My Daughters Birthday 10/19

Every year I write something to my children on their birthday. It's Rebekah's birthday today and in looking back on my 29 years with her I realize just how blessed I have been that God chose to allow me to raise this remarkable woman. She is goal directed in her desire to advance her nursing degree and I have seen her struggle with assignments that I would have just tossed in the towel. Becky the words I love you are easily said but they come so deeply from my heart. You are loved unconditionally every day in every way. I love your sense of honor, your outlook on life, your dedication to your profession, your faith in God, your understanding in all things. We have grown to the point where I seek your council in many things because your perspective is fresh, honest and on target. I benefit from your patience. Stay as you are my baby girl and know that I love you more than all the stars in the sky and the grass in the ground.
love mama

Joshua and the B.O.B.

I shared a link on my face book page about a baby who happened to have a BOB(battery operated boyfriend) mixed in with his toys. It was pretty funny till you think about who put it there and why on earth they let the baby play with it.. but i digress. Anyway it reminded me of when Josh was a toddler. Joshua was just 3 when Stan and I got married. I worked on Life Flight in Pensacola, Florida with a bunch of really great, irreverent nurses and pilots. They had a wedding shower for me and I got all kinds of useful things.... the best being a case of Tanqueray Gin and some girly stuff. The last thing I unwrapped was a vibrator. I still remember them all sitting there waiting for my reaction. I was pretty embarrassed because I had never seen one before( I didn't get out much) Well when I got home I was going to throw it out.. then got concerned because someone might know that the trash was mine and "what would they think"? I buried it in my underwear draw and forgot about it. It was a different time my faithful two readers and "Sex in the City" would have been outlawed let alone given Emmys. I refused to tell Stan about it. We could be sexually liberated but still prudish. When Stan and I got ready for our move to Tulsa I was going thru my clothes and saw the B.O.B. Again what to do with the thing. I kept it in the drawer and planned on throwing it out when we got to Tulsa(I really planned on driving behind some store and throwing it in a dumpster..after wiping off my prints). We moved to a condo development and settled in. About 2 weeks after we moved I had been downstairs unpacking and realized I hadn't heard from Joshua and went upstairs to look. I couldn't find him and went outside and he was gone. I was frantic and went door to door looking for him. He was around the block in our backyard neighbor's home. This was someone I hadn't met yet and when she opened the door I told her who I was and that my son was missing. She looked at me for the longest time and then said, over her shoulder, "Joshua your mommas here for you" Up popped Joshua and I enveloped him in a hug and told him he had to go home because he left without permission. As we walked out the door she stopped us and said "Joshua, don't forget your toy". In he ran and came back with that damn vibrator dragging on the floor behind him. It actually was long enough it bounced on the floor while he walked. I was horrified.

"Who does that belong to" I asked my son...

Joshua responded "it's yurs mommy"

"Oh no it isn't" I replied with bravado.

"Yes it is mommy it was in yur nunderwear drawer...and looky it goes vrrrroomm" (as he turned it on.

We are so "enlightened" today so you cannot know just how bad this was. I loaded up the car with Joshua and the Vibrator and drove about 20 miles from my condo and threw the B.O.B. away in a dumpster. I know that of all the wonderful neighbors we had in the condo community, the backyard neighbor was not one of them. She pretty much snubbed us.... and I was glad.

Fat, the Government and a GREAT Email from my NP A. Guidry, RN

Hi there blog I haven't written in a while. I have been watching the news avidly as our country is going down the tubes. We have elections coming up and as a nation we need to not vote for a party(whether TEA, Democratic, or Republican)as much as vote for the appropriate persons who will bring our country back on track. Obama is a failure as a president. He continues to blame Bush for the mess that he has put this country in. It is time to stop the handouts, the giveaways and the attempt of our current administration to make us all dependent on the government for our health, home and food. We CANNOT just sit by and watch Washington move into our homes and tell us how much of our own money we get to keep, and legislate our food intake and access to our own physician. Chubby people out there who happen to be reading this blog take note: as of 2014 your hospital and doctor will have to submit your BMI(body mass index)to an UNNAMED collector in Washington(maybe CDC) If they don't comply and have all your information on electronic medical records they will be punished by the amount of reimbursements they will receive. What the hell do they want my abundant BMI for?? Well it's not a stretch to believe that we will be taxed, pay higher insurance fees, or have our fast food selections limited to what they feel is more appropriate for our size. My mind goes to other punishments as well but most would view me as being paranoid. Anyone who doesn't feel this is an invasion of our privacy, our doctor patient relationship and a risk to our personal freedoms is either living in the woods without access to the news or is just plain stupid. We are a nation of fat people and fat causes increased health care costs... I understand that but I do not want anyone from Washington to have access to just how big my Grannie panties are. EMRs(electronic medical records) will be totally secret and protected...ummmhummm... well my totally smart nephew Kryss could probably hack into the system without breaking a sweat.

