Puffed-Up Phlebotomist

I had to get my blood drawn last week and I’m a “hard stick.” A hard stick is a person who has terrible veins and it’s hard to draw blood out of them.

So, the first thing I say when I’m escorted to the blood-draw cubicle is, “I’m a hard stick and you probably will only be able to draw blood from the veins on my hand.”

Now this nurse believes she is better than all the rest who have gone before her. “Let me look at your arm anyway.”

I extend my arm.

“There’s a perfectly good one,” she says and she proceeds to stick me three times before giving up and blaming me for her failure. “You bent your arm, so I’m going to have to go to your hand. Why did you flinch?”

“Because you hurt me.”

“Well, that jerking made your arm bend. Most people don’t flinch.”

I find that hard to believe, but I don’t respond because she’s the one holding the needle.

She continues to excuse her failure. “You probably didn’t drink enough water this morning. Next time you come in, make sure you drink water. It helps to plump up your veins.”

Finally, after patting herself on the back for managing to get four tubes of blood from my uncooperative veins, I leave.

The end of the story is, I’ve been walking around with a purple bruise the size of a half-dollar on my arm where I received three unnecessary jabs from that puffed-up phlebotomist.

Tomato, Tomahto

Whichever way you say it, you haven’t eaten a really good tomato in a very long time–well, unless you are growing your own or buying from a farmers market. However, you are eating really, really pretty tomatoes: bright red, no blemishes, smooth skin, firm to the touch, perfect green stem. Too bad they’re red rocks with little or no juice inside.

photo from

Every year, it gets harder and harder to find an awful looking, ugly tomato–the ones that are grown to taste good, not look good.

photo from

If you find one, don’t expect it to be bright red. Sometimes they’re more orange. And don’t bother to look for a perfect stem sticking out of its misshapen body, because there probably isn’t one.

If you’ve ever bent over and picked a tomato direct from the plant, you’ll know the minute you hold this ugly baby in the palm of your hand that it’s been sun-drenched and grown outside and maybe it hasn’t even been sprayed with “who knows what.”

So, the next time you pass the tomatoes in your supermarket, try to figure out why you don’t see those hideous looking tomatoes in the store anymore. Are we so enamored of beauty that our food has to look gorgeous, while real taste suffers?

Oh, well. Pretty is “in.”  So, I won’t even get started on our pretty, pretty red beef, or our pearly white eggs, or …

10 Men I Like — A Lot

I haven’t listed any American presidents, politicians or religious leaders. That’s an entirely different list. My list is random. Although the names are numbered, no ranking is intended.

1. Prince William – He has done his mother proud.
2. Anwar Sadat – His death was a tragic loss to his country.
3. Joseph, Chief of the Nez Perce tribe – His ill-fated retreat of more than 1,000 miles from federal troops is legendary.
4. Martin Luther King – He had a dream. We’re still working at it.
5. George Carlin – He’s probably my all-time favorite comedian.
6. Paul Newman – A good man.
7. Danny Thomas – He was much more than met the eye. Visit the St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis to see what I mean.
8. John J. Audubon – I’m a birder, so Audubon makes my list. He spent 50 years painting and describing the birds of America.
9. Norman Rockwell – He shared the spirit of America through his paintings. I grew up enjoying his artistry on the covers of The Saturday Evening Post.
10. Thomas Edison – Every time there is a power outage, I wonder what people did before the light bulb.

These are the first ten names that popped into my mind. I probably missed a few of your favorites.

Darvocet Is Off The Market!

Are you asking me to believe that it took the FDA over fifty years to decide Darvon and Darvocet should be taken off the market?!

It appears even the panel of experts couldn’t agree:

The pain medications Darvon and Darvocet should be pulled off the market, according to a recommendation approved on a 14-12 vote by a panel of medical experts assembled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

For those of us who suffer from chronic pain, this is a catastrophe. Anyone who uses Darvocet or its generic, propoxyphene, which is a mild drug, will attest to its effectiveness, and it doesn’t make you drowsy. In case you’re wondering how many people that is–in 2009, 10 million people depended upon propoxyphene to help make their life livable. Deaths linked to Darvocet annually – .0005%.

What I find so wrong about this is–I would like to be able to make my own choice. Give me the facts and let me decide whether the risk is worth the pain relief.

Here are some comments from Join Together. It appears a lot of people would like to make their own decisions.

