New Health Care Ad featuring my Mom!

As the daughter of the woman in the video, let me add some information that could not be included in a 60 second ad.
Growing up, my family had two insurance plans. First, my father had insurance through his company, a government contractor. It should have been a good plan. He had secondary insurance in the form of his benefits as a retired Navy officer. In addition, once he went on disability, my parents paid $5000 every six months for COBRA coverage. There is no lack of “personal responsibility” in these decisions.
When my father was dying (the last six months of his life), he required 24 hour care as he could not walk, could not bathe, could not feed himself. None of the insurance plans would cover this service and my mom was forced to quit working in order to care for him.
The result was bankruptcy and foreclosure on our house. Every family is one major illness away from having this happen to them.

Christmas Presents

I know, I know. It's still September for crying out loud. Trust me, I know. But I just had to mention how my mother already has my Christmas present. That's right, she bought it a couple of weeks ago and not a week goes by that at least once she doesn't say, "So I have you Christmas present..." And me, I continue to ask what it is. (I don't really want to know, but fashion seems to dictate that I respond.) Of course, she won't tell me. The whole point is to rub it in that she has it and increase my suspense. You would think after 32 years, I'd be use to it.

War of the Roses on the Radio

"Got the feeling your Significant Other is cheating on you? Do they come home late? Does the phone ring and when you pick up they hang up? Stick's got a fool proof way to catch them in the act... War of the Roses! Fill out the form below... and Stick might help you catch the cheater red-handed!"

For anyone who is not in the Central Florida area and/or doesn't listen to XL106.7, the above is a "contest" of sorts that airs most afternoons. I don't listen every day, but when I do, the exchange goes something like this (all names except the DJ's have been made up):

To begin with a woman (let's say Heather), calls concerned that her boyfriend (Phil) is either cheating on her or she's not sure if he loves her or some other reason.

Stick: Hi, may I speak to Phil please?
Phil: Speaking.
Stick: My name is Rick from Roses Unlimited... (explains about giving away a free dozen roses in exchange for word of mouth advertising). Would you be interested?
Phil: Sure! That would be great. (One time a guy knew about War of the Roses, but that's a whole other story).
Stick: Who would you like send them to?
Phil: Amanda.
Stick: And the message for the card?
Phil (digging himself deeper): Last night (week, etc) was great. Let's do it again sometime. (or some rendition thereof).

At this point, Heather comes on the phone and cries/yells/swears at the guy for being a jerk.

Each time, I listen with horrified fascination as the guy says someone else’s name. I have yet to hear a guy say the name of the girl on the phone. And typically, I can’t stand to listen to the rest of the conversation. It’s embarrassing.

I would never claim to be an expert on relationships, but several common sense thoughts come to mind each time I do catch the show.

First of all, any woman who instigates the war of the roses already knows there is something wrong with the relationship. It could be that the guy is cheating or it could just be a trust issue on her part. Unfortunately, it tends towards the guy cheating.

Secondly, airing your dirty laundry on the radio is not going to solve or resolve anything. Communication should occur between the two people in the relationship alone or with a trusted therapist if necessary.

Thirdly, there have been cases where the men have made reasonable-sounding excuses for who they were sending roses to. (Of course, it could have been a lie. What’s one more, right?) But to give some men the benefit of the doubt, I would like to state clearly and without equivocation... red roses should be reserved for the girlfriend/wife/significant other/etc. Mothers and sisters maybe could get red roses, but why? Red is for passion. The co-worker who had a baby or best friend in the hospital should get some other flower.

Finally, the show presents both sexes to horrible advantage, but especially the men. While I understand that drama earns ratings, I would love to see a contest or show that puts a positive spin on relationships. I know there are good men out there and I’d like to see them highlighted.

A call for compassion… or courtesy at least

A man died today. That’s right, a man. More well-known than most, but a man nonetheless. Not perfect, but then who among us is? A human being deserving of compassion, dignity and courtesy no matter your views on his politics.

As an American and member of the human race, I have been saddened by some of the responses to Senator Edward Kennedy’s death. I’ve heard people comment that he isn’t in heaven or read that he is surely burning in hell. Or people are glad he’s gone and now God can deal with him. All of these statements are purely speculation, and beyond our knowledge. But on top of that they are unnecessary, cruel and downright rude.

Whether you agreed with his politics or not, he was a human being. He was someone’s husband, father, uncle, friend, and colleague. People around the world are mourning his loss for many different reasons. Their grief is valid and worthy of respect.

I am not going to list his accomplishments and failings, many news outlets have done a fairly decent job of covering all aspects of his life. All I ask is that anyone give a moment of thought to how they would want their parent, sibling, or child spoken of upon their death.

And they keep coming up with new things...

For me, it all started with myspace. It seems so long ago, though it was probably only four or five years. But then, in the technology world, I guess that's ancient. Then I finally decided to join Facebook because it sounded more professional and networking oriented. That's how they get you hooked. And myspace sees me once every four or five months now.

Now over a year later, I have 150 friends that I'm randomly keeping track of how their lives are going. That's the great part. Where I used to want to write letters, post cards or something to keep in touch (a big production!), I can now browse their current status, see new pictures and quickly shoot off a message once in a while. That's pretty neat.

Then comes the scary part. Someone sends you an invitation to play a game... Sometimes they sound interesting, so you think, why not? It can't hurt, right? Think again. One game turns into two, turns into three. Not to mention the quizzes that start popping up. Personality quizzes, '80s music quizzes, quizzes to see where in the world you should live.

After joining a mafia family, building a farm and a theme park, adopting a virtual pet, getting kidnapped and kidnapping others in return, I think it's time to stop. Well, maybe just a few... You know keep one. But see then the justifications start again. Just one game, one more hour and before you know it, it's midnight and you have to be up at 5:30 the next morning.

