My Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was going to be an exceptional one. Even outside of the holidays, I enjoy spending time with my children, my mom and my sister. We have a close family.  After 14 years of talking on the phone, the plan was that my father was going to join us for our festivities. He was going to drive from New Jersey and spend this Thanks Giving with me. To most of you this may not sound like a big deal. But to me, this was going to be a monumental.

I only have two memories of my birth father. When I was five, the only thing I remember was his legs and that he and my grandmother gave me a doll that wore a blue pock-a-dotted bikini.  Then several years past, when I was eight he came around a couple of times. He brought over my step brother once, but they didn’t stay very long. That year he did give me a couple of good Christmas gifts.

My father has always had a problem with fallow through. He makes empty promises. To me the promises of money or gifts are different. I never really expected those things from anyone, anyways. This time, he promised he was coming out. The past 14 years he has never promised to visit. I was trying very hard not to get my hopes up that he would actually show up, but I had a glimpse of weakness and I believed him.

 Now I haven’t heard from him in several days. He isn’t answering my texts. My hope is that maybe he will show up at my door tomorrow. But the chances are very slim. I know what’s going to happen. We have done this dance before when he thinks he has disappointed me. In a couple of month I will hear from him again. He will act like nothing happened. No apology no nothing. So what do I do? Do I confront him? Or do I just blow it off, because it is my fault for letting my guard down anyways. I know how he is and know this is what he does and I should know better.

No matter what happens, I am still going to enjoy my thanksgiving with the people who truly love me. And I know that I can always depend on them. I am very thankful to have a wonderful mother, sister and children.

My friend and HPV

Couple years ago, when I was working at Freeman Hospital one of the other Tech’s and I really hit it off and we have been good friends ever since. We never run out of things to talk about. We laugh and joke a lot. I would consider her one of my best friends. Last week she called me crying. She found out that she has cervical cancer from HPV and they wanted to do a biopsy and see how bad the cancer really is. I tried my hardest to keep my composure as I told her I would go with her to this appointment.

Almost every day this week, she has called me asking several different questions. Normally I am very up front and honest with her. But now I find myself having to sugar coat everything I say and I try very hard to make everything into a joke. This may sound cruel. But as I see, she needs someone to help her with the depression that comes along with being diagnosed with a deadly cancer. I have found that laughter is the best medicine. She asked me if her bladder was going to fall out if she got a hysterectomy. Without hesitation I replied with a “no and if it does we will just shove it back in”. Some how this made her feel better. I love sarcasm. She asked me if she was still going to be beautiful if her hair falls out. She knows that I do have a somewhat twisted sence of humor when I stated simply “yes and we will buy you the best wig money can buy and supper glues it to her head”.  She rolled in laughter and told me I always know just what to say to make her feel better.

After the biopsy, the hansom doctor informed us that the results won’t be back for another 5 days. That’s a long time to wait when you think your going to die. One thing I have to say to any woman reading this blog is please protect your self. HPV is nothing to mess around with. My friend now has to deal with the possibility of dying at a young age all because one guy told her that he didn’t have any diseases. Life is precious, so please take care of yourself and use a rubber.

Breat feeding in the court room

A Michigan judge considered breast feeding in court as an inappropriate behavior. Natalie Hegedus Natalie Hededuswas breast feeding her sick 5-month old baby in the back of the courtroom completely covered when a bailiff noticed what she was doing. He then passed a not to the judge informing him on what was happening in his court room. The judge then called the woman to the bench and asked her if she believed it was appropriate to be breastfeeding in court. Natalie’s response was that her son was hungry and it’s not illegal so therefore her behavior was fine.

Being a mother of two this article stuck a special interest in me. I breastfed both of them for over a year and I found myself in similar situations as Ms. Natalie Hegedus. I found that this article has some holes in the story and left me curious.

The article never states why she had to go to court in the first place. After fallowing the BabyCenter link, I found out that this article was partly based on a post that Ms. Hegedus wrote on a parenting web site. On her post she never mentioned why she had to go to court. It did state that she was filing a complaint against the judge and possible file suit against him. When clicking on the WoodTV link, I found that they talked to the Chief Judge of that district. He stated that it is difficult to deal with possible lawbreakers.