According to an article on the link Darvocet should be banned.. 23 million prescriptions per year are issued, (for the last 50 years??) the article also mentions 2,100 deaths from 1981 to 1999 (18 years). This does not seem to be a high risk ratio to me. I can only conclude the people making these waves have never dealt with moderate to severe chronic pain.

Here’s another:

I hope that this medicine is NOT taken off the market. I am deathly allergic to ALL NSAIDS.

And another:

My wife had a stroke and none of the other drugs that she was given gave the relief for the nerve pain that she has. If it is taken off the market then what can she use? The other drugs are either more addictive or so strong that it causes her to sleep 24/7. What quality of life would she have without it? Darvocet seems to be the only drug that actually cuts down the pain to tolerable level.

I’m really, really tired of the government taking such good care of me.

Now, I’m in the process of trying out other drugs that might be able to take the place of Darvocet. If and when I find it, I can be sure it will cost a whole lot more than my 50-year-old medication.

I’m sure the pharmaceutical companies are happy with the FDA’s decision. They must be jumping up and down with joy.

Elizabeth Edwards

A tear for Elizabeth

photo

All My Children

Alright, All My Children is one of my guilty pleasures.  I’ve become addicted. I tape every episode.

I was so happy to see Michael Nouri (Caleb) join the cast. He’s been a favorite of mine for years. I hope the writers keep him on for a long time.

And it will be interesting to see if Vincent Irizarry (David) can rise from the dead. (As I understand it, this type of thing happens all the time on the soaps.)

What I’ve noticed lately is the ladies on this soap opera are withering away. It’s like watching skeletons walk across the screen.

Susan Lucci has always been petite, but now there seems to be a lot of slimming down going on. Alicia Minshew, who plays Kendall, is tall and painfully thin. Rebecca Budig (Greenlee) (where did they come up with that name?)  and Christina Bennett Lind (Bianca) aren’t far behind.

It was refreshing to see Jamie Luner’s character, Liza, in her underwear recently. She actually has a “real” woman’s body.

I hope the skeletal look doesn’t become a trend.

That said, here’s a little something on Scott Chandler’s character.

RefDesk.com

By now, I hope everyone has discovered  RefDesk

It’s my home page. I think you can find just about anything you could ever dream of on this page. It’s chock full of trivia and what’s new in the news. Some of the daily things you will find on this page are:

Site of the Day – Today it introduces you to  Free Ebooks and Texts Archive

Thought of the Day – It’s really a good one today, which is what prompted me to write about this site.    “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”
Abraham Maslow

This Day in History Today it’s about Narcotics Anonymous

Article of the Day Do you know what a Bonobo is? You will after reading this article.

Daily Diversions Games, Jokes, Stumble Upon, etc.

Today’s Potpourri Trivia, Science, Technology, Health

There are so many additional and varied resources, there is no possible way you could ever peruse every one of them. You’ll find all types of news, even “hold your hat now”–there’s even Positive, Good News. And expect the pictures from outer space to blow you away.

Don’t miss out on this site.

BP Oil Spill Cartoon

WHAT A CRYING SHAME!

Drawing by John Darkow-Columbia Daily Tribune

Pensacola Beach After the BP Oil Spill

Photo from

How sad! And the oil is still gushing. It’s like the Exxon Valdez all over again–only this time on a daily basis.

A lot of people and politicians are asking why the well can’t be blown up.

From Rep. Phil Gingrey

“For the life of me, I can’t understand why BP couldn’t go into the ocean floor, maybe 10 feet lateral to the — around the periphery — drill a few holes and put a little ammonium nitrate, some dynamite, in those holes and detonate that dynamite and seal that leak. And seal it permanently,” Rep. Phil Gingrey (Ga.) said earlier this month.

Could it be BP is more worried about their bottom line? Do you think they care nothing about people or nature?

Oh, forget I wrote that. No one could be that greedy.

Dieting & Disco Dancing

How many times have you heard this? “If you want to lose weight, you must diet and exercise.” That sentence is at the top of my list of most hated things I want to hear.

I applaud all the people who love to jog, or love to go to the gym. I’m not one of them. However, I do like to listen to music, which brings me to disco dancing. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to sit and listen to disco music. That’s because it’s main appeal is it’s hard-to-ignore invitation to dance. The beat is perfect.

Therein lies the key that unlocks my exercise room. In my case, that’s my living room. I’ve been disco dancing (when no one is around). It’s fun. Finally! An exercise I can love.

