Tuesday, November 29, 2005

uh-oh..maybe I should get 2?

For those of you who don't know, I have a deadly allergy to nuts. I was surfing MSNBC today and oh my. Some people don't get it..they think..allergy=pop a claritin or allegra and you will be fine.


Maybe I should get another epi-pen?

"SAGUENAY, Quebec - A 15-year-old girl with a peanut allergy died after
kissing her boyfriend, who had just eaten a peanut butter snack, hospital
officials said Monday.


Christina Desforges died in a Quebec hospital
Wednesday after doctors were unable to treat her allergic reaction to the kiss
the previous weekend.


Desforges, who lived in Saguenay, about 155 miles north
of Quebec City, was almost immediately given a shot of adrenaline, a standard
tool for treating the anaphylactic shock brought on by a peanut allergy,
officials said...."

Damn you Paul Simon!!

Okay..strange title I know. But all that was going through my head today was Simon and Garfunkle's "Sound of Silence". It was kind of ironic actually. Okay morbid. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know about the upteenmillion doctor's I have had to go see and the bazillion tests I have had to figure out why the hell my white blood cell count is over 100% higher than it should be. Yep, you guessed it..I had another test today. Let me just say that at least this internal specialist was honest with me when she said "This will hurt." No sugar coated "you may experience mild discomfort" crap. When a doctor says "you may experience mild discomfort", they mean pain. Plain and simple...pain.

...so back to Morbid. The test I had was a bone marrow test. The doctor who is treating me speaks English beautifully, but she wanted me to be sure I understood the test, so she asked me to look it up and make sure her description matched the one I found. Gotta love WebMD : "A bone marrow biopsy uses a special tool that twists into the bone. You may feel pressure at the site and hear a crunching sound as the tool twists into the bone " CRUNCHING?!?!?! CRUNCHING?!?! What the fuck!!?! (pardon my language). Not only that...I get the extra special: "In rare cases, a fluid sample is removed from the breastbone.."

And then I see this part about possible Risks: "Injury to your heart, a lung, or a major blood vessel if the sample is taken from the breastbone (sternum). However, most bone marrow samples are not taken from the breastbone, so this problem is not common. " - tell that to my sternum buddy!

Yes folks, they twisted a giant frickin pointy metal tube into my sternum this morning and then stuck a frickin long ass needle and pointy other thing and snipped and sucked out stuff that shouldn't be on the outside of ANYONE's body at any time. Not only that, the first sample wasn't enough..they had to do it TWICE! Lemme just tell ya..that shit don't tickle.

The whole time...I am hearing the crunching noise of my breastbone being drilled into fucking Paul Simon singing "..it's the sound...of Silence.." is going through my fucking head! This test hurt like a mo-fo and now I have this strange sensation of my sternum weighing MORE than it did before not to mention a nice hole in the middle of my chest. Doc says it's normal. Okay so was my Pulp Fiction-type nightmare -complete with John Travolta slamming one giagundo frickin needle in to my chest normal too?

...right...results on the 13th of December...

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

And to think I used to be a Catholic

This just in from CNN:

(CNN) -- In an eagerly awaited document, the Vatican has
reiterated its policy against gay priests, but has said it would allow those who
have "clearly overcome" homosexual tendencies to start the process of becoming a
priest.
In spelling out its position on Tuesday, the Vatican office that
deals with education within the Catholic Church made a distinction between
deep-seated homosexual tendencies and what it called "the expression of a
transitory problem."
"The Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in
question, cannot admit to the Seminary and to Holy Orders those who practice
homosexuality, present deeply rooted homosexual tendencies or support the
so-called gay culture," the document said.
But the document said when
"homosexual tendencies are only the expression of a transitory problem ... these
must be clearly overcome at least three years prior to diaconate
ordination." (see CNN for the complete article)
Okay.."overcome" homosexual tendencies....isn't that what the majority of gay priests have done? Those gay priests who keep their vow of celebacy have "overcome" right? They do not violate their vow, they do not have sex with other men, they preside over mass, hear confessions, perform sacraments, advise, comfort, listen....in other words they are a Priest! How can the Vatican honestly think that a priest who is gay and is keeping his vow of celebacy HASN'T "overcome". Straight priests "overcome" their heterosexual tendencies when they take the same vow for christ's sake! (pun intended). They can't take a gay man who has been sexually active (ie. practice homosexuality) but they can take a straight man who has been active but who also now hears the higher calling of God? The Church has always taught since the First Century of the 20th Century that homosexuality, aside from being a grave sin, is also "..an intrinsic disorder. A psychosexual disorder." So if we go along those thoughts, there are many priests with psychological disorders - depression. anxiety, complusion, bi-polar disorder - just to name a few, but they don't try to root out those individuals do they? I have priests in my family and while I have the greatest respect for their faith and dedication to their vocation, I personally don't really care if they are gay or straight. When a priest is ordained, he takes a vow of celebacy. How can a "psychosexual" disorder such as homosexuality even be relevant if the vow is upheld. Isn't it just as bad for a priest to violate his vow either way? Or is it more forgivable if he beds one of his female parishoners or better yet, Sister Mary Whatshername from the convent next door? Having sexual thoughts outside of wedlock is considered sinful in any form. Does the Vatican really think that the straight priests don't have a randy fantasy every now and again? Gimme a break.
Oh..and while I am at it..what the hell is a "transitory problem" as related to homosexuality? Seriously. I mean transitory...hmmm...does that mean transitioning from having sex with someone of the same gender to abstaining? Does it mean like, the visit to the gay bar on Friday was a transitory one so I am not really gay? I don't know any true homosexual, who identifies as a homosexual, that would ever say it is a "transitory" condition or problem. It isn't like they are gonna wake up in the morning tomorrow and say .. "Hmm..now I prefer women". Bi-sexuality is a different animal altogether. Does this tranistory problem mean that they transition from gay to straight and back again? Now, before you get all nasty with me, I know damned well what the definition of transitory is. I just can't believe the Church thinks being gay can be transitory. Of course I also can't believe the Church thinks that being gay is a choice.....
...oh yeah...sorry for not posting for a while...I have been hella busy.... So Hei to Hale and Mira, Suga to Sug, HI! to Sarah, Kristin, Mel, Duane, Laura, John, Patricia, Bryan (who I am sure doesn't read this), etc..etc... and so on...

