Archive for November, 2008


>With the month of November in full swing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is asking for your help in creating awareness about the leading cancer killer of both American men and women.

Based on well-documented associations between workplace exposures and cancer, it is estimated that 20,000 people die each year from different types of cancer that can be attributed to exposure in the workplace. Here are some ways the CDC suggests that you can help raise awareness not just about lung cancer but all types of cancer:

• Talk. This is the easiest way to help. Talk with your friends, neighbors and colleagues. Let them know about cancer, signs for early detection and the importance of yearly exams with your doctor.

• Write. Send a letter, e-mail or fax to local legislators and ask them to increase funding for cancer research.

• Get Involved. Participate in a cancer-awareness event in your area or provide educational material to your local hospital, clinic or health fair.

• Purchase cancer awareness materials that contribute proceeds to charities or organizations that help with cancer awareness or research.

For more information on Lung Cancer Awareness Month, visit the CDC Web site.

Click here for Radon testing kits.

>Sometimes

>Sometimes I feel like an idiot. Right now is one of those times. What causes these episodes? Little things, like yesterday I forgot my make-up and protein water and today I again forgot to grab a protein water and my cell phone. I mean I have my ‘city’ one, but only a few have that number. Also, I can’t access my e-mail account with this phone. Well I can, but I don’t know how much the cost is.

Last night Em said the forecast was for snow and we got it! If I wanted to be poetic, I would say there was a whisper of snow on my car this morning, not even enough to brush off, the wind blew it off pulling out of the driveway. It was wicked cold though. The sky is trying to peek through the clouds right now, but I’m sure it is still wicked cold out there. I will find out in 15 minutes, I have to leave to get my allergy shots today.

Em asked me to pick Gwen up after my shot, so I am going a little early. I sent Gwen a text message, but I don’t know if she will read it, she doesn’t know about my ‘city’ phone. I will just send her another one from my other phone when I get home. Since I need to start getting ready to leave, I am going to send this and I will be back later.

>Another blog?

>Yes, I decided to start another blog, this with reading books and reviews and links to other book blogs. I call it ‘Bella is reading’. Click on Bella to take a look.

So now that I have played around with my new blog a little and moved my bookshelves over, on to some personal stuff. The doctor’s office called with the confirmation number for my MRI. My appointment is Friday and I am a little nervous. I mean, it is silly of me to be nervous. It’s not like they are going to be sticking needles into my brain or anything. And it is not like I have never done this before. One of the questions I was asked was, do you weigh less then 300 pounds? I also picked a bad time to get it done, this Friday, Em is going to a party at Ann’s and D decided to have their family study that night so none of the kids can go with me. I will have to brave it alone.

>On a foggy September day in 1970, six-year-old Jens Davidsson leaves his house, climbs over a wall and disappears. Popular opinion is that he wandered down to the sea and drowned. This opinion is not shared by the boy’s mother and grandfather, each for their own reasons. 20 years later, it appears that they were right when the grandfather receives a package in the mail, a package that contains a little boy’s sandal.

The novel moves from present to past, telling us the history of a man some suspect as the killer and some believe has been dead at least 10 years before the boy disappeared. As the grandfather gets closer to the truth of what happened, his daughter renews her relationship with him, comes to grips with the disappearance of her son and both discover that some people are not at all what they appear to be.

The pace of this novel is good, a good foundation is laid with the characters and in true suspense thriller fashion, the ending is a twist.

>I had a very strange dream last night. I dreamed I was at a WW meeting (I am a WW member but I am online only) and Dayna was the leader (she is no longer a leader) and I was trying to explain to her my reasoning for journaling and not counting points. She kept looking at me. Just looking, she didn’t say anything. Anyway, now I have decided that tomorrow morning I have to weigh myself and I have to start using the online tracker to count my points. No more fooling around.

Speaking of dreams, I also dreamed that someone was in our basement, but it wasn’t our basement, it was more like the basement at work but the doors wouldn’t close and lock. Then someone else came and hit me and tried to beat me up but it didn’t hurt and I couldn’t defend myself. That was when I realized it was a dream, I had some other weird dreams that I can remember but can’t describe. Does that ever happen to you?

There was something else I was going to say about yesterday, but I can’t remember it. Anyway I have to get ready for the meeting so I really should go now.

>Em couldn’t hold out any longer

>So we ended up in Manhattan today. When Em said we wouldn’t be coming until January I knew she wouldn’t make it. Sure enough this morning I got a text from Tigger, “Do you want to go to the city?” So I hopped in the shower, then ran quick to the bank and the gas station to get Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi for Em. Then home to put on make-up and wait for Em, oh I also made myself a fried egg and cheese sandwich.

