and jeans and look good! I know that I can do this, but I’m just weak, weak to sugar, and weak to the problems that cause me to crave sugar. It’s a known fact that it’s harder to lose weight the older that you get. Everything slows down, no fair!!!! That’s life and there’s nothing I can do but accept it. So, it’s off to the treadmill, the track, or whatever gets me moving. I am determined to be that vital 50 something woman who looks fresh and full of life. I want to be like one of the models in the commercials for osteoporosis. After taking their medication they are full of vim and vigor. I want to be like that; walking along the beach, with pants rolled up wind blowing my hair in the breeze. Oh alright so that's TV, but I can still look good! I want to be healthy, look and feel better. I want to improve on me and in doing that I'd also like to fulfill some of my longtime dreams.
I'm going to change my habit of being scared to do things. I've always wanted to go to the Essence Jazz Festival in New Orleans. I love music and I've always wanted to go to New Orleans. I'm planning to go this year. I need to start saving my money for my trip, maybe I'll rent a car too. I would love to go with a girlfriend, but none of my buddies really want to go. I'll do it alone; and it will be an adventure. I guess now in my life travel is more appealing to me. I also want to do a weekend trip to New York to visit with friends and take in a play. I'm going to do it. In the past I have restricted myself from doing things, and I don't know why. NO MAS! It's a new day for Trena Rosette Poole Carpenter (ok so now you know my middle name, keep it to yourself!)
I've chosen to focus on a few big changes, wish me luck! Change is always a challenge, but I'm going to try to stop my emotional obstacles from stifling the me that I am. My friends, I support you in your changes also. We can do it, we can go on that trip, lose that weight, get that new job. Just do it! Feel free to share with me those "changes" that you hope to make this New Year. Have a safe Happy New Year! Don't drink and drive, we want you around so that you can implement those New Year's changes. Talk to ya next year!!!!!!
One of the first things that I need to do is to become more diligent in my bible studies. I go to a great bible study class, but I only do the lesson assigned. I need to read my bible more so that I can have that spiritual Godly connection that is intended specifically for me. I need the peace that the connection affords. Don’t get me wrong, I believe and I pray, but I’ve got a long way to go. It’s a lifetime journey, but I’m on my way. Again I need to work on me and those things that contribute to my happiness and well being. This brings me to my next change. I have to learn how not to let folks upset me.
There are many people be they friend or foe, who don’t know how they affect others. I’ll give you an example of one such person, my father. He’s the type of person who is never wrong, who takes issue with everything and everyone. This makes conversation with him tedious at best. He never backs down, and he thinks that no one else knows anything. His reality is right and that’s all that there is to it. It’s difficult to talk to someone like that. There is no such thing as a casual conversation with people like him; everything becomes a debate and cause for heated discussion. My new mantra is going to be Listen, Leave it alone, and Let it go. If he says that the sky is green and I know that it’s blue,he can have his reality as long as it isn’t harmful to anyone else. I’m going to try to apply the above (henceforth known as the three L’s) to any conversation with someone who is inadvertently stealing my joy. Life is too short to be bothered just because someone else would rather fight than switch. (Old cigarette ad reference.) No but really, I have to choose my battles, because my psyche can’t take too much negative energy. All in all I need to take better care of myself, mentally and physically.
I’ve mentioned before that at the tender age of 52 there is so much that I need to do, just for me. As a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, I’ve spent a good deal of time worrying more about everyone else and how they feel. Well my question is who cares about me? I mean really, if I don’t take care of me, no one else will. I must, yes I said must, lose weight and exercise to become healthy. It seems as though whenever I listen to the news,some famous person around my age has died. Blue eyed soul sistah Teena Marie is the latest in a string of deaths of people around my age. They said that she died of natural causes. What does that mean? I imagine that anything short of an airplane dropping out of the sky or a train wreck would be considered a natural cause. I have to assume that she had a heart attack or something. My gosh, she was only a few years older than me! I’m fortunate, despite the fact that I’m overweight with a few medical problems, I’m relatively healthy. Unfortunately food has been my friend, my comfort, my port in the storm, you get the picture. I’m just saying... I don’t have much money, my job is temporary and my buddies are spread out all over the country. All of this and I have to deny myself a piece of chocolate cake? The injustice of it all! Yet, I know that I can do this.