You don’t need a partner, so let the gyrating begin.

My Favorite Healthy Breakfast

Try this. It fills you up until it’s time for lunch.

Spread peanut butter on 2 lightly salted rice cakes. Slice a banana and lay the slices on top of the peanut butter.  Quick! Easy! Nutritious! Superb!

Remember to eat slow and chew well. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to send a message to your brain that says, “Good! My stomach is full. You can stop eating now.”

And as far as that message that announces your stomach is full? Try listening to it when you’re half-way through a meal–any meal. You sometimes find that you don’t really want to clean your plate. Save what you don’t eat for a snack later in the day (when the message you’re receiving says, “I’m hungry. I need food and I need it now!”)

Dieting – I Miss Dessert

What to do? What to do? I miss my sweets.

I thought I’d be well over my need for sweets after trying to watch my diet for a few weeks. But the truth is, even if you stop eating cake and pie and cookies, etc., there’s so much sugar and sucrose and every other kind of sweetener in most of the other foods we eat that it’s impossible to stay away from sugar.

I used to be able to cut out sweets pretty easily. After a week or so, the craving disappears. No more. Sugar has invaded most everything we eat nowadays. This is my new solution.

After I eat dinner, I allow myself to eat a piece of hard candy. Sometimes I sit back and have a coffee flavored one. That’s almost as good as having a cup of coffee and a piece of cake.

Othertimes, I pop in a root beer barrel or some other taste treat I like. So far, it’s working.

Late Night Diet Snack

I like to watch TV in the evening and snack. It’s a habit I’m trying to break. But I’m not always successful. That doesn’t mean I’m not watchful.

The trick is to eat something that will fill up the void and the time. One way to accomplish this is to eat something frozen. That way you’re forced to eat it slow or suffer a brain freeze.

This is my favorite–1/2 cup of frozen blueberries with a big dollop of ReddiWip whipped cream. It takes a while to eat the berries because they’re little, bitty pieces of sweet ice.

I’ll tell you my secret. I eat them right out of my measuring cup. And this tasty snack topped with whipped cream equals 55 calories.

If you’re still hungry after that, pop one of those 100 calorie mini bags of popcorn. That ought to do it. Nighty night.

Dieting Is A Snap If You Have A Cell Phone

As I mentioned in a previous post, to stay healthy and, hopefully lose a few pounds, nothing works better for me than counting calories. So, what do I do when I’m at a party–grazing?

I fill my plate with my favorite foods, remembering moderation. Once my plate is full, I take out my cell phone and snap a picture of all my goodies. Later, when I’m trying to recall what I ate at the party, I look at the photo and calculate as closely as possible how many calories I consumed.

Nifty idea, huh?

Ordinarily, I tend to eat a lot of the same foods, i.e. a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, etc. After a while, I know how many calories I’m swallowing without having to look up the calorie content. As time goes by, counting calories become easier and easier, until finally, at the end of the day, I know whether I’ve stayed on track or gone over.

On A Diet? 130 Calorie Breakfast

Okay, I’ve heard it hundreds of time–On or Off a diet, you need to eat a good breakfast. Personally, I’d rather skip it altogether, but all the studies indicate breakfast is the correct way to start the day.

Do you know what that means? Whole wheat toast, a banana and a cup of coffee–or something equally unappealing– is touted as a healthy breakfast. Like that’s really going to fill me up and get me through the morning?

So, here’s a solution. It works for me. And it’s actually filling.

Take a nice, big, juicy bagel. Slice it in half. (Sorry, you can only have half, but on the bright side, it’s not a slice of wheat toast that tastes like cardboard.)

Toast the bagel, if you like.

Spread on 1 tablespoon of “1/3 less fat cream cheese.” This is Neufchatel Cheese. It is prized in France, so don’t feel sorry for yourself. It’s a real delicacy.

I take my breakfast on the run with a cup of black coffee.

If you happen to be thinking, What? Only one tablespoon of the blasted cheese? Pull yourself together. It’s not the end of the world if you absolutely must slather on 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese.

Just keep in mind, 1 tablespoon of Neufchatel Cheese equals 56 calories–2 tablespoons equals 112. Therefore, you trade up from a 130 calorie breakfast to a 186 calorie breakfast. Still not bad.

Save the other half of the bagel for tomorrow’s breakfast.

A Chiclet Will Help You Diet

Chew on a Chiclet–a regular Chiclet–not sugar-free.

