There has been a lot of talk flying on the media about the death of Osama Bin Laden from should they show his picture to was it fair to shoot an unarmed man to blah, blah, blah. I posted one comment on Facebook and it set off a nationwide (literally) debate between people that have never met and lasted for days. Not that I like to set off that much conflict, but I was kind of proud that my single thought could spark that much interest.
Obviously much of how our society has functioned over the past ten years has been strongly influenced by this man and I know I had given up hope that he was ever going to get caught so this event has certainly taken my by surprise. Some that I have spoken to are of the opinion that we are safer with him gone. I am not so easily convinced. I am certain that Al Quaida will continue on. Any organization of such power has built in backup systems in case its leader is lost. The US Government is the most obvious example that comes to mind. Bin Laden was not a nice person, but he was not dumb enough to assume that he was invincible and I am sure he had some kind of "in case I go on to my 67 (0r whatever the number is) virgins in the sky" plan in place for a replacement to take over.
The newest opinion I read was that the death of Bin Laden should have been kept secret for a certain period of time to allow the military longer time to evaluate the material in his compound. The writer of this editorial felt that the rapid announcement was only a way for Obama to gain popularity points. Now he is withholding the photographs of Bin Laden for his own gain as well. My guess is that the writer is not an Obama fan and needed to find something to criticize him on. Tell the public now or tell them later, they will get the news, and this is the kind of news that they have waited for a long time.
Personally I think that it is a silly thing to worry about. There are too many other things going on in the world to worry about minutia. I still maintain we are not safer as I mentioned above. Al Quaida has strong holds in Yemen and Somalia and do not need orders from Bin Laden anymore. The world is not a better place. There are something like 6 billion people on the planet. Killing one bad person is not going to make that much of a difference. Maybe I feel better that he is gone, and I know that a lot of people certainly do but if we let one bad person have too much influence on our life, we will let him win.g
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Continued Bath Salt Rants
The number of admissions to the psychiatric unit here continues to be a fairly steady rate of 2-4 a week caused by psychosis secondary to MDPV, or bath salts (as they are commonly called) abuse. In some cases the patients have nothing else wrong with them and if it were not for this, would not come in contact with the mental health system. Some of them have other comorbid conditions. For a patient who has bipolar disorder, adding a hefty dose of "Blizzard" can set off a psychotic manic episode in no time. Not that one has to have a history of psychosis to get psychotic on MDPV. Most of the patients admitted do not have any psychiatric history. The common factor with all of these patients is that they are grossly psychotic.
And addicted. Many have turned to stealing to find the money to pay for their addiction. This stuff runs at about $35-40 a packet and the version sold around here, Blizzard, runs around $50-70 for a small jar. Break ins have been reported in areas that never had to deal with them before because of the presence of a "head shop" that sells MDPV. This is all to pay for a legal substance, not a so called "street drug". At these costs, the price is simply too high for most people to sustain their habit without resorting to illegal means to pay for it.
I am not sure about the weight or volume that is in a jar of Blizzard, but I know this is about enough to keep one person doped up on an out of control speed binge for about a weekend. It goes further than crack certainly, but still not cheap. In other words, enough to keep someone awake for three days straight and end up so flagrantly psychotic that one is either going to end in the hospital or dead. Much longer would cause the heart to give out from tachycardia (racing heart). That or the delusional patient ends up running into the street fleeing an imagined assailant and gets hit by a car. That or the person just dies of an overdose.
Although the user will come off such a long binge swearing he or she will never go through that experience again, they inevitably do. By now the user is addicted. The withdrawal symptoms make the user miserable and the actual experience of a binge is not always pleasant, but the drug's effects are stronger than the intellect. I have talked to people who have been fighting this battle for years.
And there are still people who think that legalizing drugs will solve the country's problems. I just hope that if a store decides to sell this product, that this store is in their neighborhood and not mine. If they want legal drugs, they can have them. I do not want them in my, or my family's (especially my child's) neighborhood.
And addicted. Many have turned to stealing to find the money to pay for their addiction. This stuff runs at about $35-40 a packet and the version sold around here, Blizzard, runs around $50-70 for a small jar. Break ins have been reported in areas that never had to deal with them before because of the presence of a "head shop" that sells MDPV. This is all to pay for a legal substance, not a so called "street drug". At these costs, the price is simply too high for most people to sustain their habit without resorting to illegal means to pay for it.
I am not sure about the weight or volume that is in a jar of Blizzard, but I know this is about enough to keep one person doped up on an out of control speed binge for about a weekend. It goes further than crack certainly, but still not cheap. In other words, enough to keep someone awake for three days straight and end up so flagrantly psychotic that one is either going to end in the hospital or dead. Much longer would cause the heart to give out from tachycardia (racing heart). That or the delusional patient ends up running into the street fleeing an imagined assailant and gets hit by a car. That or the person just dies of an overdose.
Although the user will come off such a long binge swearing he or she will never go through that experience again, they inevitably do. By now the user is addicted. The withdrawal symptoms make the user miserable and the actual experience of a binge is not always pleasant, but the drug's effects are stronger than the intellect. I have talked to people who have been fighting this battle for years.
And there are still people who think that legalizing drugs will solve the country's problems. I just hope that if a store decides to sell this product, that this store is in their neighborhood and not mine. If they want legal drugs, they can have them. I do not want them in my, or my family's (especially my child's) neighborhood.
Monday, April 18, 2011
I have returned after a much needed vacation in Costa Rica. It has been one of the most beautiful places I have ever been but in talking to the people there, I have found that it;s outward beauty goes more than just skin deep. Costa Rica is the only country in the world without a standing army which I had known, but not why until this trip. In 1948 there was a civil war and after the end of this, the president felt that violence was not the answer and that government money could be better spent. The army was disbanded so that more money could be put towards education and medical care. Since that time, the country has instituted compulsory K-6 education, and free education for K-12. There is talk about increasing the requirements from K-12. The standard of living has improved enough that teenagers are not needed to be working to support the family nearly as often as in the past. Medical care is growing in availability and there is universal health insurance through the government. Clinics and hospitals are not as widely available as is probably ideal, but this is slowly improving with time. What is more important is the fact that both areas are a priority of the government and that both areas are slowly improving in availability and quality every day. Another positive effort made by the government was to limit greenhouse gases and pollution and now 95% of the electricity that the country uses is generated by renewable means.
They still have their struggles. Battles for land from developers threaten the coastline, but the money generated from tourism is a large part of the country's income and to turn them away would threaten that source of income. The other large income generator, exportation of fruits and plants demands large areas of land risking loss of rainforest land to agriculture. About 60% of the rainforest in Costa Rica has been lost to agriculture and rainforest land is very poor in quality once the actual rainforest has been removed from it. The tourism industry itself puts the fragile ecosystem of the rainforest at risk with tourists coming to see the rainforest in increasing numbers. The government has been paying attention to this more now, but this is a more recent development and some things cannot be taken back. And while the country is not out trying to generate adversaries, they have no army and are essentially unguarded if another country were to decide they wanted the land. Nicaragua is just to the north and the political instability there has affected Costa Rica.