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

My unpopular opinion?

From YLE the state news agency here in Finland:


Government Debates Fertility Rights Proposal
Published 09.11.2005, 09.49

The government begins grappling with its policies for fertility treatments on Wednesday. A controversial proposal by the Ministry of Justice would grant treatments to single women and lesbian couples, and make it easier to trace the identity of sperm and egg donors. The plan was written up by previous Justice Minister Johannes Koskinen, but is now being presented by his successor, Leena Luhtanen. After government ministers debate the proposal, it will be sent on to Parliament for consideration.The plan would allow married and single women, as well as lesbian couples, to seek state-sponsored fertility treatments and in-vitro fertilisation. The plan also loosens restrictions on the privacy of sperm and egg donors. If approved, the law would make it possible for people to find out the identity of their biological parents once they reached the age of 18. The government has been trying to put together some guidelines for fertility treatments off and on for the past 20 years. The previous attempt in 2003 failed over the question of whether sperm donors can be traced by their biological children.

Now, I am all for the right for women to try IVF and aritificial insemination no matter what their sexual orientation or marrital status is. What I am a bit concerned with is the privacy of the donor of the sperm. I am not so sure, if I were a guy (and thankfully I am not), that I would want an 18 year old popping up on my doorstep sayin "I am your child." .... It is a tough position to take, but I would vote for keeping the anonymous donor anonymous. I know it is probably an unpopular view, but if the child was conceived out of love and is raised knowing how he/she came into the world then I don't see how giving them the identity of the man who donated sperm is going to make a difference to them.

just sayin...

Monday, November 07, 2005

Dinner parties

Right, so I remember as a child when my parents would have a dinner party. They would be happy and the time was where their friends would arrive dressed up an looking sophisticated. My little green eyes would spy them from the bannister, women dressed in their skirts and sweater sets and their dates/husbands in crisply ironed white dress shirts and creases in their trousers so sharp they looked as though they could slice paper. Everyone looked so sophisticated with their gimlets and stingers...

Grown up me... Dinner parties are fun..but work... Especially if you are invited to a dinner party by new friends and all of a sudden you find yourself in the kitchen cooking the entire meal for 9 people! Isn't the answer to the polite query "Can I help you with anything?" "Not at all, have a glass of wine and relax. Have you met ".... ???????

Seriously..went to a dinner party..asked if there was anything I could do to "help" and the next thing I know I have prepared (chopping appropriate veggies included), Shitake Mushroom Soup, Steamed Veggies, Wild Rice and a lovely pan seared chicken with a spicey honey glaze...

My new friends are soooooo not good at the dinner party thing....

Saturday, November 05, 2005

GRRRR

Okay..in an attempt to stop the spammers from posting how much they love my blog and I should check out their: real estate, single women, mortgage information, animal sitting, knitting etc etc blogs, I have turned on the comment verification feature of this thing... I know it may be inconvenient for all 6 of you who read my blog..but get over it..I am sick of spam

...now for a relaxing breakfast with Mira....TA!!

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Mmmm mannequins

"The whole theme of the display was sadomasochistic and implied
lesbianism…I
felt like I was walking down a street in Amsterdam and watching the
prostitutes sitting in the windows trying to lure in customers. Victoria’s
Secret has pushed the envelope so far, where can they go next? Live sex acts
in
their windows? … We should not have to fear going shopping at a mall…”

--Traditional Values Coalition’s Executive Director Andrea Lafferty,
who,
armed with her camera, waged war on Victoria’s Secret at the Tyson’s
Corner Mall
in McLean, Virginia.


Shopping for underwear with Andrea Lafferty must be like having a root canal!


I don't get what she is so pissed about. A Victoria’s Secret window display, in which two mannequins are spooning in a bed, one mannequin is posed on its hands and knees as if crawling and one is tied up with ropes. Each mannequin is wearing the typical Victoria’s Secret fashion---gasp---unmentionables!!!


Unusual? Yes. But to wage a war on a store for a window display? In fact, I don’t know what’s more bizarre — “lesbian” mannequins slinky undergarments or Christian conservatives taking pictures of “lesbian” mannequins in slinky undergarments.



Next thing you know she will be jumping on that hysterically odd logic train that ultra conservatives seem to ride regularly and propose that "lesbian” mannequins who have “sex” with other “lesbian” mannequins will soon want to have “sex” with “animal” mannequins. Who knows...she may still do just that. Next stop Creepyville. It always amazes me how lesbians or gays getting married or as consenting adults are intimate privately behind closed doors in there home together always gets to the
"animals" stage. Seriously folks, and they say gay people are messed up?!?!?

How do you even determine if a mannequin is a lesbian? Is there a test of some sort that I don't know about?...


Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Feeling Philosophical

"Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil. That sentence is the leper's bell of an approaching looter. "

"So you think that money is the root of all evil. Have you ever asked what is the root of all money? "

- Ayn Rand -

Just cause..