Over the last 20 years I’ve reached a couple of marvelous milestones. When I was in my late 30’s I began to drive, up until that point I’d renewed my license every year, but I was scared to drive. At the young age of 45 I completed my undergrad degree; so one might assume that I’m a late bloomer. Well, I’m bound and determined to lose weight. I want to look good and feel good while I’m young enough to still really enjoy life. Pray for me, this weight thing is difficult. I swear I think that my metabolism is on permanent hiatus.
Help me, help me please! I want to wear a t shirt and jeans and look good! I know that I can do this, but I’m just weak, weak to sugar, and weak to the problems that cause me to crave sugar. It’s a known fact that it’s harder to lose weight the older that you get. Everything slows down, no fair!!!! That’s life and there’s nothing I can do but accept it. So, it’s off to the treadmill, the track, or whatever gets me moving. I am determined to be that vital 50 something woman who looks fresh and full of life. I want to be like one of the models in the commercials for osteoporosis. After taking their medication they are full of vim and vigor. I want to be like that; walking along the beach, with pants rolled up wind blowing my hair in the breeze. Oh alright so that's TV, but I can still look good! I want to be healthy, look and feel better. I want to improve on me and in doing that I'd also like to fulfill some of my longtime dreams.
I'm going to change my habit of being scared to do things. I've always wanted to go to the Essence Jazz Festival in New Orleans. I love music and I've always wanted to go to New Orleans. I'm planning to go this year. I need to start saving my money for my trip, maybe I'll rent a car too. I would love to go with a girlfriend, but none of my buddies really want to go. I'll do it alone; and it will be an adventure. I guess now in my life travel is more appealing to me. I also want to do a weekend trip to New York to visit with friends and take in a play. I'm going to do it. In the past I have restricted myself from doing things, and I don't know why. NO MAS! It's a new day for Trena Rosette Poole Carpenter (ok so now you know my middle name, keep it to yourself!)
I've chosen to focus on a few big changes, wish me luck! Change is always a challenge, but I'm going to try to stop my emotional obstacles from stifling the me that I am. My friends, I support you in your changes also. We can do it, we can go on that trip, lose that weight, get that new job. Just do it! Feel free to share with me those "changes" that you hope to make this New Year. Have a safe Happy New Year! Don't drink and drive, we want you around so that you can implement those New Year's changes. Talk to ya next year!!!!!!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Fifty and Holding:ER Trena Style
Hello my friends, I've missed you. I've had computer problems and you know me and yellow lights. I've also just not felt well. As it turns out, I think I'm alright, but I'm getting older and I'm outta shape and.. and.. better safe than sorry. Let me explain.
Week before last I noticed a "funny" feeling in my chest. It wasn't a pain, or heaviness, just a funny feeling. It would go away for a while and then reoccur. I was concerned, because my husband had a heart attack last year, and I really do not take care of myself like I should. In any event those two little words "chest discomfort" strike fear in the hearts of 52 year olds who are out of shape. I hoped that the problem would go away, and it did, but it came back, this time in my back. I thought that I'd just pulled a muscle or something. In any event I had back pain, it wasn't severe, but just enough of a pain to be an annoyance. I slept ok that night, but the next day I found that the chest discomfort had returned. This was about the third day of this issue that I'd had. I thought maybe I needed to go to the emergency room. I just did not want to take a chance and ignore what could have been a heart attack. I knew that my husband actually had an appointment with his cardiologist (who was also my cardiologist) the next morning. I figured that I'd wait till the morning and tell the doctor of my discomfort. That was a horrible night for me.
My chest bothered me all night, and I think that anxiety over the situation made it even worse. I was afraid to go to sleep, thinking about all of the stories I'd heard about people who'd died in their sleep. Again, I wasn't in any pain, but my chest just didn't feel right; it felt bloated. Once more, I thought about stories that I'd heard throughout the years about people who had suffered from what appeared to be indigestion, only to be found dead the next morning from a massive heart attack. "Lord" I prayed "I know you don't mean to take me know, take care of me Lord." Finally I slept for a few hours. I awakened, glad that I had actually awakened. I was anxious to get to the cardiologist. I couldn't get there fast enough. So, we got to the doctor's office and found out that he had been detained with an emergency procedure, aaaaaargh! My husband was able to go ahead and do his stress test, but there was no one for me to confer with. My husband, in an attempt to help me out, asked the nurse if she could give me an EKG. I told her all of my symptoms and of course she said "No not without an appointment." I kept hoping that the Dr. would show up, but he didn't. On the way out of the office, I scheduled an appointment that was two weeks off. I was scared that I'd had a heart attack. I still didn't feel well, so I decided to stop by the office of my primary doctor to get checked out.