Striking a balance between "progress" and conservation is not easy. Trying to maintain the viability of the "ecotourism" industry without damaging the fragile ecosystem is tricky. Many governments that rely heavily on tourism pay too much attention to the needs of the tourists and neglect to realize the impact that this has on the people of the area. Big new highways that make it easier to get the beach take land away from family lands and pollute the surrounding areas. I have travelled to a lot of countries seeking respite from the cold air and for the most part, these countries are fairly impoverished. Some seem to be working towards pulling out of that position, some seem stuck. Costa Rica is by far the most forward thinking of all of them.
They still have their struggles. Battles for land from developers threaten the coastline, but the money generated from tourism is a large part of the country's income and to turn them away would threaten that source of income. The other large income generator, exportation of fruits and plants demands large areas of land risking loss of rainforest land to agriculture. About 60% of the rainforest in Costa Rica has been lost to agriculture and rainforest land is very poor in quality once the actual rainforest has been removed from it. The tourism industry itself puts the fragile ecosystem of the rainforest at risk with tourists coming to see the rainforest in increasing numbers. The government has been paying attention to this more now, but this is a more recent development and some things cannot be taken back. And while the country is not out trying to generate adversaries, they have no army and are essentially unguarded if another country were to decide they wanted the land. Nicaragua is just to the north and the political instability there has affected Costa Rica.
Striking a balance between "progress" and conservation is not easy. Trying to maintain the viability of the "ecotourism" industry without damaging the fragile ecosystem is tricky. Many governments that rely heavily on tourism pay too much attention to the needs of the tourists and neglect to realize the impact that this has on the people of the area. Big new highways that make it easier to get the beach take land away from family lands and pollute the surrounding areas. I have travelled to a lot of countries seeking respite from the cold air and for the most part, these countries are fairly impoverished. Some seem to be working towards pulling out of that position, some seem stuck. Costa Rica is by far the most forward thinking of all of them.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
People who I would most like to kick in the ass if I could.
We all have people on our s#$t list, many likely to stay there for a while. The marjority of mine are only temporary visitors, however. Most of us have a supervisor that we can get along with most of the time but have their "Midol Momenents" and really piss us off. I have some coworkers that I really like but because we have fairly intense personalities to begin with, will go through spells where we are constantly at each others throat. And then you come upon the inescapable celebrity gossip. Try as I might, I cannot avoid that drivel. It is everywhere and the more I am forced to here about the Kardashian sisters, the more they piss me off. Who are there chicks anyways, and what value have they contributed to society? After dealing with your personal list, do you not start having fantasies of wanting to just kick some of these people in the ass? Jessica Simpson- The issue of whether or not she has gained weight or not does not warrent the designation of "controversy". No one is that important. Just go away already. Paris Hilton - The only thing worse than a tramp is a rich tramp. Tom Corbett (R) Governor of Pennsylvania - If you lived here you would understand. The person on the high end sports car show who said that all Audi drivers play golf. Do not, have not, and likely never will play golf. But I do drive an Audi. Dick Cheney - the name says it all. The Kardashian sisters - Since I mentioned them, I have no idea who they are but the people at work tell me that they have a reality TV show about them. Why they deserve such an honor I do not know. The tabloids seem to talk a lot about them fighting about who has the biggest butt and who has the biggest loser boyfriend so I guess if I were single, had a big butt and dated a loser boyfriend, I would get to have a reality show too? I have a lot of patients who fit that description and they do not have TV cameras following them everywhere. It has nothing to do with looks. The pregnant chick is downright homely. I will wait until the baby is born to kick her ass. Glenn Beck - No smarter than Sarah Palin and a lot less attractive. Rupert Murdoch - The one who made Fox News what it is today and revived the little gem above after his tenure ended (thankfully) at Headline News. Then he bought the Wall Street Journal and is in the process of spreading his right wing propaganda via this medium. Mohamar Khadaffi - If not for the impossible to spell name, for those nonsensical rants he goes on where he rambles about some kind of issue that seems important to him and does little but confuse the rest of us. ...and speaking of nonsensical ramblings... Sarah Palin - Ex Governor Palin, no one knows what you are talking about anyways, so please just do us a favor and SHUT UP ALREADY!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Bath Salts Revisited
The knowledge of artificial bath salts is working its way across the country although I am not sure how far it has spread. The compound, with a very long chemical name formally is shortened to the name MDPV. There are other similar designer drugs that have appearing on the scene fast enough that governmental control has been unable to keep up with their emergence. MDPV is new to the United States but had been around for a few years in Europe. Another similar 
compound, mephedrone has been blamed for significant loss of life in England. Some states in the US have already banned MDPV and others are considering bans. Considering the significant effects it has had on communities in Pennsylvania, it is likely it will soon be banned here. A measure to ban it has already passed the State Senate, and is pending in the House.
compound, mephedrone has been blamed for significant loss of life in England. Some states in the US have already banned MDPV and others are considering bans. Considering the significant effects it has had on communities in Pennsylvania, it is likely it will soon be banned here. A measure to ban it has already passed the State Senate, and is pending in the House.A recent incident that illustrates it's potential dangers occurred a few days ago. The police were dispatched to a call on a domestic disturbance where a man was tearing the wiring out of the walls of a woman's home. Upon attempting to subdue the man, he became combative, was tazed twice and still put up a fight, tearing the pocket off one officer's uniform. In the end, several police officers were injured. The man had been shooting up bath salts. He is facing numerous charges at this point. He is one of the lucky ones who lived through an overdose of MDPV but many have died. These cases of PCP like strength are not unusual. We frequently see patients showing up in the ED acting like this that we strongly suspect are using bath salts. The problem is, we cannot prove it and even if we could, there is nothing that can be done to stop it. As of a few weeks ago, 22 admissions to this hospital were estimated to be caused by complications of bath salts and those were only estimates. I know of three admissions this week to psychiatry alone that we are fairly certain were motivated by bath salt induced behaviors. That kind of number rivals alcohol and outnumbers opiates on an average week.
One of the most recent stimulant compounds to be banned in the US was ephedra. Popping ephedra in the past was a bad idea and there were people who died from complications from it. Cases of psychosis or heart problems did occur, but nothing to the extent that this, substance has caused and the highly addictive nature of it makes it an even greater danger. MDPV is a far greater threat, producing a high compared to cocaine and Ecstasy and similar to Ecstasy in structure.
For those that advocate legalizing drugs as it is a "victimless" crime, I hope they stop to see the thousands of dollars of property damage a bath salt user on a binge can cause. I hope they stop to talk to the parents whose only child just died of an overdose of what they thought was a "safe" high since it was legal, after all. I hope they see the people who are involuntarily committed to psychiatric units and forever have their records marred by the commitment because they were floridly psychotic from excessive bath salt use. And I hope they see the medical and law enforcement workers that are injured trying to restrain a violent and irrational user on a wild binge. I see lots of victims here.
I hope that Sen Charles Schumer pushes ahead with his drive to ban MDPV as even though there are multiple agencies that must be involved before a national ban can happen, the sooner it happens, the better. Which will not be soon enough.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Random Thoughts
There are always times when I have neither the time nor the inspiration to think of anything worthwhile to say. I have hit one of those impasses and have chosen to fill the slot with some of those random ideas and musings that one encounters that warrant being documented for history's sake but are not that lengthy enough for a whole post. Some of those follow.