It was D, Em, Tigger and me. I was afraid having D along would ruin the experience but he behaved himself. We didn’t find the Apple store he wanted to go to but we did find the Whole Food store and I bought some of the brown rice pasta I heard about and Em got some biscotti. Then we went to find D and Tigger at Borders. Tigger and I got snacks and water and Em got a set of notebooks. This is one (I was writing this in a notebook before blogging it here). I know I am going to blog this but I have images in my head that will be gone when I get home. So she gave me this notebook so I could record them on the train.

When we got to Central Park it was dark and my head was really pounding. I was going to get a hot sausage but they were walking away. I didn’t really need it and I shouldn’t have eaten more bread. Anyway Em said she would have waited, has she ever left me? YES she left me in Buffalo.

As we left Central Park I took a Maxalt. These are not the melting tablets, they are regular tablets you have to swallow, but they are really small and easy to swallow. I didn’t like the taste of the other ones anyway. We walked back to Grand Central Terminal and the sky was charcoal gray in color up to the fog/clouds then it was white, it was so neat. The tops of the buildings were cut off.

We went to Annie Moore’s for dinner. Everything was good. I had a Glenfiddich which might not have been such a good idea after having a Maxalt. I got very sleepy, Em suggested I have a cup of coffee and that certainly helped.

Now as I am sitting on the train I am remembering I never cleaned Butterscotch’s box like I said I would, and I didn’t tell you I had $89 in coins so now I have $149 for my I-Pod, and I really hate my ear buds because they keep falling out of my ears, and the best thing about getting rid of a migraine is being able to turn my music up really loud without pain. And sometimes I wonder why, since I grew up in the country and small towns, why do I love Manhattan so much?

I know one is supposed to write feelings in a journal but it is hard for me. My biggest feeling right now is fear. Fear my plans to move won’t work out, that I might make the move but not be able make a go of it. I guess it can be summed up a fear of failure. I lived alone in Buffalo, but Buffalo was depressing, I was glad to leave it. Well the only thing to do is keep moving forward.

>Rainy Saturday

>The kids are watching Journey to the Center of the Earth, when I asked Gwen why she said, “Because its a science fiction movie with no purpose!”, I was going to ask her to help me write my account number on my quarter rolls so I can take them to the bank today, I guess I am doing it on my own.

Em is working, she sent me a text asking me to make the rain go away. If I could, I would, was my response. Of course, my phone was off so I didn’t get the message until a little bit ago and she is probably doing something where she can’t respond or the phone ringing is an annoyance. Oh well.

My only plans for today are to go to the bank and go to Allsport. I let you know if I do anything exciting. I am going to put my quarters in my account for my I-Pod Nano. I forget how much I have, $30 or $40 I think. I’ll let you know.

>Lunch in Harlem

>kick-off for SEFA. This isn’t a restaurant, its a employee lunch room and I have to go now.

Fred got an 87 on his report card. D told me, then said, “I guess now I have to get him the I-pod thing he wants. He worked really hard to make it.” I asked if he wanted the Shuffle and D laughed, “No, he wants the I-touch, like Tigger has.” Speaking of Tigger, I told him I was just going to get my name on my I-Pod, “Bella”, he hates the name Bella, because of the Twilight books, I said, well I was Bella before the book so I am keeping it.

When I got home I found out I won a free book from the book giveaway website. How to eliminate pelvic pain. Big whop, maybe I will send it to my Mom.

I also signed up to follow Marie’s new craft blog. Go check it out, and I gave her the link to my craft blog.

I called the Doctor’s office about my prescription and my MRI, well, the Doctor hadn’t written anything in my chart. So they had to consult with him and were going to call, but haven’t yet. They did call in the Maxalt for my headaches, but I got tablets instead of the melt-away tablets. Should be all right.

Now I really have to go to bed. I am going to try to do one more thing before I do that.

>Every Breath You Take

>Yes I have taken the Police earworm to the extreme. At the bottom of my blog are more Sting and The Police videos from U-Tube. I got a bunch of Police and Sting music on my MP3 player. I still have a bunch of room on it.

Tigger and I were texting about the I-Pod Nano he says he is getting for me. I want purple, after the big deal he made that I couldn’t get the purple ’cause Em and I would confuse ours, he tells me today if you order them from the Apple website, you can get them engraved for free! Not only, when I went to the website to look at them, they have on the Nano how many GB it holds! Since I am getting a 16 and she has an 8, they will be different. Anyway, I think I will have engraved on mine, Now Bella can carry a tune.

Or maybe not, no one at home thought it was very funny.

>chimp has a tiger as best mate

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