The Big C

After weeks of worrying and internet search of my symptons, I gave in to a friend's plea and went to see a doctor. After about 6 hours of testing which included a pelvic ultra-sound (uterine wall 10X thicker than norm), She scheduled me for a biopsy. During the procedure, the doctor performing the biopsy kept up a rapid converation about everything from weather to travel, peppering this converasation with comments such as "now this might hurt just a little" and "remember you are in control". She had to do the procedure twice as the first time there was not enough tissue captured for the pathologist. Afterwards I was given the usual post-procedure instructions about pain management and when to seek help for any complications. I was told not to start worrying and that I should have results in less than a week.

Now how does one go home and not worry..once again my fingers starting doing the internet "walk" on all possible reasons for the syomptoms and while there were many other than cancer, it is difficult to wait for the results without having a Big C scenario playing in your head

How hot is it?

Your GPS will only give you directions north.

I am not a winter person so the summer months are my favorite season...no large utility bill for heat as Mother Nature can take care of the task but with
temperatures close to triple-digit over the last few days I have become a reluctant user of AC. I have tried tricks like getting the house to just the right comfort level, closing doors, drawing blinds and then turning off the AC until my dog starts panting which is the signal to turn the AC back on for awhile.

My outdoor activity is limited but I enjoy the feel of the warm deck on my bare feet as I water my "pot" garden and delight in how the plants have responded to the heat and humidity with rapid growth. Yesterday, just for the fun of it, I decided to give my house a bath and hosed it down from top to bottom and like a little kid enjoyed the back spray.

My one worry with this heat is for the fledgling bird that still nests under my front porch canopy. I imagine that the heat up there must be intense but whenever I check his little head can be seen peaking from the nest.

The weather has also given the area some interesting cloud formations that seem to speak of heat as well.

No Strings Attached

No strings attached...sounds good...sounds too good to be true and it usually is too good to be true. This is the case when those words are applied to a relationship.. We all want something from a relationship so that in itself means there are strings. What are these "strings"?

Love - Well, lets face it, a relationship without love, is kind of abysmal.
Romance - Romance adds the butterflies in the stomach, even to regular activities.
Respect - If two people don't respect each other, co-existence is near impossible.
Passion - Having passion in a relationship is like having salt in a recipe. Without it, there will be color, but no taste.
Empathy - Empathy is very important in a relationship. Lack of empathy would render the relationship abusive.
Understanding - It is important to be able to understand each other. It is through understanding that a connection develops, and respect and love can be discovered.
Acceptance - If you are in a relationship with a person, you need to accept him/her for what he/she is. If you have it in the back of your mind that you will eventually change him, then the relationship will not work out.
Friendship - Basically, in a relationship, you need to be able to laugh at each other, cry with each other and yell at each other. Who better to do that than a friend?

Winter Solistice

This year the winter solstice (shorted day/longest night) will occur on 12/21 at 23:38 GMT. It last for just a moment but is celebrated as the turning point from autumn to winter.  In reality it is simply the point in time when the earth's  tilt is the furthest from the sun. In some areas of the world this does not bring the winter season as the begining  and ending of a season has no basis in science but is determined by the cultural calendar. In some cultures, winter begins on Novemeber 1 and spring takes over on February 1. In my world winter begins on December 21/22  and ends on March 21/22 even if Mother Nature tries to spread her love of cold and snow to two other seasons.

Stop The Walker Power Grab!

Reversible Skirt...A Memoir by Laura McHale Holland

The author has put forth a gripping tale of her family history. When Laura was a toddler, her mother, Mary Agnes, committed suicide. Her father, in order to keep his family together, remarries quickly, bringing the new wife home and telling his three young daughters simply that this is their mother. The confusion in the minds of these young girls is exacerbated by the unthinking cruelty of their "mother". The reader is drawn into the story as along with the children, you look for some reason behind all that is happening and keep hoping that there will be a fairy-tale ending to this wicked stepmother tale.

Havasu Means Blue Water by Ivory Simone

I recently read the above book by Ms Simone. The story is an interesting tale centered around a young woman's work on her Master's Thesis and the topic of which is centered around the death by mob of a young black woman. (The character refers to it as a lynching but as the story relates it is an actual shooting that causes the death.)I was intrigued by the beginning of the story which is set in a school and our "heroine" is a teacher who encounters a troubled and troubling student but then the reader is thrown to another setting for the character. This erratic style of story telling makes one prone to setting the book aside often but if one can continue to read a story does finally evolve that is worth reading.

Friends With Benefits

Recently two of my Facebook friends used the term "friends with benefits". There is a current usage of this term that has a sexual connotation but I started thinking about the people that I have met over the years and those that became friends were a direct result of the "benefits" that we could offer each other.

Studies have shown that people with friends are more likely to survive a serious illness than those without friends. Stress is more manageable when you can talk to friends. People who interact with others, face to face, by phone, mail/e-mail, via social networks tend to live longer and healthier lives.

A good friend is more likely to point out health concerns and persuade you to seek medical assistance when you might be reluctant. Friends can help you kick bad habits, maintain that diet, get exercise, and get involved in other activities that keep you young at heart. Research has shown that having a diverse group of friends can boost resistance to many viral infections.

Loneliness feeds on itself. The more you stay by yourself the more anxious one becomes in social settings. This is a major issue among the elderly who have outlived many of those that were close to them. Losing ones spouse/partner after retiring and relocating can be more difficult when there are not friend to turn to for comfort and for providing the encouragement needed to get back into living your life.

It is important to maintain or renew contact with friends/family who can serve as links to your own history.

Friends can make us laugh when we are feeling low.They can give us courage when facing a life changing decision. Friends can make us feel invincible to life's blows and enable to see them as temporary setbacks.

Friends can give us the confidence to dream and to strive toward making those dreams reality. Friends lighten our day with humor. Give us honest answers to tough questions about ourselves. Friends give us a shoulder to lean on when needed, help us to dry our tears. We can share embarrassing secrets with our friends.

So do I have friends with benefits? The answer is yes!

PETITION: 250,000 strong to tell Boehner and Republicans not to end Medicare

PETITION: 250,000 strong to tell Boehner and Republicans not to end Medicare: "PETITION: 250,000 strong to tell Boehner and Republicans not to end Medicare: http://dccc.org/medicare"