If you can tip a stripper with cash by sticking a dollar into his/her thong, why can you not install a card reader in his/her butt cheeks so you can swipe a credit card and give a tip this way?
If you ever really want to annoy a guy named Doug, go up to him and ask him why he does not spell his name Dug rather than Doug. The same goes for Phil and Fill.
If you look at this really closely, you can see a tiny Ben Roethlissberger chasing a terrified woman in this.
If you can tip a stripper with cash by sticking a dollar into his/her thong, why can you not install a card reader in his/her butt cheeks so you can swipe a credit card and give a tip this way?This is just wrong. This is a Volkswagen Beetle- with a dragon painted on the side! VW Beetles have bud vases standard! Not marijuana buds you smart asses- flower buds! The very same Beetle had an Ed Hardy steering wheel cover with bulldogs with fangs showing and spiked dog collars. VW Bugs are available with such options as flower co
vers for the rear tail lights. These cars are not intended for such violent images. If you really look closely, you will notice that the VW symbol on the rear wheel cover is missing. This is nothing short of blasphemy for VW fans. VW bugs have always had all of their VW symbols in the hub caps. ALL of them. Not SOME of them, ALL of them. VW bugs are about peace and love and happiness and this bug has images of anger and violence and is just WRONG. I am going to have to kick some major ass over this one. This REALLY PISSES me off!
vers for the rear tail lights. These cars are not intended for such violent images. If you really look closely, you will notice that the VW symbol on the rear wheel cover is missing. This is nothing short of blasphemy for VW fans. VW bugs have always had all of their VW symbols in the hub caps. ALL of them. Not SOME of them, ALL of them. VW bugs are about peace and love and happiness and this bug has images of anger and violence and is just WRONG. I am going to have to kick some major ass over this one. This REALLY PISSES me off!This is a Dodge Viper RT/10. It is the finest piece of street legal automotive engineering the Americans have ever mass produced. There is nothing funny or obnoxious about this car with the exception that is not MY Viper. (For those of you who would argue that the Shelby Cobra a better specimen of American engineering, I would remind you that the true name of the Shelby Cobra is the AC Cobra and is not, in fact, 100% American. It is, in fact a Ford motor on an AC {ie British} chassis.)
Why is the local news I am currently watching about to show a news story about a new gas station opening? Even a real ugly mullet sighting would be more newsworthy. No, I am not making this up. They once covered a Wendy's opening, too.
Look, twins!
OH MY GOD!, the new gas station story just played! You can get a FREE COFFEE OR CAPPUCCINO just for stopping in! No wonder they covered it on the evening news! I feel so much better now.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The Fashion World Must Be Insane
People who know me know that I expend an exorbitant amount of time trying stay in step with the fashion world. This is probably an overreaction to having spent the majority of my life being deprived of the opportunity to actually be "in style" having grown up in the Midwest where unless you live in Chicago, you are by definition, behind the times. In the modern area of Amazon.com, Zappos.com and the like, anyone with access to a computer can get pretty much anything they want, anywhere in the world. The result is one does not have to live in New York to look like one lives there. I have never even been to New York but will always aspire to cultivate this city's unique look. Despite my interest, there are some aspects of the fashion world that have me convinced that the people who run it are not fully reality based. I have always wanted the chance to vent these frustrations because those of us that support the system should have the right to have our views heard.
1)Refusing to put pockets in clothes. This is apparently based on the idea that putting things in your pockets makes you look fat. I am not sure how, but somehow a tube of lipstick and a pen have the capability of transforming a model thin woman to a candidate for bariatric surgery in seconds. It is not enough to simply not use the pockets for the "thin obsessed." I read in one magazine that rather than risk the danger of being helplessly compelled to put things in one's pockets a woman must take her clothing to a tailor and have them removed! Fortunately the fashion world has been thoughtful enough to save us a few dollars by making clothing with "faux pockets" to keep us safe from that risk. Okay, it is true, I am thin and do not worry about whether or not I look one pound heavier by carrying a pen in my pocket, but come on, I am a real woman, in the real world with a real job. I want and I need real pockets.
2)Cheeky underwear. What misogynist invented these? All the discomfort of a thong, all the visible panty lines (VPL for those not in the know) of standard panties. All in one package. Now widely available but originally produced by Victoria's Secret, the marketing geniuses who made the thong a household item. Not to rest on their laurels, they had to come up with an item even more uncomfortable and more impractical. Knowing that they are always on the hunt for new ways to make underwear uncomfortable, several women at work and I came up with the MOST ULTIMATELY UNCOMFORTABLE PANTY IN THE WORLD design. I will decline to describe it. We plan to sell it to Victoria's Secret and expect a healthy cut of the profits. Not that any of us would buy it. We will leave that to the 20 year olds in New York that seem to think this kind of thing is sexy.
3)Ridiculous clothing design. I was given a very nice pair of black pants with a short tab belt made out of leather in the center. Those two pieces that constitute the belt are no more than 2 inches each, but since they are leather, the entire pair of pants must be dry cleaned via leather process which runs around $50-$75. All for two 2 inch pieces of leather. Had those two pieces been mounted on snaps so they could be removed, I could have the pants dry cleaned for around $12. Is there any reason those two pieces could not be mounted that way? No. In fact, I took those pants to a local seamstress who did just that. I did that about four years ago and have not had a problem since, but I am paying a whole lot less to have those pants cleaned. The people in New York? Probably are paying $75. As far as to the age of those pants? Are they out of style? No, they are just black pants, they never go out of style. By the way, they do not have pockets, either.
4)$400 haircuts. Do I need to elaborate?
5)Miniskirts 2 inches below the crotch. Considering the popularity of "going commando" recently, these things are not a good idea to begin with. Not to mention, why would anyone want to wear something so short that she cannot bend over, sit down, walk, reach her arms over her head, etc without running the risk of flashing the whole room. Did these things not used to be reserved for strippers?
6)6 inch high spikes heels for work. Fashion magazines will show "work appropriate" outfits that are as on the mark as Lady Gaga is conservative. They invariably feature a pair of shoes that are so high one needs an oxygen tank to breathe. I wear heels at work, more so than most of my cohorts and get teased for doing so by some. My husband is probably my biggest critic in regards to my excesses. But my obsession is shoes in general, be they flat, medium or high heeled and the majority of the time, my heel height is a moderate height which is the most comfortable level for me. One thing is for certain, if they hurt, they do not get worn. I am on my feet all day and the idea of w
earing something so toweringly high that I am limping by mid-morning is ridiculous. Any serious career woman knows what I am talking about.
7)Size 12 is a "plus size". In the 80's the average woman weighed 120 pounds and wore a size 12. Since that time, the weight of the average woman has grown as has the average size. It is also true that as years have gone by, what an article of clothing that is considered a size 12 is larger than it was 25 years ago. That said, plus sizes start at size 14 at the smallest, and to hire models that are smaller than that is just an insult.