My doctor also takes urgent care patients. I walked in and asked the receptionist if my doctor was there. She replied, "She is, but she isn't taking any urgent care walk-ins, just patients." I left dejectedly, convinced that for some reason, I was not going to be able to see a doctor.. I wasn't thinking straight, because if I had been, I would have insisted on seeing my doctor. I am actually one of her patients. Well after dropping my husband off at work, I went home and googled my symptoms, once again. This time it seemed that all of my symptoms pointed to a heart attack. Without a moment's hesitation, I jumped into my car and drove myself to another urgent care clinic. Once there, I told them about my chest discomfort, and they hurried me to the back and hooked me up to an EKG machine. The nurse was very kind; she ran the EKG and then told me that the Dr. would be in to discuss it soon. At this point I was pretty calm, for some reason I thought that the EKG was probably alright. The nurse hadn't gasped in horror when she looked at it, but then again they are trained not to show emotion before the doc gives you the results.
After a few minutes, a young looking fellow came in, introduced himself as the doctor, and proceeded to tell me the results of my EKG. He told me that he didn't like the way that some of my EKG looked and he wanted me to get checked out. I said "Ok, but I have to pick up my husband first." He said "No, I can't let you do that. I'm going to call an ambulance to take you right now." I was stunned, had I had a heart attack? After I picked my bottom lip up off of the floor, I asked him if I could call my husband to see if he could get a co-worker to bring him over to the urgent care. He said yes,and I made the call.
As I waited for my husband I spoke with a very nice nurse who comforted me like " We know you don't want to be here. "she said "We're going to take good care of you." She gave me four baby aspirins and a nitro glycerin pill. It seemed like I felt so much better then. By this time my husband had arrived and for some reason I began to tear up a little... just a little. Soon after, the paramedics loaded me onto the gurney.
As the paramedics rolled me away the doctor said "God Bless You." Now if he'd just said that in passing I’d have been ok, however to say it as I'm being whisked off to the ER....hmmmm you must know that I was a bit concerned. The ambulance folks were kind, and we joked on the ride over to the hospital. It was a little embarrassing for me to look out of the window when we were at a stop light and actually see someone behind the ambulance looking at me. I tried to sink into the gurney mattress so that no one else could see me. (Why does sickness embarrass us?) When I got to the hospital I was rolled into a room, and two women started pulling off my clothes. One of them put a gown on me, another started and IV, while yet a third woman asked me questions about why I was there. Someone came in and took several vials of blood from me. I was nervous about what the tests would show. One heart attack indicator is the presence of certain enzymes in the blood; and I was praying that those particular enzymes wouldn't be there. They had allowed my husband to come back into the triage room with me;soon we'd get the results of all of my blood tests.
I was hooked up to a monitor that showed all of my vital signs, and they were good. Blood pressure, pulse, all that was good,so I turned on the TV in the room to take my mind off of things. After a while the doctor came in and he told me that there was no evidence of heart attack. Whew! What a relief, they were going to keep me overnight to run tests, and the following morning they were going to have me do a stress test. I was ok with that. I even began to think about the benefits of having a night at the hospital where somebody else would take care of me for just once (pitiful just pitiful). I wondered what they were serving for dinner, I had a taste for a ham sandwich and milk (hey, I was hungry!) So I began the waiting game, waiting for them to put me in a room. I turned to Jeopardy and began to play along.
After a few minutes a gentleman came in and introduced himself as a hospitalist. He explained that his job was to decide if I needed to stay in the hospital. He told me that he thought maybe I could go home for the night. Hmmmmm, I thought, not a bad idea, going home, after all it's really hard to get a good night's sleep at the hospital. The hospitalist put in a call to my cardiologist, and long story short, they allowed me to go home. They also scheduled me for a stress test the following day. I passed the stress test with flying colors. There is no denying the fact that I'm horribly out of shape, but my stress test didn't kill me. The doctor told me to make sure that I take an aspirin a day, and sent me merrily on my way.