To reiterate my earlier statement, I breast fed my children. I am not against breast feeding at all. I believe that not only is it cost effective, it is natural and the best form of nutrition that a mother can give to her child. A bond is created between mother and child that is not the same as it is with a bottle fed child. But there is a time and place for breast feeding. When you do breastfeed, be discreet and modest. If you know your going to court have enough respect for yourself and the situation and bottle feed. Would you breastfeed during a funeral or a church service?

55 at risk of AIDS

The article that I was reading in order to fulfill the requirements for this blog quickly got my attention when I noticed that on the same page, there was a smaller article entitled Bungle puts 55 at risk of AIDS. This article states that 53 patients and two staff members of one of Australia’s largest private radiology companies were all stuck with the same needle when they received a Pet Scan, which checks blood sugar, and it was recommended that they all be tested for HIV and Hepatitis B and C. The Accu-check Multicix, which is used for Pet Scans, contains several needles in a replaceable drum and the needles are switched manually. In this incident, the needle wasn’t switched from November to January of the following year.

At first, this article seemed surreal. After all the checks and double checks that we have in the United States, it is hard to imagine that something like this could even happen. This was clearly a case of miscommunication and lack of training. Unfortunately, everyone in the nursing field knows that miscommunication happens more often than a non-medical person would really like to know.

PET scans are used to determine the severity of cancers, neurological conditions and heart disease. Even with an apology letter, this kind of accident does not make up for the fact that these patients could now have AIDS because a nurse did not know proper procedures when operating the equipment. Because of her lack of training, these people, who have possibly lowered resistance anyway, have now been potentially exposed to even worse diseases. It is horrifying to think that this nurse didn’t even realize that what she was doing was incorrect until a staff member with diabetes told her. According to the article, the risk to the people stuck with a used needle is very small because, as it turned out, none of them had any communicable diseases like AIDS or Hepatitis.

Unfortunately, something like this can and does happen here in the United States. The article didn’t state how much training the nurse had, but to me, it sounded like she had a poor orientation. How can anyone be expected to do their job accurately without the proper training? Nonetheless, the nurse was probably fired and may have lost her license because she did not educate herself on something as simple as an accu-check machine by, say, reading the instruction manual or the side of the machine before she began to administer tests. We are all working so hard for our degrees but few of us realize how easily our licenses can be taken away because of bad training, miscommunication or simple negligence.

Lil Dragon

I was doing my usual morning routine, drinking my green tea and searching through news.yahoo.com news, when I came across an article that included one of my favorite subjects- Art.  A sculptor, Chen Fomg-Shean of Taiwan, uses unusual items like rice, sand and dental floss to create tiny little sculptures no larger than a thumbnail. His latest creation is a dragon that was sculpted out of gold foil and resin, and included such intricate details such as claws, open jaws, and whiskers.

I grew up in a bohemian section of San Diego and was raised by an amazingly artistic mother, which gives me a certain appreciation for the arts. I think this gentleman is amazing in his ability to do such tiny intricate artwork.  According to the badly-written article, Chen, who is a retired plate designer, began creating miniature sculptures as a hobby and has been working at it for thirty years.  I think that it’s remarkable that this 72-year old man has the steady hands and the patience to make miniature sculpture when I can’t even color inside the lines of my daughter's coloring book.

As I said, I feel that this article was poorly-written. I wish that the author had gone into more depth, shown us more examples of Chen's other work, had told us where they were on display, and explained how his work was "an example of high-end Chinese art thousands of years old.”  In my opinion, considering the amazing artistry involved, the article certainly did not do justice to the beauty and intricate details of Chen's work.

A Recession Birthday

My mom put it perfectly when she said I had a recession birthday. Before class on Friday, which was my actual birthday, my husband and I went to Furniture Factory Outlet, and unless you have lived in a hole for the past few years, you know that they sell cheaply-made furniture at low prices. So my husband decided that he was going to get me a new recliner for my birthday. Luckily, I found one very quickly and we bought it for a fraction of the retail price and saved over $150.