8)5'4" is short for a woman. Actually it is the average height of the American woman. It is the models that are freakishly tall. So why are average height clothes cut for woman the height of models?
9)Ultra low rider jeans. There is a reason women's waists are thinner than their hips- so their pants do not fall down. Up until a few years ago, that is where we wore our jeans- at our waists. If we wanted jeans that rode low, we borrowed our boyfriend's. Then they gave us our own low rider jeans. Then to really ramp up the refrigerator repairman effect, they gave us ultra low rider jeans. This way, it was impossible to find a pair of uncomfortable Victoria's Secret panties that did not pop out over the top in back and a rising moon was certain to be sighted several times a day.
10) Saying anything so ultra-trendy that it will only be in style for one season, yet still costs $5,000 is a "good investment". Unless you have the money of Oprah Winfrey, this is more money than most women can pay for an outfit they will use for the rest of their life, save three months.
It is a shame that all of the people behind the scenes in the fashion world not be required to have a psychiatric consultation before embarking on their careers. If they were more reality based to begin with, a lot of us would suffer a lot less in the end.
1)Refusing to put pockets in clothes. This is apparently based on the idea that putting things in your pockets makes you look fat. I am not sure how, but somehow a tube of lipstick and a pen have the capability of transforming a model thin woman to a candidate for bariatric surgery in seconds. It is not enough to simply not use the pockets for the "thin obsessed." I read in one magazine that rather than risk the danger of being helplessly compelled to put things in one's pockets a woman must take her clothing to a tailor and have them removed! Fortunately the fashion world has been thoughtful enough to save us a few dollars by making clothing with "faux pockets" to keep us safe from that risk. Okay, it is true, I am thin and do not worry about whether or not I look one pound heavier by carrying a pen in my pocket, but come on, I am a real woman, in the real world with a real job. I want and I need real pockets.
2)Cheeky underwear. What misogynist invented these? All the discomfort of a thong, all the visible panty lines (VPL for those not in the know) of standard panties. All in one package. Now widely available but originally produced by Victoria's Secret, the marketing geniuses who made the thong a household item. Not to rest on their laurels, they had to come up with an item even more uncomfortable and more impractical. Knowing that they are always on the hunt for new ways to make underwear uncomfortable, several women at work and I came up with the MOST ULTIMATELY UNCOMFORTABLE PANTY IN THE WORLD design. I will decline to describe it. We plan to sell it to Victoria's Secret and expect a healthy cut of the profits. Not that any of us would buy it. We will leave that to the 20 year olds in New York that seem to think this kind of thing is sexy.
3)Ridiculous clothing design. I was given a very nice pair of black pants with a short tab belt made out of leather in the center. Those two pieces that constitute the belt are no more than 2 inches each, but since they are leather, the entire pair of pants must be dry cleaned via leather process which runs around $50-$75. All for two 2 inch pieces of leather. Had those two pieces been mounted on snaps so they could be removed, I could have the pants dry cleaned for around $12. Is there any reason those two pieces could not be mounted that way? No. In fact, I took those pants to a local seamstress who did just that. I did that about four years ago and have not had a problem since, but I am paying a whole lot less to have those pants cleaned. The people in New York? Probably are paying $75. As far as to the age of those pants? Are they out of style? No, they are just black pants, they never go out of style. By the way, they do not have pockets, either.
4)$400 haircuts. Do I need to elaborate?
5)Miniskirts 2 inches below the crotch. Considering the popularity of "going commando" recently, these things are not a good idea to begin with. Not to mention, why would anyone want to wear something so short that she cannot bend over, sit down, walk, reach her arms over her head, etc without running the risk of flashing the whole room. Did these things not used to be reserved for strippers?
6)6 inch high spikes heels for work. Fashion magazines will show "work appropriate" outfits that are as on the mark as Lady Gaga is conservative. They invariably feature a pair of shoes that are so high one needs an oxygen tank to breathe. I wear heels at work, more so than most of my cohorts and get teased for doing so by some. My husband is probably my biggest critic in regards to my excesses. But my obsession is shoes in general, be they flat, medium or high heeled and the majority of the time, my heel height is a moderate height which is the most comfortable level for me. One thing is for certain, if they hurt, they do not get worn. I am on my feet all day and the idea of w
earing something so toweringly high that I am limping by mid-morning is ridiculous. Any serious career woman knows what I am talking about.7)Size 12 is a "plus size". In the 80's the average woman weighed 120 pounds and wore a size 12. Since that time, the weight of the average woman has grown as has the average size. It is also true that as years have gone by, what an article of clothing that is considered a size 12 is larger than it was 25 years ago. That said, plus sizes start at size 14 at the smallest, and to hire models that are smaller than that is just an insult.
8)5'4" is short for a woman. Actually it is the average height of the American woman. It is the models that are freakishly tall. So why are average height clothes cut for woman the height of models?
9)Ultra low rider jeans. There is a reason women's waists are thinner than their hips- so their pants do not fall down. Up until a few years ago, that is where we wore our jeans- at our waists. If we wanted jeans that rode low, we borrowed our boyfriend's. Then they gave us our own low rider jeans. Then to really ramp up the refrigerator repairman effect, they gave us ultra low rider jeans. This way, it was impossible to find a pair of uncomfortable Victoria's Secret panties that did not pop out over the top in back and a rising moon was certain to be sighted several times a day.
10) Saying anything so ultra-trendy that it will only be in style for one season, yet still costs $5,000 is a "good investment". Unless you have the money of Oprah Winfrey, this is more money than most women can pay for an outfit they will use for the rest of their life, save three months.
It is a shame that all of the people behind the scenes in the fashion world not be required to have a psychiatric consultation before embarking on their careers. If they were more reality based to begin with, a lot of us would suffer a lot less in the end.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
On the Issue of Bath Salts
I am embarrassed to admit that I fell for the ruse (briefly) like many others that the drug that so many kids were getting high from that was said to be a bath salt is not a bath salt. The same product is marketed as a plant food as well. This was a ruse to cover its real active ingredient. It is a highly addictive amphetamine known as MDPV for short. It has been banned in England and many members of the European Union already. Louisiana and Florida have banned it, and it will not be long before Pennsylvania does. We have had many rather tragic stories and at least two direct overdose deaths end up at the hospital here. I have not posted in a while as my time has been occupied working on a presentation relating to some of the results of this drug and have not been doing much on my blog.
Well, maybe I have a bit of writer's block.
But putting in work on the Blizzard, Powdered Rush, Vanilla Sky, call it what you will, epidemic has taken up a lot of time and certainly has interfered with the time I might have spent farting around coming up with ideas to write (more accurately, type) about.
Well, maybe I have a bit of writer's block.
But putting in work on the Blizzard, Powdered Rush, Vanilla Sky, call it what you will, epidemic has taken up a lot of time and certainly has interfered with the time I might have spent farting around coming up with ideas to write (more accurately, type) about.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Desperately Seeking Spring
If you are a follower of the woolly worm form of winter weather forecasting you have probably noticed that they were way off last fall. The ones we saw had a black front band that was moderately wide. The middle was mostly brown and the back tip was black. Instead, the entire winter has been cold and snowy. We live in a valley and were spared the depth of snow that nearby communities have endured, but we had snow nonetheless. And it was very cold and windy. The entire winter. According to the woolly worms, the early winter would have severe weather and snow for a while then a mild middle followed by a brief blizzard at the end of the winter. So much for the woolly worms.