I slept well that night. I think that my chest discomfort was the result of a pulled muscle. I'd moved a bookcase by myself earlier in the week (I know, I know, I'm no super woman.) Yet, as I said before, better safe than sorry. The take away from all this is that I was fortunate, blessed even. I'm overweight, with high blood pressure and other ailments, and I so need to get myself together. It could have been a heart attack. Sisters if we don't have our health, we don't have much of anything.
We all know the deal, exercise and eat well. It's easy to take care of everybody else. Why is it so hard for me to take care of myself? It's a struggle, but I simply must do better. I promise we'll talk again soon. I've been a little out of it lately, but that's life. I've left you with a few links for websites relating to heart attack symptoms. Hopefully, you'll never need them. Live long and prosper! Later..
Click on the following Links for more info:
Mayo Clinic
Web MD
Week before last I noticed a "funny" feeling in my chest. It wasn't a pain, or heaviness, just a funny feeling. It would go away for a while and then reoccur. I was concerned, because my husband had a heart attack last year, and I really do not take care of myself like I should. In any event those two little words "chest discomfort" strike fear in the hearts of 52 year olds who are out of shape. I hoped that the problem would go away, and it did, but it came back, this time in my back. I thought that I'd just pulled a muscle or something. In any event I had back pain, it wasn't severe, but just enough of a pain to be an annoyance. I slept ok that night, but the next day I found that the chest discomfort had returned. This was about the third day of this issue that I'd had. I thought maybe I needed to go to the emergency room. I just did not want to take a chance and ignore what could have been a heart attack. I knew that my husband actually had an appointment with his cardiologist (who was also my cardiologist) the next morning. I figured that I'd wait till the morning and tell the doctor of my discomfort. That was a horrible night for me.
My chest bothered me all night, and I think that anxiety over the situation made it even worse. I was afraid to go to sleep, thinking about all of the stories I'd heard about people who'd died in their sleep. Again, I wasn't in any pain, but my chest just didn't feel right; it felt bloated. Once more, I thought about stories that I'd heard throughout the years about people who had suffered from what appeared to be indigestion, only to be found dead the next morning from a massive heart attack. "Lord" I prayed "I know you don't mean to take me know, take care of me Lord." Finally I slept for a few hours. I awakened, glad that I had actually awakened. I was anxious to get to the cardiologist. I couldn't get there fast enough. So, we got to the doctor's office and found out that he had been detained with an emergency procedure, aaaaaargh! My husband was able to go ahead and do his stress test, but there was no one for me to confer with. My husband, in an attempt to help me out, asked the nurse if she could give me an EKG. I told her all of my symptoms and of course she said "No not without an appointment." I kept hoping that the Dr. would show up, but he didn't. On the way out of the office, I scheduled an appointment that was two weeks off. I was scared that I'd had a heart attack. I still didn't feel well, so I decided to stop by the office of my primary doctor to get checked out.
My doctor also takes urgent care patients. I walked in and asked the receptionist if my doctor was there. She replied, "She is, but she isn't taking any urgent care walk-ins, just patients." I left dejectedly, convinced that for some reason, I was not going to be able to see a doctor.. I wasn't thinking straight, because if I had been, I would have insisted on seeing my doctor. I am actually one of her patients. Well after dropping my husband off at work, I went home and googled my symptoms, once again. This time it seemed that all of my symptoms pointed to a heart attack. Without a moment's hesitation, I jumped into my car and drove myself to another urgent care clinic. Once there, I told them about my chest discomfort, and they hurried me to the back and hooked me up to an EKG machine. The nurse was very kind; she ran the EKG and then told me that the Dr. would be in to discuss it soon. At this point I was pretty calm, for some reason I thought that the EKG was probably alright. The nurse hadn't gasped in horror when she looked at it, but then again they are trained not to show emotion before the doc gives you the results.