Oh, and don't forget twitter. Just 140 little characters. Not much right? Oh, except you want to make sure that you you sound interesting and intelligent so someone will read your little tweets. Granted, they have figured out how to link twitter to facebook (time-saver!). One status update and two places are covered. And connect twitter to your blog (better traffic!). But then you have to take the time to figure out how to make all the connections.

Who knows what the next part will be? Maybe it's already out there and I just haven't heard about it yet. Everyone seems to be talking about twitter still, so maybe I'm not that far behind the curve. So here's to my first multi-tasking blog. One blog, one tweet update, one status update.

Donating Blood

The calls began about a week and a half ago. Shortly, after July 26th. I know this because that is the day I was eligible to donate blood again. Having Type O- (the universal donor) blood makes me in high demand as a donor. I try to make the appointment every eight weeks, as often as they let me. Sometimes my iron is not high enough and I can't donate. Today that wasn't a problem.

After a quick "health screening" which includes blood pressure, heart rate, and iron, it was off to wait for the next chair... bed... whatever it's called. The process was long today because they wound up with a lot of donations. Not a bad problem to have. Unfortunately, it meant that my "appointment" time meant nothing. I had a 10:30 time slot and didn't start the actual "extraction" process until almost 11:30.

The plebotomist who took care of me was very friendly, though she said she wasn't 100% because she skipped breakfast. I, of course, had to lecture her about the importance of eating breakfast. I guess I am like my mom in that respect. I also learned that the plebotomists are not allowed to dress up as vampires on halloween. Personally, I don't see why not. The corollary should be humorous not scary.

When donating blood, I've discovered as long as I relax and don't look when they stick the needle in me, I have no problem with the entire process. Today, the sting was a little more than usual, but quickly faded. All in all, the donation time is fairly short, maybe ten minutes and done. After the plebotomist wrapped up my arm (purple band, of course), I scooted over to the kitchen area to grab a cookie and headed out the door.

If you've never donated before and are eligible, I highly recommend giving it a shot. Pun intended. Blood centers are typically running short of supply for hospitals. Maintaining these stores are important for surgeries and urgent care situations.

My Mother's Cooking

One of the things I miss most about living in Maine is my mother's cooking. It's a treat to go visit and have the chance to sample all the yummy dishes she concocts. And concocts is the correct word too. Rarely does she use a recipe as it is written and, generally, the dish is exceptional.
The method she she uses when cooking is the "a little bit of this, a lot of that" method. Sometimes an occasional measuring cup or spoon will find it's way into her hand. It is truly a sight to see. How she remembers all the ingredients-what goes with what, quantities and entire recipes is awe-inspiring.
So, here's to Mom's Cooking!

Writing Exercise #3237

Writer’s Spark Yahoo Group

Document
Ridge
Veneer
Dream
Chart
Open

Compose a piece of 50 or fewer words that includes all six of the words listed above.
As an added challenge, try using all six words in the order in which they are listed.
Feel free to use the individual words to inspire separate pieces.

All Words
“Make sure to document the changes to the Blue Ridge Mountain Project before you leave tonight.”
“Will do. What veneer did the owner choose?”
“He dreams of teak but the budget won’t allow it.”
“Maybe something from this chart of standard woods?”
“Let’s keep the options open.”

Document
Each hour the document sat on the desk, it reminded Ellen that she needed to do something with it. It was a tedious and onerous chore that someone needed to complete and, as the newest employee, it became her task. She directed all her resentment and frustration with her job at that piece of paper. Maybe it would burst into flames from the heated thoughts she sent its direction.

Ridge
The ridge of her eyebrow fascinated him. Laying in the bed next to his sleeping wife, he observed the way the fine hairs of her eyebrow followed the contour of the bone beneath her skin. He wanted to reach out and stroke the curve, but would not wake her from her deep sleep.

Veneer
The shock of unexpectedly seeing her ex-husband caused Beatrice to lose the thin veneer of control she maintained on her emotions. Even though it was the middle of the day, she abruptly left the office. Upon reaching the sanctuary of her apartment, the tears fell and harsh sobs wracked her body. Her failure hurt.

Dream
The branches of the weeping willow reached for the ground, the soft, dropping leavings giving the impression of a photo taken in soft focus. On the ground, curled up next to a large root, a slumbering child dreamed of another world. This world was protected and safe. Children were children and played happily.

Chart
Please tell me we have some idea of what is going on in the world?
Well, we have been charting the humans’ progress as a species for the last two millennium, so I think we have enough data…
Not data! Has anyone actually interacted with the humans?

Open
A bee flitted from flower to flower, investigating each for the pollen it would take back to the hive. Several buds were open and ready for the bee’s ministrations. However, it would have better luck in the fields surrounding the city, not the flower box on a tenement window.

Pandora Radio

If you've never tried out Pandora Radio. Do it now! www.pandora.com If you like music, this is definitely a website for you.
Here's the deal... Similar to the mapping of the human genome, they've mapped the music genome. Great concept. They've broken up as much music as they can into categories based on the lyrics, tempo, etc. Read more about the Music Genome Project here. http://www.pandora.com/mgp.shtml
When you get to the Pandora website, you'll have to create a free account. In the Create a Station box, type in one of your favorite artists or songs. Pandora will start a station based off that entry. You can leave the station as is or add additional artists that you like to create a good variety to your station. Also, if a song comes on that you absolutely hate, give it the thumbs down and it won't be played anymore.
This is a great opportunity to hear new artists and new music that you might not necessarily hear. And another great feature. If you like a certain song or artist, flag them. In your profile you can select those songs and buy them through Amazon.
You can also connect with friends and family and share your stations and artists.
Enjoy.