Friends made the time fly by

So yesterday was the first in a series of my IV Infusions of iron. I went to my appoitment armed with a good book, a bottle of water and nerves of steel. Yeah, right! I was scared to death about the idea of having myself hooked up to an iv for over two hours. I was surprisingly put to ease as soon as the nurse took me back to my "station". I was greeted by smiles of the nurses, a comfy la-z-boy type recliner, a portable dvd player and a basket full of fun movies from which to select. The walls are adorned with framed pictures with words of comfort, and I was even given a pillow and blanket to wrap around me while I sat and waited for the iron to work its way into my system. I was put to ease, made to feel like this whole thing was as normal as could be. I felt pretty ridiculous feeling bad for myself as I look around at other patients who, some of them, receiving their chemo treatments. I am very lucky that I have a treatable, and by comparison, minor health problem. It's easy to lose sight of just how fortunate I am. While there, I kept thinking of my friend Carole, who braves her chemo treatments with an amazing amount of strength and quiet determination to not let it get the best of her. She has been going through this for years and instead of complaining just makes a joke or speaks nothing of it if she is having a particularly difficult time. I admire her greatly for how she lives her life and how she deals with the ups and downs and all the things in between. Hopefully she and I can get our treatments at the same time one of these upcoming weeks. Instead of watching Friends on DVD I can spend time with my real friend.

Cold Season

We were this close.

This close to taking the record for going months and months without getting sick, and then it happened. I should have seen the warning signs. They say animals can sense when something horrible is about to happen, some natural disaster or alien invasion, or something. The animal kingdom forgot to tell our lazy yellow lab because just yesterday I noticed Emily had a runny nose. No big deal. Today I picked our little one up from school and she sounded like she had swallowed a frog. And I checked with the teacher - no missing class pets. Damn! And before I can start cursing out the dog, she begins sneezing and coughing...ooh poor baby. I worry we are in for a long night tonight.

So I rush to the pharmacy like a junkie who has gone a few hours without a hit and the helpful pharmacist tells me about some new guidelines for over-the-counter cold meds and how the FDA is saying we really shouldn't be dosing our kids with the stuff. "Take at own risk", kinda thing. Are you frickin kidding me? Yeah, like I'm gonna take his word for it! Doesn't he know how this is supposed to go? Just give me the damn medicine, I'll hand over the cash and we never have to see each other again. Doesn't this know-it-all understand that messing with mommies of sick preschoolers is like taking the Miley Cyrus cd from a tween. Or canceling cable right before Super Bowl?

So I do what any sensible mother would do. I thank the pharmacist for the new guideline information and assure him with my least frantic voice and brightest smile that I am completely confident and well cautioned and in control and I want the medication. I smile again, swipe my card, and take my purchase and leave. As soon as I'm in my car I begin to laugh like the mad women we know I really am until I begin coughing. Oh damn, not me too!!!

I am LOST

I am LOST

While I love the ABC series LOST which begins its 5th season tonight, I am completely confused by why things are happening. If you watch the show, and I would highly recommend that you do, it's not only whats happening that can cause confusion but why. Last season ended with 6 survivors pretending they are the only 6 alive from the plane crash, keeping the secret of the island and The Others. And in a twist I could not have imagined ( even in the bizarre world of LOST), the island and all of its inhabitants completely disappear. Sucked into a vortex of space and time? To try and figure this out I have trolled the Internet for theories, and there are many of them, regarding what's going on. While reading some of these theories Ive come to the conclusion that I need a degree in divinity and ancient civilizations to even begin to understand whats going on here. Maybe I should just throw my hands up in the air and give up. But I cant! For reasons I cant really understand, I love LOST. To me it's even more intriguing exactly because I cant figure out the what's and why's and meaning behind every characters action. And the idea that the island may be heaven, or it may be a another character ( another person if you will) fascinates me. I may not understand a damn thing that's going on, but I love being lost.

Change has come to America Part 2

Okay as I continue to watch the Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, I'm thinking do all these performers in some way express the presidents vision or define him in some artisitc way? Or are these celebrities and performers asked to participate solely for their ability to entertain? Really, is their meaning behind Kal Penn's appearance or is it just "Hey thats the dude who was in Harold and Kumar go to White Castle" and he's a minority? Hhmm, Im growing more skeptical by the moment.

Change Has Come to America

As we sit and watch he ceremonies begin in Washington D.C. I cant help but feel a huge wave of optimism. President Elect Barack Obama of course, along with celebrities Denzel Washington, Bruce Springsteen, Jamie Foxx and probably thousands of others have already descended on our capital making their mark, staking their claim on the ceremony and celebration. And while it isn't the celebrity of the people that excites me, it does add to the feeling that something special is definitely happening. Unlike any other time, in my lifetime, I feel incredibly hopeful despite an economy that falters, that it wont fail. That somehow we wont fail as people who are accustomed to being "on top" financially, and socially. Part of me wonders if whats happened to our status as a super power isn't diminished for the better; to teach us our limitations and redirect our energies in the world. The lack of restraint and wisdom of our former president and his cabinet has been an ugly mark on our nation. I believe Barack Obama has the moral courage to make better decisions on behalf of us all. I hope I am right. I wish I could be there, but since I cant you know I will be glued to our large screen t.v. and savoring these many moments until he is sworn in; with hope, happiness and belief in a brighter future for everyone.

Wisdom on the Side of a Coffee Cup

The Way I See It #21

People need to see that, far from being an obstacle, the worlds diversity of languages, religions and traditions is a great treasure, affording us precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others.

-Youssou N'Dour
Musician

I found happiness at Target

OKay, I didnt really find anything more than a few good sales at Target, but I was looking for happiness. I seem to be searching for something, and I cant really say what it is because I dont think it can be found in a store. New Things dont really fill the gap inside me that longs to be outdoors and in the sunshine. It cant replace the need I feel to be doing something just a bit more with my time. What am I searching for? Energy, motivation, meaning = they all seem to be lacking in my life right now. I have a major case of the BLAHS. Anyone else out there feeling that way lately?

Wishful Drinking

I recently finished a great little book!

In her memoir, Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher explores her extraordinary (and extradorinarily weird) upbrining. I felt a kinship with her as she writes about her unusal childhood, her mothers several marriages, her drug abuse, and her refusal to let it all get her down and out. This woman's story seem more like a work of fiction because if not described as a personal memoir you might think, "No way could all that happen to one person". I couldn't stop laughing as she describes her daughters birth; "nine months later our daughter was dragged from my body as though it was a burning building...this creature was rescued from the rubble of me." How incredible to find someone put to words the crappy experience of a c-section delivery. Now I know most people might think a c-section is so easy. It's planned, scheduled even, as if you were taking your car in to be serviced! But I for one hated the experience and if I had a choice, would never choose this method of delivery. This is only one, of many personal topics and anecdotes she shares. If you haven't read her work before, she is hilarious and sharp. I love her wry wit and sense of possibility, even with serious boughts of depression and addiction.Possibly the best line that sums up the book is expressed, "But ultimately I feel I am very sane about how crazy I am". I think that's going to be my own personal motto from here on out.

Aren't We Dahhhling?