basic human rights?

It's been a LOOOONG time since I posted... more on that later.....

So unbeknownst to me, this is banned book week... I apologize for not being "in the know" but if it doesn't involve human disease process, I'm not reading it these days... Anyway... I was reading an article in the paper this morning regarding banned book week and a program going on at a local college. The main point of interest to me a brief mention of the global discussion suggesting that perhaps the ability to READ should be a basic human right. Never thought about that!!! I did immediately think about all things that the ability to read can bring to a person... skills for employment, access to health information, education helps a woman (or girl) be more selective regarding whom she may choose to marry-- and it's all about choice, if a woman or girl CAN read she is more likely to even have a voice in that decision at all. The ability to read is literally life changing and is more likely to give individuals access to those rights that are already considered to be "basic human rights." What part can I do to bring about this change?

*insert funny aside*

Last Sunday afternoon my boyfriend Sam was here and was enjoying a lazy afternoon surfing the web and watching sports on TV. When he sensed my "jealousy" he commented "this what you get to do when you stick with your original career path!" HAHA... he was teasing me, but there was truth in it. Had I stuck with an original path and not gone back to school, I would have more free time, however, I am optimistic that this time next year, I too will have that free time!

*back to my original point*

When I'm done with school in EIGHT SHORT MONTHS (!!!!!!!!)... I want to give time (and my skills) to enhancing the lives of others... while I have long thought that would involve my health care training... it could involve literacy... I can't expect people to pursue personal wellness, if they can't read.

Parenthetically... I also look forward to reading more in EIGHT SHORT MONTHS (!!!!!!!).... fREADom is one of the rights guaranteed to me by Gramps' sacrifice (1942-1946)

norah jones... slightly modified

Wake me up when it's over,Wake me up when it's done...wake me up when the skies are clearing,When the water is still,'cause I will not watch the ships sail away so,Please say you will.If it were any other day,This wouldn't get the best of me.But today I'm not so strong,So lay me down with a sad song,And when it stops then you know I've been,Gone too long.But don't shake me awake,Don't bend me or I will break,Come find me somewhere between my dreams,With the sun on my face.I will still feel it later on,But for now I'd rather be asleep.

soooo... I'm thinking about a tattoo

I have long thought I would someday get a tattoo and that tattoo would have a decidedly scottish theme to it. I also always assumed I would get it on my foot... the more I thought about it tho... I didn't like it there. As I consider possible locations, I thought the inside of my wrist... can easily be hidden with a watch or bracelet... my foot--harder to hide in sandles. So I was thinking a simple scottish flag. It's 'plain' enough, that it can be done very small... and still look good.



Then a friend found this on line... I REALLY LOVE IT... but it is bigger and therefore... would have to go back to the foot... what to do what to do!?!?!? If I go with the heart and thistle... I think I would likely have it done with less detail... more clean lines... I'd like to hear your thoughts?!



Loyalty Thistle--Modeled after a very old kilt pin, the thistle of Scotland is enclosed within the arms of a heart, a symbol of love for country and kin.

sad... so sad

So here I sit at work in the ER... and there is a very confused, combative elderly man sitting in the waiting room. Apparently he was discharged from here today to go to a nursing home... and when he got there, he was so difficult the facility would not accept him. He has no children and is accompanied by two nieces and a nephew who are clearly beside themselves due to his behavior. He wants to go home. He doesn't understand he doesn't have one. No facility wants to accept him due to his current state. They say that growing old is like becoming a child again bc of the way people devolve back to dependence. So does that mean this man is an orphan? I'm not saying he is easy or not at fault... listening to him for over an hour is like listening to a shrill baby cry. You can't be mad at the child, but you can't really do anything to make it stop either. AYE AYE AYE. What to do... is there an answer here?

More about... blessings...