After class, we drove back home to pick up my children from school. The simple little town of Lockwood is half-way to Joplin and half-way to Springfield. I love the town of Joplin, but it doesn’t have my new favorite restaurant, Hu Hot, which is a wonderful Mongolian barbeque. Now, when I hear the word "barbeque," I always think of warm summer days spent with the family surrounding the grill, and the wonderful aroma of steak wafting in the air, but Hu Hot is not that kind of place. This is a buffet-style Chinese restaurant where you pick your own meats, vegetables, and sauces, and several young men behind a circular grill cooks your meat right in front of you. Sometimes they do tricks with eggs by throwing them as high into the air as they can and then crack them with their spatulas as the eggs come down. They also juggle those same spatulas, tossing them to the worker on either side of him or the person across from him. It’s not just dinner, but also a show. To make this fantastic dinner even better, I had a birthday coupon and I got my meal for free.  

After Hu Hot, we waddled with full bellies into the mall. As we lazily sauntered through the promenade, I found a shoe store that was having a sale. I am a typical girl and love shoes, and when they are on sale, I love them even more. I was able to buy two incredibly lovely pairs of shoes for under $20.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and this exhausting birthday was no exception. But before we left Springfield, we needed to get gas for our vehicle. I pulled into the station and was amazed when I saw the price, which was twenty cents cheaper per gallon than in my town. Such a deal I could not refuse!  And the blessings did not stop there, because on Saturday, my son shot his first deer (free meat!) and my mother invited me and my family over to her house for a nice tuna casserole, peas, salad and homemade cheesecake, the whole of which cost less to make than one piece of cheesecake at a restaurant.  It may have been a recession birthday but it was also a really great one, and being able to spend quality time with my family was the best part. 

Jake the airport cat

I originally read about this poor cat several weeks ago. Today, I came across the follow-up story regarding Jake the airport cat. Karen Pascoe flew from New York to California on American Airlines and checked her cat in the baggage center. Somehow her cat, Jack escaped from his carrier and was lost for two month in the New York Airport when he fell out of a loose ceiling tile and into the airports customs office. The beloved pet had to be put to sleep because he was unable to recover.

I am an avid animal lover. I have three dogs and a cat and I was very moved by this article. I feel for the family who lost their pet and for the poor animal that had to suffer for so long.  However, the airport's disregard for life absolutely infuriates me.  Can you imagine Ms. Pascoe reaction when they told her at baggage claim that her pet wasn’t there?  Can you imagine her panic, her outrage, her sense of loss?

It is equally horrifying to think about this poor pet roaming around the airport lost looking for his owner. According to the article, he suffered from malnutrition and had several wounds on his back that were getting increasingly infected and unable to heal. It was a mixed blessing for Ms. Pascoe that her pet was euthanized because at least the cat was found and the owner can have closure. Thank goodness she was able fly back to New York to be with her beloved pet one last time and I hope that American Airline paid for that plane ticket.

I believe that they should be held responsible for the animal’s death, that a full investigation should be done and that the owner should receive some kind of monetary compensation for the incident. You hear all the time about the baggage handlers who mistreat baggage. This makes me wonder what really happened with the cat carrier. Did some ignorant jerk fling the carrier or bump other luggage on to it? Was the cat mute and unable to call out for help?  Did no one see or hear this poor cat as it prowled the airport or hid, scared for its life, in pain, hungry and alone? Airports are full of cameras. So why didn't Security check them when the cat first went missing?

I think the airport employees could have handled this situation better, because just because it’s a cat doesn't mean that it is a less valuable form of life or a less-loved member of the family.

Man vrs White Castle

In Nunuet, New York a man is suing White Castle fast food restaurant for their small table booths.  Martin Kessman is filing suit because he believes the small booths violates his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act and that the difficulty of getting into the booth-style seating was simply demeaning in a busy restaurant situation. Kessman states that after he complained to White Castle about the seating the restaurant promised him they were going to put more space between the bench and the table but never did. And any changes to accommodate the larger customers were never made. Also, after Kessman complained he stated he got three letters that were patronizing. Since he filed the lawsuit Kessman refuses to set a single foot in White Castle, so instead he makes his wife get the burger and fries he orders.