Punxsatawuny, PA is about one hour away from where I live so I hear all about the Groundhog Day festivities. Since the woolly worms blew it my hope was maybe Punxsatawuny Phil would be right. It is certainly my I hope now since he saw his shadow and ran back in. An early Spring is predicted. We actually had a few days above freezing over the weekend and that was the first time in weeks. I was almost disappointed that is was not going to snow having gotten so used to this particular weather pattern.. I wanted to take my son sledding one more time, anyways.
But all things considered, I would welcome a respite from my car being covered with salt, the biting wind and being stuck inside. I notice the Sun rising a little earlier each morning and the days getting longer in the evening. I really miss dinner on the back deck after work and playing ball with my son in the yard. The melancholic mood that develops over time during winter grows old and it is getting time for this season to move on.
I am rooting for you Punxsatawuny Phil. I need a dose of Spring euphoria.
Punxsatawuny, PA is about one hour away from where I live so I hear all about the Groundhog Day festivities. Since the woolly worms blew it my hope was maybe Punxsatawuny Phil would be right. It is certainly my I hope now since he saw his shadow and ran back in. An early Spring is predicted. We actually had a few days above freezing over the weekend and that was the first time in weeks. I was almost disappointed that is was not going to snow having gotten so used to this particular weather pattern.. I wanted to take my son sledding one more time, anyways.
But all things considered, I would welcome a respite from my car being covered with salt, the biting wind and being stuck inside. I notice the Sun rising a little earlier each morning and the days getting longer in the evening. I really miss dinner on the back deck after work and playing ball with my son in the yard. The melancholic mood that develops over time during winter grows old and it is getting time for this season to move on.
I am rooting for you Punxsatawuny Phil. I need a dose of Spring euphoria.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
To Stop or Not to Stop
"So how do you stop?"
That is a question that should never have been asked about a sledding hill. Sledding is not about stopping, it is about adrenaline. The goal is to find a good hill that provides the ultimate excitement with plenty of opportunity to get injured in all sorts of unpleasant ways. One with lots of jumps, twists and snow banks offering cushioning from sledders sent airborne. Messy details like how to stop can be worked out later, but anyone who insisted stopping in some form of "safe" manner is likely to get written off as a woos. When I was a child, our favored means of stopping usually involved trees or for the more daring, rusty barbed wire.
My husband knows this, but parenthood does weird things to people's brains. So when we stood at the base of "Double Dips", a local sledding haunt, he had the audacity to ask this question. We had only that day been made aware of this hill and had driven by to check it out. Our son is five now and it was time to initiate him into the world of real sledding. He had gone down small slopes in our yard but these were the equivalent of sledding bunny slopes. He was not ready for the hard core X Games version of sledding yet, but it was time for more than this. The Double Dips were actually not that dangerous at all. If they were, the city would not have gone to the length of actually blocking off the two city blocks that comprised the slope to traffic every year with saw horses. This was a decent place to take a kid sledding but how to stop should not have been a concern in my eyes.
This hill was set up with a long stretch at the end of the hill for one's sled to slow down. We took our son sledding and his plastic saucer just drifted to a stop. Fine for young children. But I still long for the days of my youth when we were always in pursuit of "extreme sledding". This was far before the X Games were conceived and no one used any trendy terms like "airs" or "gnarly" to describe our self destructive behaviors. We never knew there was anything that could be viewed as a sport to our activities. We just knew that if we could find the biggest, most dangerous, scariest hill to go sledding on, we had succeeded in our quest.
For us the kind of sled that was used was almost as important as the hill. The old fashioned wooden sled had the advantage of control so it could be used on the more tortuous slopes or on the more treacherous side paths that a simple toboggan could not navigate. Of course having a total lack of control had its own attraction as it significantly increases the danger element. Toboggans lack control, but inner tubes are far superior as they raise the center of gravity making the fall off the sled more dramatic. The best ones are the real ones intended for use in a tire, especially an old one with a bulge on the side that guarantees it will not go straight and one will end up running into a tree or other obstacle
That is a question that should never have been asked about a sledding hill. Sledding is not about stopping, it is about adrenaline. The goal is to find a good hill that provides the ultimate excitement with plenty of opportunity to get injured in all sorts of unpleasant ways. One with lots of jumps, twists and snow banks offering cushioning from sledders sent airborne. Messy details like how to stop can be worked out later, but anyone who insisted stopping in some form of "safe" manner is likely to get written off as a woos. When I was a child, our favored means of stopping usually involved trees or for the more daring, rusty barbed wire.
My husband knows this, but parenthood does weird things to people's brains. So when we stood at the base of "Double Dips", a local sledding haunt, he had the audacity to ask this question. We had only that day been made aware of this hill and had driven by to check it out. Our son is five now and it was time to initiate him into the world of real sledding. He had gone down small slopes in our yard but these were the equivalent of sledding bunny slopes. He was not ready for the hard core X Games version of sledding yet, but it was time for more than this. The Double Dips were actually not that dangerous at all. If they were, the city would not have gone to the length of actually blocking off the two city blocks that comprised the slope to traffic every year with saw horses. This was a decent place to take a kid sledding but how to stop should not have been a concern in my eyes.
This hill was set up with a long stretch at the end of the hill for one's sled to slow down. We took our son sledding and his plastic saucer just drifted to a stop. Fine for young children. But I still long for the days of my youth when we were always in pursuit of "extreme sledding". This was far before the X Games were conceived and no one used any trendy terms like "airs" or "gnarly" to describe our self destructive behaviors. We never knew there was anything that could be viewed as a sport to our activities. We just knew that if we could find the biggest, most dangerous, scariest hill to go sledding on, we had succeeded in our quest.
For us the kind of sled that was used was almost as important as the hill. The old fashioned wooden sled had the advantage of control so it could be used on the more tortuous slopes or on the more treacherous side paths that a simple toboggan could not navigate. Of course having a total lack of control had its own attraction as it significantly increases the danger element. Toboggans lack control, but inner tubes are far superior as they raise the center of gravity making the fall off the sled more dramatic. The best ones are the real ones intended for use in a tire, especially an old one with a bulge on the side that guarantees it will not go straight and one will end up running into a tree or other obstacle
Which goes back to the question of "How do you stop?" Easy, roll off the sled before you hit the barbed wire fence at the bottom of the hill. Run head on into a tree. Steer into the snow bank at the bottom of the hill and hope that you do not get buried. Take your chances with the barbed wire. Sure, you can do the spin out maneuver with a wooden sled if you know how, but the above options are scarier, riskier and far more gratifying. The goal is to get a thrill and scare the Hell out of Mom, not be safe. Safe is for dorks.
Which brings us back to the hill where we brought our five year old son. My husband is not a wimp when it comes to sledding. He knows all about sledding into barbed wire and hairpin turns with a wooden sled. It is just that he is the worried parent now and is not ready to face his son sledding straight into a snow bank. At least not yet.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
A Pigeon by Any Other Name...