This is how our blessings come full circle... I'm a little stressed with Gramps stuff and have been stressed over school for a while... one of my biggest supporters... Mrs Kelman. She is a (geriatric) RN... and she always has the best advice and the perfect words of encouragement for school that only a nurse could offer. Well now that we this have health stuff going on with Gramps, she has continually offered to be a resource to me in anyway possible... and a week or so ago sent me the cutest facebook message... entitled "just so you know I'm serious" and she sent her her email, home number, AND cell number!!! Well I just called her, kinda upset, and she knew exactly what information I needed to know and helped me develop a game plan. The gameplan will need continually tweaking, but I have a plan for tomorrow and right now, I need to focus ONLY on tomorrow, not the day after, not a week from now. Why is this woman so kind to me? Well 5 years ago, her daughter, Sarah, was a Resident Assistant working under me at FSU. Well it was Sarah's first year as an RA and it was rough on her bc she was used to going home A LOT, which she could not do with this job. She also had some other transitional stuff she was dealing with... In supporting Sarah and helping her be successful... I was doing what I love-- being a resource (and it was my job too)... but Mrs. K. is still so appreciative of how I worked with her daughter and how I handled the whole situation that she has told me she considers me family and will be there to help in any way I need... One kindness repays another... and the circle continues.


(in the midst of my stress and anxiety,) Thank you God for this good life and forgive me if I do not love it enough.




Sarah got married last year and this is her little guy Caleb;)

old friends....

So my Paternal Grandfather... you know him as Gramps, married my grandmother, Dorthey upon returning from the war... she had a group of girlfriends who kept in touch over the years and while my grandmother passed away in the early 1960s this group of women and their husbands kept Gramps in their circle--his magnetic personality no doubt! One friend in particular was named Phyllis... Gramps was the God Father to one of her daughters and when this woman's father passed away, Gramps would help her mother out. By help her out I mean take her beer and throw a few back;) HAHA, I'm sure he did other things as well... Mrs. Stone lives in Erie PA, but keeps in touch with Gramps... So she and daughter Sande (the God Daughter) came to see Gramps last week. Here are the pics... How fun to meet a dear old friend of my grandparents... It's funny, Mrs. Stone is a very conservative old fashioned lady... she does not take well to Gramps' dirty jokes or swearing of any kind really... Typically she would just hang up on him. The funny part... she always came around and they have remained friends!

Is it true... have I really been this blessed today and it's only 12:54?

These are the blessings I have seen in my life today:
1. A casual friend from nursing school contacted me to buy tickets for a fund raiser that is near and dear to my heart.
2. A friend I only met in late fall (at the gym) texted me to check on Gramps... she has never met him and we have never even hung out together outside the gym... but her genuine concern (and enthusiasm for his progress) brought tears to my eyes.
3. A coworker gave up a vacation day so that the person covering her, could cover me, so I can be off the day Gramps gets out of rehab.
4. A friend, who happens to be my hair dresser, showed concern for my physical health, spiritual health, hair health today. To really top it off... she is now managing my basic car maintenance and road side safety--did I mention she was late for work to do it?
5. I paid off a credit card in January and of course there was the hidden $1.57 that they didn't tell me about that went into an obscene amount of late fees. I called the company today ... not only are they reversing all the fees... they took it off my credit report as well... what!?!?!?! I never get this lucky...

I'm looking forward to seeing gramps still today... anytime spent with him is a blessing... I love him so much and he loves me!

What did you get for Christmas?

I am coming of a great couple of days away... so I don't want to seem like a downer... but it's something that has been on my mind for a while...

A dear friend of mine from nursing school was offered her dream job about a month ago. It was an internship for new nurses that would augment her formal nursing education while allowing her develop practical, on the job, skills. It was a competitive application process... but I have to say, I was not surprised AT ALL when she was selected. She is bright, kind, sweet, thinks well on her feet, has a comforting smile and a very sweet nature. Really, all the qualities you could want in a nurse. A few days ago she got "the call." Due to budgets, blah blah blah blah, the program had been cut. Not only did she lose her dream job before it started, she lost her job in a very tight market. Whatever they have told about a nursing shortage is not true in Buffalo, NY currently. Through the tears and disappointment she texted me "I feel like I got my favorite Christmas present and someone returned it on me."