After a few minutes, a young looking fellow came in, introduced himself as the doctor, and proceeded to tell me the results of my EKG. He told me that he didn't like the way that some of my EKG looked and he wanted me to get checked out. I said "Ok, but I have to pick up my husband first." He said "No, I can't let you do that. I'm going to call an ambulance to take you right now." I was stunned, had I had a heart attack? After I picked my bottom lip up off of the floor, I asked him if I could call my husband to see if he could get a co-worker to bring him over to the urgent care. He said yes,and I made the call.
As I waited for my husband I spoke with a very nice nurse who comforted me like " We know you don't want to be here. "she said "We're going to take good care of you." She gave me four baby aspirins and a nitro glycerin pill. It seemed like I felt so much better then. By this time my husband had arrived and for some reason I began to tear up a little... just a little. Soon after, the paramedics loaded me onto the gurney.
As the paramedics rolled me away the doctor said "God Bless You." Now if he'd just said that in passing I’d have been ok, however to say it as I'm being whisked off to the ER....hmmmm you must know that I was a bit concerned. The ambulance folks were kind, and we joked on the ride over to the hospital. It was a little embarrassing for me to look out of the window when we were at a stop light and actually see someone behind the ambulance looking at me. I tried to sink into the gurney mattress so that no one else could see me. (Why does sickness embarrass us?) When I got to the hospital I was rolled into a room, and two women started pulling off my clothes. One of them put a gown on me, another started and IV, while yet a third woman asked me questions about why I was there. Someone came in and took several vials of blood from me. I was nervous about what the tests would show. One heart attack indicator is the presence of certain enzymes in the blood; and I was praying that those particular enzymes wouldn't be there. They had allowed my husband to come back into the triage room with me;soon we'd get the results of all of my blood tests.
I was hooked up to a monitor that showed all of my vital signs, and they were good. Blood pressure, pulse, all that was good,so I turned on the TV in the room to take my mind off of things. After a while the doctor came in and he told me that there was no evidence of heart attack. Whew! What a relief, they were going to keep me overnight to run tests, and the following morning they were going to have me do a stress test. I was ok with that. I even began to think about the benefits of having a night at the hospital where somebody else would take care of me for just once (pitiful just pitiful). I wondered what they were serving for dinner, I had a taste for a ham sandwich and milk (hey, I was hungry!) So I began the waiting game, waiting for them to put me in a room. I turned to Jeopardy and began to play along.
After a few minutes a gentleman came in and introduced himself as a hospitalist. He explained that his job was to decide if I needed to stay in the hospital. He told me that he thought maybe I could go home for the night. Hmmmmm, I thought, not a bad idea, going home, after all it's really hard to get a good night's sleep at the hospital. The hospitalist put in a call to my cardiologist, and long story short, they allowed me to go home. They also scheduled me for a stress test the following day. I passed the stress test with flying colors. There is no denying the fact that I'm horribly out of shape, but my stress test didn't kill me. The doctor told me to make sure that I take an aspirin a day, and sent me merrily on my way.
I slept well that night. I think that my chest discomfort was the result of a pulled muscle. I'd moved a bookcase by myself earlier in the week (I know, I know, I'm no super woman.) Yet, as I said before, better safe than sorry. The take away from all this is that I was fortunate, blessed even. I'm overweight, with high blood pressure and other ailments, and I so need to get myself together. It could have been a heart attack. Sisters if we don't have our health, we don't have much of anything.
We all know the deal, exercise and eat well. It's easy to take care of everybody else. Why is it so hard for me to take care of myself? It's a struggle, but I simply must do better. I promise we'll talk again soon. I've been a little out of it lately, but that's life. I've left you with a few links for websites relating to heart attack symptoms. Hopefully, you'll never need them. Live long and prosper! Later..
Click on the following Links for more info:
Mayo Clinic
Web MD
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Fifty and Holding:How I Spent My Summer
Hello, my friends, it seems like forever since we last talked. Summer is now over and fall is upon us. I remember as a child going back to school in the fall and feeling so excited about starting a new school year. On the first day of school one of the assignments for the class was to write an essay entitled "How I Spent My Summer." So, I thought that I'd share some of the events of my summer with you.