My recent journey to Pittsburgh gave me the opportunity to visit the National Arboretum. This was perhaps at my family's own peril as this was dangerously close to Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers and even in the morning there were throngs of Steelers fans, ticket scalpers and memorabilia vendors that had gathered for the evening's festivities.
I love the Aviary. It is set up in a manner that allows the birds to move around freely in much of the display. In many cases the birds will roam into the walkways where the visitors move through the aviary. It allows the visitor a unique opportunity to encounter the birds' behaviors up close.
The birds in these photographs are pigeons. Very exotic pigeons with fancy head feathers, long legs and bright colors, but pigeons nonetheless. Known as Crowned Pigeons or Gouras, they reside in New Guinea and are close to the size of turkeys. Normal American pigeons are more prone to run away and fly off when threatened, but these birds will lie down and play dead. I had the opportunity to observe this behavior several times while on my visit there. There were two pigeons on an elevated walkway that ran over their display who, despite the constant disturbance by humans, refused to yield their ground. They would stand there displaying their beautiful plumage and whenever someone would come just a bit too close would lie down and "play dead". Sort of like a possum, except less annoying and less likely to get run over by a car in the rainforests of New Guinea.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
It's Playoff Time
I have been swallowed by a sea of black and gold. It is a bit of a drive to Pittsburgh but this is definitely Steele rs country. Since the playoffs are going on, that fervor is driven to new heights.
Last weekends game was quite the nasty one. Steelers fans really HATE the Ravens so that game was a nasty one as expected. The upcoming game against the Jets does not carry the same kind of animosity, if only because the dislike of New England around here is so intense that anybody that can pull off an upset against them, especially in a playoff game, must be okay. Personally, I do not care. I do not like the Ravens only for the reason that they used to be the Browns and abandoned Cleveland. I am okay with the Jets because they took on Boomer Esiason when Cincinnati realized that they sucked and did not deserve him. Otherwise, I am not that rabid of a fan. I guess I will root for the Steelers.
So who do should I root for? Well I am from Ohio (state motto: During the Presidential Primaries we are actually relevant), which you may have guessed from my defense of Cleveland. Actually I am from Cincinnati and have grown up with the long, proud tradition of hating Cleveland- aka- the mistake on the lake, the armpit of the midwest, etc. Despite that, it is in Ohio and you do not betray fellow Ohioans like that. I did at one point support the Bengals when they played professional football. I am not sure what they play now, but it does not look like professional football to me. Professional teams do things like score touchdowns and defend their quarterback and have defensive lines. The Bengals have not incorporated these elements into their game since 1989 when Boomer Esiason was quarterback and they went to the Superbowl. Cleveland is out as a team I could root for since they are the rival team of the Bungals (take that Mike Brown!) The Browns have not been the same since being re founded so pretty much both Ohio teams are out.
Prior to living here, I lived near Indianapolis and that was where I found a real football team- the Colts. They had the advantage of both being a good team, and they had Peyton Manning who played for University of Tennessee where I had been a student briefly. He was a cool dude to boot. Besides, Indianapolis was a lot like Cincinnati, except much hipper and larger. So I became a sworn Colts fan. Whenever there is playoff game that the Steelers are in, the hospital allows staff to wear team colors of the involved teams. I am sure to show up in white and blue, even if they are not playing against the Steelers. Sure, I look like a douche bag, but if you cannot look like a douche bag amongst trusted friends and colleagues, who can you look like a douche bag in front of?
This weekend, I just so happen to be spending in Pittsburgh, which I am probably going to regret considering there is going to be a playoff game on Sunday and the city is going to be a zoo, but I planned this weekend first and am holding firm. It does not matter that a winter storm just dropped 5-6 inches of snow in the city and the high temperature is running below 20 degrees. The fans are going to come to the game. And I am going to be rooting for the Colts. Except when a Steelers fan is watching. They are not so forgiving about the lack of allegiance in the city proper. With that in mind...
Go Steelers (unless the Jets win)!
Monday, January 17, 2011
The Forecast
There have been plenty of stories about newer legal drugs floating around that kids have been getting into so they can subvert the system. K2 and Salvia are the ones I have heard the most about, but I am sure there are more. Like Ecstasy, it will only be matter of time before they are outlawed but a lot of people are going to be harmed before that happens.
The newest one I have heard of around here is called Blizzard. It is apparently a no more than a bath salt that has fallen into favor in the drug crowds. For the time, it is legal and can be bought at large chains that sell bath products. For their benefit, I will not mention any names. As the form Blizzard which is very finely ground and packaged in small jars labeled as such, this is probably more likely found in head shops, but it is not hard to get a mortar and pestle to grind up the legitimate version if one does not have access to such an establishment. I would have never heard of it either, but word of this sort of thing worked its way to me via my patients, like so many other tidbits of information. The recent story on the death of a Blizzard IV drug user has increased its notoriety since then. I have been told that some states have become more aware of this becoming a problem and are making steps to ban the product. Much like Ecstasy, K2 and Salvia, these compounds will have their heyday before being recognized and regulated. The compound is not harmless and more people are sure to die from use of this product.
While it is not funny, do you not just want to say "are you completely stupid, or just mostly stupid?" when you hear that someone shot up their veins with BATH SALTS? Still I wonder since it is a cleansing type product is the user less likely to get an infection than, say a heroin user? At least they will smell spring fresh.
Of course there was the bath salts as a drug discussion that came up at lunchtime the first time that Blizzard was introduced to the psychiatric unit here. How is it used? Are there different scents? It is not that our lunchtime discussions do not reach the lowest common denominator of poor taste to begin with, but since this is likely to hit the teenage set out of its sheer accessibility, we pondered if were likely to be used the way high school students use to get drunk during school- the vodka enema. Useful if one can squeeze really tight for a long time. Unfortunately, this form of alcohol delivery has been implicated in a good number of cases of alcohol poisoning. Nonetheless, it is easier than trying to sneak a bottle of vodka into school so the practice continues. Would not a bath salt enema be a great way to pull off a buzz, avoid track marks and leave one's colon smelling fresh? They might even expand the practice into one of those colonic type spas where one could choose the size of the buzz- flurries, light accumulation, a clipper or the full blown blizzard.
So that was the main topic of discussion during lunch in the conference room yesterday- bath salt enemas. I do not wish to make light of the tragic loss of a young person's life, but if people are stupid enough to do something as stupid as shoot up bath salts, we are going to joke. Our jobs are stressful enough that we need a break sometime.
The newest one I have heard of around here is called Blizzard. It is apparently a no more than a bath salt that has fallen into favor in the drug crowds. For the time, it is legal and can be bought at large chains that sell bath products. For their benefit, I will not mention any names. As the form Blizzard which is very finely ground and packaged in small jars labeled as such, this is probably more likely found in head shops, but it is not hard to get a mortar and pestle to grind up the legitimate version if one does not have access to such an establishment. I would have never heard of it either, but word of this sort of thing worked its way to me via my patients, like so many other tidbits of information. The recent story on the death of a Blizzard IV drug user has increased its notoriety since then. I have been told that some states have become more aware of this becoming a problem and are making steps to ban the product. Much like Ecstasy, K2 and Salvia, these compounds will have their heyday before being recognized and regulated. The compound is not harmless and more people are sure to die from use of this product.