[I’m not a fan of any food containing aspartame. For one thing, it does bad, bad things to the inside of my mouth. There’s plenty to read on the web about aspartame, so you can make up your own mind. Aspartame]

But this post is about keeping unnecessary foods out of your mouth. One of the things I suggest–chew on a Chiclet. There are only 4 calories in a single Chiclet. You don’t need to chew on two of them, although at 4 calories, you can go wild!

Normally, one will do me. It keeps my jaws moving for an hour before the darn thing loses its taste. Really! The taste of peppermint Chiclets goes a long way.

One downside. I have trouble finding Chiclets in the stores. The trend is to chew sugar-free gum, so that’s what most stores carry. When I come across a store that carries Chiclets, I load up.

Anyway, this Chiclet trick works. Anything that will get you through an hour without food or thinking about food is worth a shot.

Dieting? Something You Need To Know

I love my carbohydrates! It’s a fact and I admit it.

My favorite lunch is a sandwich, preferably a hoagie or a sub. What to do? What to do?

I’ve learned it’s best to make my own sandwich, because I can control what goes in it. I don’t use an inch of ham and cheese–no, no. I go easy, but I refuse to give up foods I like. So, the ham and cheese STAYS! (but two slices of each are plenty).

And I use a good amount of lettuce.

Now, here’s the kicker–the one important thing you should be aware of. It’s all about the mayonnaise. Did you know 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise equals 99 calories? What to do? What to do?

I’ll tell  you what to do. Switch to low calorie mayonnaise. It tastes exactly the same as regular mayonnaise, BUT 1 tablespoon equals 36 calories. Can you believe that? If you’re using regular mayonnaise, run as fast as you can to the store and change to low cal immediately. The exercise will do you good, too.

Oh, and if mayonnaise isn’t on your “must have” food list, make your sandwich with mustard. 1 teaspoon of mustard equals 3 calories. Woowee!

Diet By Counting Calories

I’m sorry, but when I’m determined to eat a healthier diet and try to get back in shape, I can’t do it without counting calories. All of these other popular diet plans do nothing for me.

Once I become aware of how many calories I’m putting into my stomach, I begin to adjust and to understand how much I can eat and when I should stop.

A good rule to follow in life is “everything in moderation.” That’s the rule I follow when I decide to take off some pounds. After counting calories for a while, my mind and my body eventually come to a happy understanding and eating right becomes second nature.

In the beginning, though, to get myself on track, I go to my favorite site for help counting calories.

http://www.prevention.com/health/

The site has helpful diet hints, but best of all, if you put in your current weight and plug in the amount of pounds you want to lose in a specified time, it calculates the number of calories you can eat in one day in order to reach your goal. Is that somethin’, or what?

Then you list the foods you eat during the day in the Health Tracker. It’s a snap. Sometimes, I even plan my meals for the following day.

Now I’m going in the kitchen to cook some pasta. Pasta? Yep. Because according to my Health Tracker, I’ve only eaten 861 calories today and it’s time for dinner.

I’m not in a huge hurry to lose my weight and I have a lot to lose. However, I’m not a person who is going to starve myself. I’ve given myself two years to lose 80 pounds.

There’s a method to my madness, because in order to do that, I can eat a whopping 1800 calories a day and still take all that weight off. Plus I can easily continue to eat that many calories after the weight melts slowly away. I don’t intend to gain it back!

Just for the record, 1 cup of cooked pasta equals 176 calories. And according to the site’s calculation, I can eat 2 cups without walking away with a busted-up conscience.

Need more laid-back inspiration?    Success or Failure?

Got to go and get that water boiling.

6 Easy Diet Snacks

I’ve already demonstrated how to cook perfect hard-boiled eggs in my previous post, and they are the first items on my snack list, as well as on Heidi Klum’s.

1. 2 Hard-boiled Eggs (only 150 calories)
2. Eat your favorite cereal straight from the box. No milk? More cereal!
3. Look for The Laughing Cow light cheese spread triangles in the dairy case. 1 triangle = 35 calories. (I can vouch for the Swiss flavor–it doesn’t taste like artificial muck!) 1 triangle easily covers 6 or 7 saltine crackers.
4. Rice Cake smeared with 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter and 1/2  sliced banana
5. Low-fat Cottage Cheese with plenty of fresh blueberries mixed in
6. Listen up! There are 15 calories in a tablespoon of ReddiWip. Think about that. You can add some really good zippitydoodah to that blah jello. Live a little. Spritz on two whole tablespoons. I’m not talking about that fat free stuff, either. This is the real deal. Jello with fruit with a large dollop of whipped cream. Heaven help us!