My awesome health care provider A. Guidry,NP(anyone needing a referral to she or her partner K. Sonnier just let me know.. they are the best) sent me an email and I have copied for this blog.. it is so true:

These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read:
1)You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2)What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3)The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4)When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.

5)You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.
Political Science 101

End of Lesson.....Test to follow in November

Nine Years Ago Today

Every year on this date since 2001 I watch TV and I am transfixed by the images of the attack on the World Trade Center. Radical Muslims on suicide missions changed us. I find myself waiting for the next attack, the next horror to be visited on this country that I so love. It changed the way I live my life. I do not like to fly and I avoid huge gatherings. If given tickets to the Superbowl, I would not attend. I find myself thinking that an attack there would be the perfect venue to demoralize us even further. These men believed that by killing innocent Americans their way would be paved to their heaven. Good luck with that. I work on not allowing myself to live in fear and I work on my anger against a religion that mandates wholesale slaughter as a religious right against those who don't believe as they do. We are a nation of differences and as Christians we have our loonies as well. I don't do fanatics of any culture or religion. I do not want the Mosque built near ground Zero. Go Away. If you really really really wanted unity you would go elsewhere and not build your mosque, this shrine that honors those crazy zealots, because that is what it is all about. You would want to take into consideration the pain, suffering, and memories of the 9/11 survivors. That is what a Christian would do.

Pain the New Vital Sign

As nurses we assess patients as they come into the ER. Vital signs, physical evaluation and history of illness are initially done to assess the urgency of the problem. We also assess the pain level the severity in which is measured on a scale from one to ten. Ten is of course the most severe. This is done so that when we administer something for pain after a 30 min. wait we can reassess your response to what we have given you. I have addressed the issue of behavior in the ER but really, if you are coming in complaining of 10/10 pain and you have had it for over a week and have taken NOTHING for it, then don't expect us to really believe you. Especially when you are giggling with your pals while you wait.
When you hit the triage door with a splinter in your finger and you wail around like you got hit by a car we have trouble understanding. Pain is relative to the person who is experiencing it and to his/her personal weenie level. I gave a shot to a 3 year old who never moved and said a mild "ouch" and in the next hour gave a shot to a 30 year old man who screamed like I was yanking his lips over his forehead. It kinda sounded just like this... if you can imagine the voice raising and lowering:ohmygodjesushelpMEEEEEEEEohshitwhatinHELLyougotinthatohJESUSsave MEohohohohohSHIT.
Having experienced pain at different times of my life I want to yell at some of these drama queens(and kings) "you want to talk about pain... I tell you what pain is: Pain is a 9lb+ and a 10lb+ baby coming out of a narrow canal(not so narrow anymore.ha)with heads that feel the size of a cantaloupe WITHOUT ANESTHESIA. So bite me. I am a nurse therefore I am naturally compassionate. NOT. I have to work on it everyday. Each day someone comes and sits in my triage chair with a story and it is usually about pain. Honestly I have to stop myself from comparing their pain with some of the stuff I have been thru or comparing with other patients who live in pain daily without a complaint. Each person deserves to be evaluated by himself without the collective history of previous patients and my own experience. Do not think this gives you a pass however when you tell me that you have lived in severe pain for 2 weeks without A) calling your own MD B) without trying to relieve it yourself with ANYTHING over the counter C)while laughing and yuking it up with your friends D)complaining about your severe pain while putting on your mascara in the triage chair telling me that you been crying for days with the agony and lastly don't think I will let you pass without question when you complain of 10/10 pain while telling me you have to be seen right away because you have a date.