While it is not funny, do you not just want to say "are you completely stupid, or just mostly stupid?" when you hear that someone shot up their veins with BATH SALTS? Still I wonder since it is a cleansing type product is the user less likely to get an infection than, say a heroin user? At least they will smell spring fresh.
Of course there was the bath salts as a drug discussion that came up at lunchtime the first time that Blizzard was introduced to the psychiatric unit here. How is it used? Are there different scents? It is not that our lunchtime discussions do not reach the lowest common denominator of poor taste to begin with, but since this is likely to hit the teenage set out of its sheer accessibility, we pondered if were likely to be used the way high school students use to get drunk during school- the vodka enema. Useful if one can squeeze really tight for a long time. Unfortunately, this form of alcohol delivery has been implicated in a good number of cases of alcohol poisoning. Nonetheless, it is easier than trying to sneak a bottle of vodka into school so the practice continues. Would not a bath salt enema be a great way to pull off a buzz, avoid track marks and leave one's colon smelling fresh? They might even expand the practice into one of those colonic type spas where one could choose the size of the buzz- flurries, light accumulation, a clipper or the full blown blizzard.
So that was the main topic of discussion during lunch in the conference room yesterday- bath salt enemas. I do not wish to make light of the tragic loss of a young person's life, but if people are stupid enough to do something as stupid as shoot up bath salts, we are going to joke. Our jobs are stressful enough that we need a break sometime.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The Drive Home
"Why are you driving so slowly?"
One thing was for certain, that F150 could manage the snow at a lot faster velocity than it was if it was a 4X4, and if it was not, it should have been. No one with half a brain in this area would buy a rear wheel drive vehicle if there were a four wheel drive version available.
It was not as if the road conditions were bad, not yet, at least out here. The city streets were warmer and have already started to slush up from the city heat and the endless barrage of cars rushing home to beat the oncoming storm. Once outside the city was a different picture. The streets were cooler and the rush of cars home had not peaked yet so the roads were still covered only with a fine powder of snow. Unfortunately, the only road home lasts for several miles and is a single lane road over a mountain. One slow vehicle can slow up traffic for quite a distance. And that was exactly what that F150 was doing at the front of the line. The uphill climb is always worse in this situation with angry drivers if only because there are more cars heading in the same direction. As the line moves along, the group slowly diureses off as cars reach their various turn off points. I am not worried about stopping in time if needed, but I am driving in auto shift mode just in case. Still I can only manage to get the car in third gear and get any reasonable semblance of power. The speed limit is 45 mph.
At the apex of the climb is several turn offs to the "it" subdivisions and most of the cars turn off leaving me virtually alone with Mr F150. The downhill speed limit is 55 mph and he seemed to only muster up the guts to go 35 mph. The last cars in the line turn off and it was just the two of us now. My drive home is my refuge from the hustle of the day and I have calmed down by the bottom of the hill. I will maintain that satellite radio is one of mankind's greatest inventions as it is virtually impossible to go without finding something I want to hear. Once I get tired of flipping channels, I usually pick out exactly what I want on my Ipod which is hooked into my sound system. The one song stuck in my head that day, and play it on repeat. It is my car, I can do as I please.
Once found, the song in my mind was playing, and I was in a state of Zen calm. I have grown fascinated with the swirls of snow that dance behind the tire tracks made by the truck ahead of me. He somehow seems destined to be my lead car on the entire trip home as he makes all the same turns that I do. The entire time the snow swills in an endless pattern behind the tires of the pickup. They twist and writhe in an endless array of figures that much like a snowflake itself, never repeats. The lines they create move as if they were choreographed to move with the song on the sound system. I can understand the lyrics of the song, but I do not pay them any mind. The river that runs to the right of me is starting to ice over from the cold but do not even notice it's progress. I am still forced to drive too slowly if I am to keep a safe distance from my nervous companion but at this point, do not care. The only time I glance away from the road ahead of me is to check the gap between the rocks on the left where the deer are known to dart out unannounced, otherwise, it is back to the swirls of snow.
I finally turn into my subdivision and leave the F150 to nervously work his way to wherever he is going. Coming out of the subdivision is a Jaguar with a Union Jack on the front plate holder. Another driver whose car was quite likely ill prepared to face the oncoming storm. Another rear wheel drive car on the road. Do they even get this kind of snow in Brittan? But I am almost home now and it is not my worry. Just up one hill and a few poorly laid turns before turning up the last hill to home. By now the snow is starting to build up on the road, and the gentle wisps are slowly being swallowed up by more heavy accumulation. I could have managed the building inclement weather but I am home now and ready to enjoy the evening.
A few minutes after arriving home, the salt truck came up the road with its plow and load of salt and gravel to treat the road before the oncoming storm fully flexes its muscles. They are predicting 4-6 inches, more than we have had so far this entire winter.
One thing was for certain, that F150 could manage the snow at a lot faster velocity than it was if it was a 4X4, and if it was not, it should have been. No one with half a brain in this area would buy a rear wheel drive vehicle if there were a four wheel drive version available.
It was not as if the road conditions were bad, not yet, at least out here. The city streets were warmer and have already started to slush up from the city heat and the endless barrage of cars rushing home to beat the oncoming storm. Once outside the city was a different picture. The streets were cooler and the rush of cars home had not peaked yet so the roads were still covered only with a fine powder of snow. Unfortunately, the only road home lasts for several miles and is a single lane road over a mountain. One slow vehicle can slow up traffic for quite a distance. And that was exactly what that F150 was doing at the front of the line. The uphill climb is always worse in this situation with angry drivers if only because there are more cars heading in the same direction. As the line moves along, the group slowly diureses off as cars reach their various turn off points. I am not worried about stopping in time if needed, but I am driving in auto shift mode just in case. Still I can only manage to get the car in third gear and get any reasonable semblance of power. The speed limit is 45 mph.
At the apex of the climb is several turn offs to the "it" subdivisions and most of the cars turn off leaving me virtually alone with Mr F150. The downhill speed limit is 55 mph and he seemed to only muster up the guts to go 35 mph. The last cars in the line turn off and it was just the two of us now. My drive home is my refuge from the hustle of the day and I have calmed down by the bottom of the hill. I will maintain that satellite radio is one of mankind's greatest inventions as it is virtually impossible to go without finding something I want to hear. Once I get tired of flipping channels, I usually pick out exactly what I want on my Ipod which is hooked into my sound system. The one song stuck in my head that day, and play it on repeat. It is my car, I can do as I please.