Click for more helpful hints

Happiness Or Unhappiness?

One evening a Cherokee elder told his grandson about the battle that goes on inside people’s heads.  He said, “My son, the battle is between the two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all.  One is Unhappiness. It is fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow, self-pity, resentment and inferiority.  The other is Happiness. It is joy, love, hope, serenity, kindness, generosity, truth and compassion.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Someone sent this story to me months ago. I liked it so much, I thought I would share.

Tea Tree Oil – Who Knew?

I was cleaning out the medicine cabinet last week (something everyone should do every six months, at least). Anyway, I found a bottle of Tea Tree Oil. I had no idea what the oil is used for and it took me a few minutes to recall why I bought it in the first place.

Read more from me and Tree Hugger

Fat Girls, Beware!

I don’t know exactly when it became fashionable to humiliate people on national TV. Did that first happen with American Idol? Or some other show with equally distasteful “judges?”

When did it become okay to debase people? And when did other people begin to enjoy it, to find it completely acceptable and totally delightful? Perhaps, soon we will allow some energetic entrepreneur to build a coliseum for our entertainment pleasure.

Before that happens, though, WE-TV has decided stalking is the new wave of reality’s future. Oh, better still–stalk the fat girls. Let’s make them squirm. It will be fun to spy on them and then invade their homes to see what vile food is lurking in their cabinets.

But, of course, WE has sanitized the show by assuring the viewer that the degradation to women is all done in the name of healthy living.  Oh, did I forget to mention the reason why these fat girls will be made to eat humble pie instead of apple pie? WE-TV is out to Save Their Lives. Yes, sir–it’s all about being altruistic. Thanks so much, WE.

Really! How far is too far? Will America really delight in watching women be put through a meat grinder of mental torture?

Good For The Waistline-Good For The Pocketbook, Too

It’s time to cut out some of the fast food drop-ins on your way home from work. Notice I say some, because there are days when you’re just too tired to cook, or you don’t have time to cook, or you’ve got to have a greasy cheeseburger, no matter what!

On those days when there’s no getting around it, be prepared. It doesn’t have to be a fast food burger. I buy a pound of ground beef, but instead of freezing it, I shape it into four burgers (very simple–nothing whatsoever added to it). Those individually wrapped burgers are always in my freezer. I freeze burger buns, too. Instant meal!

And if you want to make it healthier, smother every burger with tomato, lettuce, pickle, onion and a little cheese. The more lettuce, the better. It adds crunch.

Another thing you might want to consider is, once the kitchen is cleaned after dinner, put up the “Closed” sign. I don’t mean literally, but I remember my mother wiped and dried her kitchen sink. She shined the faucet and folded the towel and, believe me, you didn’t mess up her sink after that. It was her way of closing the kitchen for the night. It was a good policy. No one in our family had a weight problem back then.

And, incidentally, if you want to read a book about losing weight the fun way, try reading a book written by Janice Taylor titled All Is Forgiven, Move On. I mention her book because one of her suggestions is to close your kitchen at 9:20 p.m. every night.  My mom was doing that back in the 50’s.

Janice also has some nifty charts, some great recipes and motivation ideas for getting healthy and staying that way.

You might also want to visit Janice’s site http://ourladyofweightloss.com/ It’s an interesting read.

You’re the Boss of “You”

Ya-da, ya-da, ya-da, yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s a new year and everyone is going on a diet. Forget it!

If you’re interested in getting healthy, don’t stop eating–stop working. Now that I look back on that sentence, I guess if you stop working, you’ll automatically stop eating–no money. But I wasn’t talking about quitting your job.

In order to get healthy and stay healthy, it’s time to stop laying in bed worrying about what you need to do tomorrow. It’s time to slooooow doooown. Give your mind a rest.

Have you ever read the Desiderata? You should. That says it all and the funny thing is–it was written by Max Ehrmann in 1927. The advice is still pertinent today. Just reading it brings a sense of peace and warmth to your mind and body.

But getting back to the work thing–you need to know when to work and when to stop.

Take next weekend off. You’re the boss of “you.” Declare a two-day holiday. Grab a friend, or a member of your family, and make time for some personal enjoyment activities.