            This article made me quite sad for future generations. Today’s society is consumed with some of the most ridiculous lawsuits. I believe that nowadays suing somebody has been made into one of the quickest ways to make some cash. It is quite ridiculous to think that you can sue over how much space you have at a booth. What is next being able to take someone to court for bad service or if your fries are too salty? Where does it stop? When is an enough enough?

            This also makes me quite disappointed is White Castle. This nation’s waist size is unfortunately growing. Fast food chains are on of the major causes of obesity in the United States. From this article it shows me that fast food chains are making no effort to accommodate the heftier community in any way. Still this business concentrates their energies towards insuring that they get the most out of their budget and disregards any comfort towards the customer. Seems to me, that it would make better business sense to gear its efforts towards the larger consumer?  Since they do eat more wouldn’t it make since that they would in turn by more food? Kinds sounds like White Castel is cutting of its nose despite its face.

I want a Tattooed Barbie!

With Pink hair, dragon tattoo across her shoulders and neck, Mattel's latest collector's edition Barbie doll was released earlier this month online and was quickly sold out. This Barbie is not the first to have tattoos. In 2008 and 2009, some stores had Mattel's Totally Stylin' Tattoos Barbie and a Harley Davidson Barbie both were pulled off the shelves due to parent disapproval. The magazine U.S. News & World Report asked in a recent headlines if this new tattooed Barbie was inappropriate for children.

This article sparked my interest. I remember playing with Barbies as a child. And as an adult, I have continued my love for Barbie’s by becoming a collector. I have several unusual Barbie’s. I think that it is silly that this made for the adult collector’s Barbie has become “controversial”.

According to the article, there was mixed feeling amongst Barbie consumers. Some feel that Mattel is promoting something that most parents don’t feel is acceptable as a role model. I agree with one of the people interviewed for this article. I am raising my children not the toy companies. I don’t feel that a tattooed Barbie is going to change my daughter’s self image. I hope that I am raising my daughter to think for herself. I believe that children are naturally smart and won’t do something just because a childhood toy influenced her. If that were true, then I would be wearing cut off jean shorts, have huge muscles, a bad temper, paint myself green, and you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.

I think that people should be worried about other things that Barbie is teaching our children. Barbie does not have a stable income. She is always changing jobs. With all the mansions, cars, trains and planes she is living way past her means. Don’t even get me started about her measurements. Instead of focusing on Barbie, what about Ken? What jobs has he held? ,Barbie is working and he gets the benefits from it.

God I'm old!

It’s amazing to me how one’s focus and priorities change as one grows older. When I was 18, I just wanted to graduate high school and was looking forward to my path towards college. Shortly after turning 19, I became a certified nursing assistant and enjoyed my job working on a psychiatric unit. At that time my focus was on work. When I was 22, my center of attention was turned towards tending to my new husband and his needs. Since then, my focus has been my children, their education and being a good employee.

All this reflection is due to the fact that this Friday is my birthday. For some odd reason, I have decided to focus on all the changes that are occurring in my life. This past Monday was a day of enjoyment mixed with a bit of sorrow. Like a rite of passage, this was my 13 year-old daughter’s last time trick-or-treating. It sadly reminded me of when she found out that I was the tooth fairy, the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. The innocence of being a child is now lost, only to be passed to the next generation. It is exciting yet sad to see my daughter transition to adulthood and blossom into a wonderful young woman.

My daughter is not the only one transitioning into adulthood. This past week, my son had his first date to his first school dance. I was so proud of my 11 year-old son when I found out that he had slow danced with his date four times. Then, on Saturday, my son will go hunting for the first time and become my little man.

The irony of all this reflection is that, as I am writing this blog, my son is busily playing with his Star Wars action figures and my daughter is drawing pictures of some kind of “Neo pet character”. This reminds me that even though they are growing up, they are still very much children and we are just at the beginning of the transition process. I still have some time in which to enjoy their innocence.