Once found, the song in my mind was playing, and I was in a state of Zen calm. I have grown fascinated with the swirls of snow that dance behind the tire tracks made by the truck ahead of me. He somehow seems destined to be my lead car on the entire trip home as he makes all the same turns that I do. The entire time the snow swills in an endless pattern behind the tires of the pickup. They twist and writhe in an endless array of figures that much like a snowflake itself, never repeats. The lines they create move as if they were choreographed to move with the song on the sound system. I can understand the lyrics of the song, but I do not pay them any mind. The river that runs to the right of me is starting to ice over from the cold but do not even notice it's progress. I am still forced to drive too slowly if I am to keep a safe distance from my nervous companion but at this point, do not care. The only time I glance away from the road ahead of me is to check the gap between the rocks on the left where the deer are known to dart out unannounced, otherwise, it is back to the swirls of snow.
I finally turn into my subdivision and leave the F150 to nervously work his way to wherever he is going. Coming out of the subdivision is a Jaguar with a Union Jack on the front plate holder. Another driver whose car was quite likely ill prepared to face the oncoming storm. Another rear wheel drive car on the road. Do they even get this kind of snow in Brittan? But I am almost home now and it is not my worry. Just up one hill and a few poorly laid turns before turning up the last hill to home. By now the snow is starting to build up on the road, and the gentle wisps are slowly being swallowed up by more heavy accumulation. I could have managed the building inclement weather but I am home now and ready to enjoy the evening.
A few minutes after arriving home, the salt truck came up the road with its plow and load of salt and gravel to treat the road before the oncoming storm fully flexes its muscles. They are predicting 4-6 inches, more than we have had so far this entire winter.
Monday, January 10, 2011
The Best Memories
I set my toast on fire this morning. Who cares, right? Not many would, really, but it my circle, it is something worth bragging about. Hey, guess what stupid thing I did this morning! Funny, huh? Anything for a laugh. It makes for a great pick up line in a bar. Sort of like "Hey, I'm a rock star and drive a Ferrari" but instead I can say "Hey, I'm a dork and I set a piece of toast on fire this morning."
I am not writing this to tell you about my culinary misadventures. It was to talk about memories. That incident brought back one of those memories that I will probably remember all my life. We all have a few, some important, like our wedding day, the day our child was born, etc. Some stupid like the day that "someone" put Ben Gay in Uncle Bob's underwear drawer and he ran out of church grabbing his crotch and screaming in agony just as the sermon was starting. I never did that to my Uncle Bob, no really, it is just an example, but you get the idea.
My "Smoke on the Toaster" incident brought back an old college memory out of the dusty old attic of memories and brought me a smile. A roommate of mine in college was more interested in reading the newspaper one day than paying attention to her breakfast. When I walked into the kitchen, her Pop Tart was in the toaster and on fire. "Jen (not her real name) your Pop Tart is on fire." She just brushed it off without a glance. The flames spread and the room started filling up with smoke. "Jen, your Pop Tart is on fire!" This time she looked to see the flames shooting out of the top of the toaster and rescued the remains of the Pop Tart. Word of advise: if a toaster is on sale for $.25 at a yard sale, there is a reason.
Some memories are notable enough to stay with us forever. This one was based on the humor of the situation. One of my favorites carries a significant amount of importance to me for far more profound reasons.
A few years ago we had gone on vacation to Ocean City, MD. We were told by numerous people that this was the beach to go to and heard long stories about how wonderful it was. Unfortunately our experience was far from what we were promised. It was crowded, overrun with teenagers and young adults looking for a party, and lined by rows and rows of tacky high rises that spoil the ambient beauty of the shoreline. We did have fun on the vacation, but it was not the kind of beach that we would return to in the future.
Despite our disappointment in the beach itself, it did leave me with one of those memories that I will never forget. We had a very nice condo with a balcony overlooking the beach. One very nice evening we had just come in from swimming and my husband stripped off my son's swim trunks and hung them out to dry. My son had been running around on the porch with nothing but a towel on. I just sat on a lounge chair to enjoy the evening and dry off. It had been sunny all day and the temperature was still pleasant. The ocean breeze was just perfect. He was scanning the road for signs of the ice cream truck and I was watching on the horizon for dolphins. Age certainly makes for different ideas about what is an exciting siting.
After some time, I wondered if he may have grown tired of sitting wrapped in nothing but a towel and asked if he wanted to do something else.
"Do you want to go take a bath?"
"No."
"Do you want to get dressed and walk on the beach?"
"No."
"How about go look for the ice cream truck?"
"No."
"What do you want to do?"
"Just sit here on Mommy's lap."
And so we sat there, watching the ocean and listening to the waves crash against the shore. That memory will stay with me forever. I can still hear the sea gulls calling out and smell the salt in the air when I think back to that day. I never felt more at peace than I did at that moment. I never felt more important either.
I am not writing this to tell you about my culinary misadventures. It was to talk about memories. That incident brought back one of those memories that I will probably remember all my life. We all have a few, some important, like our wedding day, the day our child was born, etc. Some stupid like the day that "someone" put Ben Gay in Uncle Bob's underwear drawer and he ran out of church grabbing his crotch and screaming in agony just as the sermon was starting. I never did that to my Uncle Bob, no really, it is just an example, but you get the idea.
My "Smoke on the Toaster" incident brought back an old college memory out of the dusty old attic of memories and brought me a smile. A roommate of mine in college was more interested in reading the newspaper one day than paying attention to her breakfast. When I walked into the kitchen, her Pop Tart was in the toaster and on fire. "Jen (not her real name) your Pop Tart is on fire." She just brushed it off without a glance. The flames spread and the room started filling up with smoke. "Jen, your Pop Tart is on fire!" This time she looked to see the flames shooting out of the top of the toaster and rescued the remains of the Pop Tart. Word of advise: if a toaster is on sale for $.25 at a yard sale, there is a reason.
Some memories are notable enough to stay with us forever. This one was based on the humor of the situation. One of my favorites carries a significant amount of importance to me for far more profound reasons.
A few years ago we had gone on vacation to Ocean City, MD. We were told by numerous people that this was the beach to go to and heard long stories about how wonderful it was. Unfortunately our experience was far from what we were promised. It was crowded, overrun with teenagers and young adults looking for a party, and lined by rows and rows of tacky high rises that spoil the ambient beauty of the shoreline. We did have fun on the vacation, but it was not the kind of beach that we would return to in the future.
Despite our disappointment in the beach itself, it did leave me with one of those memories that I will never forget. We had a very nice condo with a balcony overlooking the beach. One very nice evening we had just come in from swimming and my husband stripped off my son's swim trunks and hung them out to dry. My son had been running around on the porch with nothing but a towel on. I just sat on a lounge chair to enjoy the evening and dry off. It had been sunny all day and the temperature was still pleasant. The ocean breeze was just perfect. He was scanning the road for signs of the ice cream truck and I was watching on the horizon for dolphins. Age certainly makes for different ideas about what is an exciting siting.
After some time, I wondered if he may have grown tired of sitting wrapped in nothing but a towel and asked if he wanted to do something else.
"Do you want to go take a bath?"
"No."
"Do you want to get dressed and walk on the beach?"
"No."
"How about go look for the ice cream truck?"
"No."
"What do you want to do?"
"Just sit here on Mommy's lap."
And so we sat there, watching the ocean and listening to the waves crash against the shore. That memory will stay with me forever. I can still hear the sea gulls calling out and smell the salt in the air when I think back to that day. I never felt more at peace than I did at that moment. I never felt more important either.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)