Dinner 100.00 Entertainment Free

I wasn't sure whether this should be on my diet blog or on this one. Obviously this won. I took 4 people out to dinner tonight at my favorite restaurant to thank them for helping Joshua paint his old studio. More at a later date on the new studio. Anyway we had 2 pitchers of margaritas between us and I cut myself off as soon as the tip of nose got numb. We had a great dinner and better conversation. I sat for a while sipping water so I swear to you that I was sober leaving. The place was packed and I was working my way between tables and was going between two large tables that each had a toddler sitting in the isle between the tables. They were sitting in one of those low wooden high chairs. You guessed it. I took them both out. My foot caught on one of the legs and I went sailing. I caught both chairs before they tipped over but managed to knock the crap out of both kids. Both of the toddlers were sufficiently terrorized enough that they hadn't had the time to start screaming. They both just looked at me.. the little girl had glasses on that were knocked askew and she was just staring at me with her horrified wide blue eyes. I apologized repeatedly and took off and about 10 feet later the screaming commenced. Oh. My. Goodness. I can't go anywhere. I trip all the time. I can only hope that no one knew me and I sure will not be going back there for a while. Maybe 10 years or so.

Racial Discrimination, Terrorists

During the 2008 election at a Philadelphia polling place two members of the Black Panthers stood outside by the door in their uniform, one had a night stick. They were intimidating to the voters. They were caught on film. Nothing has ever been done to either offender except that the leader, one Minister King Shabazz is not allowed near a polling place. The Justice Department lead by our own Eric Holder has put a stop to the career lawyers who recommended the case be tried and put a gag order on them as well. Now if I wore a white robe(sheet) with a red cross and a hood and plunked my butt ACROSS(not even in front of) from a polling place, I promise you I would be currently getting three hots and a cot in a jail somewhere. Please understand me I am against ALL forms of racial discrimination.

Years ago when we had a governor's race here in Louisiana between David Duke, an avowed member of the KKK and Edwin Edwards, who on national TV admitted to graft and corruption(rather proudly I might add)ran against each other. Well Edwards won and I happily voted for him. We are used to our crooks down here but we don't like racists at all. Well after Minister Shabazz was in the news they had him on TV news at a Philadelphia festival stating the following(this is the EXACT words) "I hate white people. All of them! Every last iota of a cracker, I hate him! You want freedom? You're going to have to kill some crackers! You're going to have kill some of their babies." Boy that makes me just warm and fuzzy. He is a member in good standing with the Black Panthers. If a white member of the KKK got on TV and said that Eric Holder would be wetting his drawers trying to find something to jail him on.
Michelle Obama gave the keynote address to the NAACP this last week. She was credited as talking against the Tea Party and that is untrue. That was entirely the NAACP leaders who spoke against the group. Michelle spoke about her Let's Move project on childhood obesity. She did speak about the inequalities by saying: "stubborn inequalities still persist -- in education and health, in income and wealth -- I think those founders would urge us to increase our intensity, and to increase our discipline and our focus and keep fighting for a better future for our children and our grandchildren"

I don't think she realizes that the very people she is speaking of have been taken care of by the government for so long that their desire to improve their lifestyle has been dampened. Down here it's not unusual to see 14,15, and 16 year old mothers(on their second child). They can't work because "I have to take care of my babies".
And going back to previous blogs by saying giving a group of people MY MONEY to equalize the inequality in income and wealth is not going to make said people jump up and get a job. What needs to be done is that the money given by the government needs to be attached to a work program. We need to develop a work ethic that is so very absent. Here in Louisiana a bill was introduced to attach welfare checks to a drug test. This would dump an untold amount of people off the welfare rolls. This is not prescribed medication but presence of illegal drugs that would be in question. Moot point anyway because it got voted down.

Mr. Obama came out on the news about the terrorist attacks in Uganda that killed multiple innocents watching the World Cup Soccer finals. He is quoted saying "What you’ve seen in some of the statements that have been made by these terrorist organizations is that they do not regard African life as valuable in and of itself. They see it as a potential place where you can carry out ideological battles that kill innocents without regard to long-term consequences for their short-term tactical gains." He also stated that ...Al-Qaeda is a racist organization that has no value for African life". Hello Al-Qaeda has no use for any race that does not value their way of life and worship. What does he think is happening over here to all races. We are fighting a war on terrorism here and abroad. Obama has consistantly avoided the use of the term 'war on terror'.
I pray for the safty and health of our President daily despite that fact that I don't agree with practically everything he stands for. My displeasure at his policies and where he is leading our country will be shown at the voting booth where as an American my voice will be heard.