That is the where the object lesson ends... bc I'm not going to belittle my friend's disappointment by comparing it to other experiences or "lessons learned" in life. It's just that her analogy made me think. How often are we disappointed and what do we do with that disappointment in life? How often do we feel like someone returned our gift without our permission? I can point to different chapters in my life and examples of how I handled disappointment differently every time. What is that quote? Something like "Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you respond." While I can see validity to that, I know that I handle these "happenings" differently depending upon my other circumstances.

A dear friend recently gave me the kick in the pants I needed. I think others may have tried, but I was not ready to hear them. I wanted to wallow in certain disappointment, but P, as I will call her, would not allow that. I have had wallowing time and she told me in no uncertain terms, it's move-on time now. She reminded me that while the things that happen to us are not always fair, they become our reality and we must decide how to manage the let down. Thank GOD, for friends like P!

SO MUCH to catch up on... so I have been avoiding writing... but I can't wait... I have to tell you... I'm at my friend Pam's for a couple of days and we are crafting on her (enclosed) porch ALL DAY long and our friend Sandi is here... it's raining and we're listening to Nora Jones... can you say euphoria!?!?!?!?

This SHOULD be dated May 31...

My friend Lesley visited from Florida this weekend... lots of fun showing her the B-lo... we hit up Chef's, the falls, the red pepper, saw SATC2... and laughed a ton. Oh, and some of those laughs came when I forced her against her will to craft;)

Chef's... need I say anything else?
We loved Zilly Cakes... if you're in the B-Lo--check it out... down on Elmwood.
The perfect perch at Niagara Falls for picture taking:)

I've gotta get better at this blogging thing....

I'm headed out to Washington DC with my gramps tomorrow... So I'm sure I'll have some great pics to post and some funny quote to share... until then... a few cards I have recently made:)

Thanks Tahoe

In the fall of '01 I met a co worker who I will refer to as Tahoe, due to his affection for the Chevy Tahoe he drove at the time. One day, Tahoe and I were talking in one of our offices, about grad school. I was 24/25 ish.... and I was complaining that if I did go to grad school... I would not be done until I was 28... the shock and horror bc apparently 28 is old?!?!?! Tahoe looked at me and said "Heth, you're going 28 one day, one way or another. You might as well have a master's too." As soon as the angels finish singing the Hallelujah chorus, I enrolled in graduate school. I have never regretted taking Tahoe's advice. Today, I heard a couple of women, 50ish discussing certain pursuits they felt they were too old for. Pursuits that would enhance their lives for AT LEAST another 20 years. SO SO sad. Thanks Tahoe... that will never be me.

a old favorite... with new meaning...

So at work, I listen to pandora the ENTIRE shift... what can I say, I have agreeable coworkers. My current station plays a lot of DMB. I have heard this song several times, but didn't realize I had it on my computer until tonight... and I have listen to it over and over and over again this evening. I met an old for drinks this week... and it was so ... refreshing... comforting... what I needed. We shared our thoughts, experiences, and perhaps misadventures of last 10-15 years. And what I took away from it is difficult to articulate. But it was good and soothing. This song sums up my current feelings...

My best friend... my Gramps:)

They call them the greatest generation.... regardless of what generation he is from, my Gramps is the greatest man I know. This is a clip from the local news station regarding Honor Flight. It's a non-profit organization that takes vets to DC to see their war memorials. It is free to all vets and no one is turned away regardless of medical condition. Isn't he precious?

Everybody Loves a Polish Girl!!!