My summer was filled with heat, ants, vermin and just consternation in general. This summer was one of the hottest on record in Raleigh. Most days the temp soared to over 90 degrees. Every time I walked back into the house, I said " Thank God for air conditioning." Hot weather brings with it many consequences. Ants come into the house in search of water. I walked into my kitchen one night and there was a trail of ants running in and out of my sink. That made my skin crawl, and amidst a barrage of expletives I dealt with the intruders with a can of Hot Shot. My pragmatic husband has a different way of dealing with our little guests. There is an ant killing substance called Terra that gets to the root of the problem. You spread a little of it down, and ants eat it and carry it back to the colony. The only problem is that it takes a few days. My husband expects me to just let those creepy crawlies share my kitchen until the colony has been demolished. Usually I break down and counterattack with my trusty can of Hot Shot. Hey I refuse to let those little critters win. We fought them all summer, maybe they've moved on......
Oh and I've found out something else about these particular ants. Let me tell you first that my research shows that the ants that we've fought all summer are little black ants commonly known as "sugar ants." Fortunately the red fire ants have stayed outside(TYJ) they can give one a nasty little sting. However, I've found out that some of the black ants bite also. Apparently, the soldier ants will bite when threatened. I was bitten twice on my pinkie finger. The actual bite itself was a little sting. It was the itching that drove me crazy. Ah such is my life, bested by a mere ant. But my critter fight didn't end with the ants.
One night when I went to find a roll of toilet paper, I noticed that the last roll in the cabinet was shredded in places. I thought perhaps there was a reasonable explanation, but I couldn't figure out what it was. The next frightening thought made me look for "droppings" but I didn't see any. I kinda forget about the tissue until I spoke to my mom and mentioned the incident to her. She said casually "Oh it sounds like a mouse, and if the tissue was tattered it is probably building a nest." Great! Not only did I have a mouse, but now I had to worry about a whole mouse family. Uggggh!!!!!!!! Time to do rodent battle!
My house has a crawl space and I think that the little critter or critters reside there most of the time. I think they crawled up the bath room plumbing into the cabinet where I kept the TP. Well we weren't going down there, so we decided to get a trap. I was tasked with finding the proverbial better mousetrap. It really turned out to be an easier task than I had imagined. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't get the old fashioned trap, you know the one that leaves em flailing and squealing! Not fun. I found a mouse hotel, mice go in, but they don't come out. Poor little Mickey! I was satisfied with my trap of choice and scurried on home for the hand off. I had bought the trap, surely my husband could "set" it.
And set it he did. The process only involved placing the trap in the cabinet,and then waiting for the deed to be done. On one hand I felt sad for the little intruders, but then there's bubonic plague and other diseases...hmmmm. The next morning while I was in the kitchen cooking breakfast, I heard my husband's elated shout "Got him!" With a little trepidation, I hurried to see. I was afraid that I'd see a bloody mass of tail and fur. It wasn't quite that bad, all that I could see was the edge of a tiny little mouse foot. It was really rather sad, but such is the circle of life. I draw the line at sharing my TP with a mouse. As it is, I think that I've developed a phobia that makes me sweat and breathe rapidly when I have to open the bathroom cabinet. I'm always afraid that I'll see the tip of a rodent's tail disappear into the corner, just as the cabinet opens. Ding dong the mouse is dead! I hope that there aren't any more! We only did away with one. As you can see I spent some of my summer fighting bugs and mice, but it wasn't all bad. I did get in some quality time with friends and family .
I visited with some good friends from college; and in the same trip I got to see more of DC, courtesy of my little sister. I also was able to spend a little time with my great nephew, he's a precious lil thing. You know he's spoiled rotten, but nowadays lots of kids are, (spoiled I mean.) My mother's side of the family had their regular summer family reunion, and I hung out with my younger cousins and my son. On one occasion I didn't get home until 4:30 in the morning. It took me a few days to recuperate from that one; I did however, learn a new skill. I can now tie a cherry stem into a bow with my tongue. Ok, so I can't put that on my resume, but it's a cool party trick. All in all it was fun hanging out with my family, they are nice fun folks.
Fall is here, my favorite time of year, and the beat goes on. I continue my quest for self fulfillment and to find a meaningful job. I did get a bit of good news, I'll start a temporary job mid Oct. and that's good. Things are looking up! Thanks for checking in with me. Hope you have a great week and weekend. I'll talk to you again soon! Ciao!