• Dine out
• Go see a movie
• Have a DVD marathon (I recently enjoyed an entire Saturday watching NCIS episodes with my granddaughter)
• Go to the park, take some deep breaths. Inhale positive energy; exhale all of the negative energies, and then go enjoy an ice cream sundae. (Gosh, the total opposite of what the rest of the world is doing–Heaven forbid!)
• If you are spending your downtime alone, relax and read a book (the entire book, from cover to cover, without feeling guilty because you should be running the vacuum)
• Take a bubble bath
• If you’re crafty, spread all your supplies out on the table and create

Right about now, you should be starting to feel the stress fall away from your body as you think about your “work-less weekend.”

Oh, and if you still feel it’s necessary to start a diet. That’s okay, too. But remember, it’s not enough to whip your body into shape, your brain needs attention, too. Give it a breather.

5 Ways To Get Rid Of The Holiday Blues

Believe it or not, there are a lot of people out there who suffer through the holidays. It is a period of time that they endure rather than enjoy. For one reason or another, this is not the “happiest time of the year” for them.

If you experience the holiday blues, here are some suggestions to get you back on track, even if for just a little while.

1. Music brings harmony to the soul. Listen to music that you find uplifting, or something that you associate with other good times.
2. Speaking of good memories. Sift through some of those old photos and relive the happier moments. Reminisce with yourself. I personally like to pull out pics of pets that I’ve had over the years who brought joy and happiness into my life.
3. Keep busy. Get organized. For instance, go through that “catch-all drawer” and straighten it out. Getting rid of unnecessary junk can be very satisfying.
4. When you’re feeling completely humorless, the best thing to do is call a friend, someone who makes you feel good, or someone who always makes you laugh.
5. The best remedy of all is to cook yourself a wonderful, healthy meal. Plan it. Think about it the entire day. Look forward to preparing it. When it’s ready, serve it on your best china and use linen napkins. If you like wine, drink it out of a lovely piece of  stemware. (I’m an eggnog person myself.)

Believe me. I speak from experience. I remember one Christmas that I spent all alone eating a baloney sandwich.  It’s definitely NOT always the “happiest time of the year.” But remember–this too shall pass. Maybe not next year, maybe not even the year after that, but at some point, the grass does get greener.

GLITZ DAY–What Is It And How Did It Begin?

Photo from

Many years ago, a group of women were sitting around a lunchroom table bemoaning the fact that they had to work on Christmas Eve. No one was completely prepared for the “big” day and there was so little time left. The stress levels at that table were enormous.

We sat silently for a while, each of us stewing in our own personal pressure cooker, when a light bulb went off in my head. “Why don’t we dress up that day in some of our most exciting clothes. We’ll transform the day into a festivity–something to look forward to instead of a day to be dreaded.” After a moment, I added, ” We can call it Glitz Day.”

The rest of the conversation around the table that day went something like this.

“What do you mean by exciting clothes? There is no excitement hanging  in my closet.”

“Yes, there is. Remember that blue satin blouse you wear occasionally? That’s exciting.”

“What about me? The only colors in my closet are black, beige and brown.”

“The stores are stocked with beaded Christmas t-shirts and sweaters at this time of year. It won’t be hard to glitz-up.”

“And I have all those Mardi Gras necklaces. I could bring in a bunch of them and share.”

“Let’s do it! We’ll make Christmas Eve at the workplace sparkle and shine: silk, satin, sequins and beads. It will be fun.”

And so, Glitz Day was born.

Since that initial conversation, I’ve moved on to three other jobs. But Glitz Day lives on. Once a year, I get an email from one of the original ladies who sat in on that lunchtime discussion. She writes to say hello and to let me know that Glitz Day is still alive and well with more and more participation each year.

So, are you working on Christmas Eve? Shake off the tension. Make it a Glitz Day. Seeing people pass by your workspace decked out in glitter makes the work seem lighter. Try it.

Turn Signals May Be Detrimental To Your Health

Not using them, that is!

Why have so many people stopped using turn signals? Too lazy? Or maybe cutting cars off is more macho? I don’t know. What I do know is blood pressure rises when the car in front of you brakes to make a turn, or swerves into your lane without signaling.

Aside from raising your blood pressure, the “no turn signal” habit can kill you.

A lot of people feel the same way. See Ed’s Thoughts On Life

I don’t care who you are, where you’re driving, who’s around you or any other excuse you might give, if you don’t use your turn signal when driving your vehicle you make the roads a little bit less safe. On city and country roads – okay maybe you can have a little lea-way, but for gosh sake when driving on the highway, use your friggin’ turn signal!