I have, for a long time, been a Stampin' Up! gal... while I still love and sell SU!, I'm branching out a little. Want to get more in destressing and altering items. I bought a box of a couple 100 random postage stamps. All international, all post marked. It arrived this week and I found a couple of polish stamps... so I decided to make cards for my favorite polish girls in Chicago... Hope they 'em:) (it's kind of hard to tell, but on the bottom card, that is a little cupid charm)...

take me out to the ball game

This is my friend Aggie... probably the funniest person I know. On a recent trip to Chicago, I got to attend a Cubs game with her. Yesterday I was at the grocery store wearing my Cubs hoodie sweatshirt... A man in line said "how are those Cubs doing?" I looked at him confused and said "I don't really like baseball... I just love wrigley field." He laughed. Long and hard.

hot mama

This is a pic of my friend Sara and I when I recently visited her for her baby shower:)

Happy Mothering Day

So Mother's Day and Father's Day have long been awkward times for me...as I don't have the "traditional" mother and father.... I have many people who fill components of parents... but have never had parents as we understand them in western culture. That is always a little ... um, well, awkward to discuss initially with people, bc THEY don't necessarily know what to say. Most think they should apologize with the "I'm sorry to hear that." That's nice of you to say.... but it just makes the conversation stiff. Just move on and say or ask other things you would like to say or ask. However this isn't my point, my point is to talk about all the people that mother us. When we hear 'mother' I think our first thought is the woman who lived in our house growing up, be it biological, adoptive, step-, or even grand-. I'm not talking about the noun though. I'm talking about the verb. When you mother someone, you see that their needs are met... physically, spiritually, emotionally... and you often see to it that they stay out of harm's way. How you do that changes as the child grows and matures. A mother of a toddler starts with a slap on the hand for getting too close to the hot stove, but the mother of a college student offers advice on making healthy choices (and I have found too, that most moms pray--whether or not they believed in a higher power prior to the birth of a child). The way a person mothers changes as mother and child mature and as life changes.

I am have been blessed to have many women in my life who love me and provide much emotional support. Incidentally, should they ever read this, the first to come to mind are my beloved Losers--that's right ladies, you're capital L losers.

What I have recently found to be wonderful though, is that while I have the mothers of my friends, youth leaders, and older friends (I am often drawn to friendships with women 10-20+ years older than me), peers often mother us as well... today I posted the following on my facebook "I have been thinking.....the friendships of women are very special... unlike any other connection.... sometimes even a peer can wrap her arms around you and make the monsters under the bed go away... she can cheer for you when it seems like no one else in your section is cheering... and she can give you a good swift kick in the pants when you need it most.... I think all women mother other women in a way which they might never understand or acknowledge...". Well at this point, it's after midnight, so it's no longer Mother's day... can we call the Monday after Mother's Day, Mothering Day? Regardless of whether you have/ still have your biological mother in your life... be sure to pause and consider ALL those who mother you, who bring you comfort, support, or honesty... and just like Mom, remember to tell them all year long... not only one day of the year:).

Some day I'll change the layout

OH. MY. WORD. Am I finally starting this thing? I have so much to say right now because I guess I feel like this has to be some grand introduction to the world... HEY WORLD, I'M BLOGGING... what do you think of that? I always thought I was above twitter, or tweeting, as the case may be, but the last couple of days, I apparently have been posting "tweet like" comments on my FB... WHO DO I THINK I AM?... that world cares about every thought that flutters in and out of my mind? Well my friends comment, so I guess they think I'm funny... LOL. What is the point of this blog, you may ask yourself? Dunno.

I feel like I need a theme... but I can't narrow it down... so, if you should choose to read this... you can expect a few topics...
1. Pictures of my crafting
2. Pictures of friends and I where I say, wow, that's a good pic of me, i'm going to post it.
3. Musings about love and dating. Well, right now, I'm officially on a "break" from dating... aye aye aye is all I can say there. Although I'm on a break, if you just happen to know a cute single fella, over 6', darkish hair, knows there is a world beyond the end of his driveway, smart, kinda geeky, and sweet... send him my e-mail--shoot, send him to my house.
4. The pursuit of healthier living
5. Nursing school/ health care
6. Random graphically personal stories... since I'm in nurseing school, I have lost any filter I had about bodies and nature... let me know if you want to hear my most recent adventure in menses.

PLEASE DON'T JUDGE MY OVERUSE AND ABUSE OF THE ELYSIS. I LOVE DOTS AND REFLECTING IN STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS.

OK, I think I'm going to hit publish post and see how this little ditty turned out...