My summer was filled with heat, ants, vermin and just consternation in general. This summer was one of the hottest on record in Raleigh. Most days the temp soared to over 90 degrees. Every time I walked back into the house, I said " Thank God for air conditioning." Hot weather brings with it many consequences. Ants come into the house in search of water. I walked into my kitchen one night and there was a trail of ants running in and out of my sink. That made my skin crawl, and amidst a barrage of expletives I dealt with the intruders with a can of Hot Shot. My pragmatic husband has a different way of dealing with our little guests. There is an ant killing substance called Terra that gets to the root of the problem. You spread a little of it down, and ants eat it and carry it back to the colony. The only problem is that it takes a few days. My husband expects me to just let those creepy crawlies share my kitchen until the colony has been demolished. Usually I break down and counterattack with my trusty can of Hot Shot. Hey I refuse to let those little critters win. We fought them all summer, maybe they've moved on......
Oh and I've found out something else about these particular ants. Let me tell you first that my research shows that the ants that we've fought all summer are little black ants commonly known as "sugar ants." Fortunately the red fire ants have stayed outside(TYJ) they can give one a nasty little sting. However, I've found out that some of the black ants bite also. Apparently, the soldier ants will bite when threatened. I was bitten twice on my pinkie finger. The actual bite itself was a little sting. It was the itching that drove me crazy. Ah such is my life, bested by a mere ant. But my critter fight didn't end with the ants.
One night when I went to find a roll of toilet paper, I noticed that the last roll in the cabinet was shredded in places. I thought perhaps there was a reasonable explanation, but I couldn't figure out what it was. The next frightening thought made me look for "droppings" but I didn't see any. I kinda forget about the tissue until I spoke to my mom and mentioned the incident to her. She said casually "Oh it sounds like a mouse, and if the tissue was tattered it is probably building a nest." Great! Not only did I have a mouse, but now I had to worry about a whole mouse family. Uggggh!!!!!!!! Time to do rodent battle!
My house has a crawl space and I think that the little critter or critters reside there most of the time. I think they crawled up the bath room plumbing into the cabinet where I kept the TP. Well we weren't going down there, so we decided to get a trap. I was tasked with finding the proverbial better mousetrap. It really turned out to be an easier task than I had imagined. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't get the old fashioned trap, you know the one that leaves em flailing and squealing! Not fun. I found a mouse hotel, mice go in, but they don't come out. Poor little Mickey! I was satisfied with my trap of choice and scurried on home for the hand off. I had bought the trap, surely my husband could "set" it.
And set it he did. The process only involved placing the trap in the cabinet,and then waiting for the deed to be done. On one hand I felt sad for the little intruders, but then there's bubonic plague and other diseases...hmmmm. The next morning while I was in the kitchen cooking breakfast, I heard my husband's elated shout "Got him!" With a little trepidation, I hurried to see. I was afraid that I'd see a bloody mass of tail and fur. It wasn't quite that bad, all that I could see was the edge of a tiny little mouse foot. It was really rather sad, but such is the circle of life. I draw the line at sharing my TP with a mouse. As it is, I think that I've developed a phobia that makes me sweat and breathe rapidly when I have to open the bathroom cabinet. I'm always afraid that I'll see the tip of a rodent's tail disappear into the corner, just as the cabinet opens. Ding dong the mouse is dead! I hope that there aren't any more! We only did away with one. As you can see I spent some of my summer fighting bugs and mice, but it wasn't all bad. I did get in some quality time with friends and family .
I visited with some good friends from college; and in the same trip I got to see more of DC, courtesy of my little sister. I also was able to spend a little time with my great nephew, he's a precious lil thing. You know he's spoiled rotten, but nowadays lots of kids are, (spoiled I mean.) My mother's side of the family had their regular summer family reunion, and I hung out with my younger cousins and my son. On one occasion I didn't get home until 4:30 in the morning. It took me a few days to recuperate from that one; I did however, learn a new skill. I can now tie a cherry stem into a bow with my tongue. Ok, so I can't put that on my resume, but it's a cool party trick. All in all it was fun hanging out with my family, they are nice fun folks.
Fall is here, my favorite time of year, and the beat goes on. I continue my quest for self fulfillment and to find a meaningful job. I did get a bit of good news, I'll start a temporary job mid Oct. and that's good. Things are looking up! Thanks for checking in with me. Hope you have a great week and weekend. I'll talk to you again soon! Ciao!
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