The last time I bought a new car, the turn signals weren’t part of an optional package. All cars come equipped with turn signals. They’re meant to be used. They’re not an option.

Tension and anxiety levels in our society are on the rise. Stressful situations already abound in our fast-paced lives, why add to the pressure cooker?  Clogteachr doesn’t like sharing the road with the “crazies,” either.

Are these really an option when it comes time to purchasing a car? You would think so. It is just polite to use them … I mean how else are we to know that you want to turn?

Of course if the police don’t even use their signals why should the general public. You can get a ticket for not using one.

I was watching the movie “Shoot ’em Up” (with Clive Owen) this weekend and the director made a point about this. You only have to move your finger a half an inch to signal you are changing lanes … so come on people be connsiderate …

A half an inch–with one finger–is all it takes. If everyone used signals there would be less of this,

And more of this.

Photo from

Hospital

Frances Ellen is in the hospital.  Visit the site next week for an update.

What Does Chewing Gum & A Mental Disorder Have In Common

I guess I’m stuck in some frivolous time warp because this week I’m going to discuss chewing gum. Did you know that if you want to chew gum nowadays, most of the gum on the market contains aspartame? This applies to all chewing gums, not only sugar-free gum.

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View From My Balcony

It’s important to get rid of your mental noise once in a while, and you don’t need a balcony or a pier to do that. We’re all so busy, it’s hard to remember to take time out for quiet. Fortunately, it takes very little forethought to take an adult “time out.” For instance, try this some Saturday morning.

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At Your Own Risk

Last Wednesday, March 19th, I took part in a Telephone Conference sponsored by the Breast Cancer Fund. They had just released their latest report showing the connection between the Environment and Breast Cancer. One of the points I found most troubling was the undeniable fact that early exposure to toxic chemicals increases one’s risk of contracting cancer as an adult.

The Breast Cancer Website not only lists its findings, but it also lists Federal and State Recommendations to put into place in an effort to make our environment cleaner and safer. Although there are some strong advocates in Congress; Rep. Louise Slaughter, Sen. Orrin Hatch, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Hillary Clinton, to name a few, it should come as no great shock that the amount of time it takes Congress to enact laws, especially those having to do with the environment, could take years.

Therefore, I suggest starting at the ground level–in your own home.

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Arthritis Of The Eye

Can you believe there is such a thing as Arthritis of the Eye? Well, there is and I’ve got it.

The eye’s version of arthritis is call Uveitis. Some doctors believe it follows an infection of some type, but if you suffer from arthritis, it almost certainly is related. And it’s hard to diagnose. This is the fourth time I’ve experienced an outbreak, but it wasn’t until the third episode that it was finally diagnosed.

…This can be confounding to the patient and the doctor when the infection has long passed at the time of presentation with arthritis or eye inflammation…

Surprisingly, it even has political overtones–who would’ve thought!

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Hatha Yoga Or A Pedicure

I got it into my head that I should try yoga. Pretty much, the only things I know about yoga are, it’s a form of relaxation, it helps with flexibility, it’s good for one’s balance and it doesn’t require me to bounce around too much.

I had one problem with the yoga class; it’s held at my local hospital for the 55+ gang on Tuesday evenings and, as it happened, I had an appointment to get a pedicure last Tuesday. Pretty much, what I know about pedicures is it’s a form of relaxation, your feet and legs receive a massage and it, too, requires no bouncing.

Hmm. What to choose, what to choose…  

 

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Candy Cigarettes

 I like to write “remember when” essays, and yesterday I got to thinking about penny candy and how wonderful it felt to buy a handful of candy with a few copper pennies. One of my favorites was candy cigarettes: all sugar, shaped like a real cigarette with one tip painted red.

It was my intention to go on the web and find a picture of the candy to attach to this post. Imagine my surprise to find that candy cigarettes are a very controversial topic. Who knew?

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Cotton Candy

I have “cotton candy hair.” I don’t mean to imply my hair is pastel pink or blue. What I’m saying is, my hair has lost all semblance of what is commonly known as “body.” When I watch shampoo commercials on TV and the model’s lustrous hair is bouncing and flowing from side to side in slow motion, I lick my lips, sigh deeply, and force myself to get a grip. The reality is there is no shampoo on the face of this planet that is going to change the fact that I have cotton candy hair.

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