Ruh-Roh

Thought I had a post in the ready, but guess not.  So this might not be the world's best blog today -- oh, yeah, it's NEVER the world's best blog.  But apparently, it's the one you are reading so I need to do right.

Today I think we'll talk about the name that's given to medications.  Who gets to do that?  Because whomever it is needs to work a little harder at their job. 

Humira (the trade name) -- It's actually "adalimumab."  Try saying that a couple of times in a row.  Try saying it once!  Really?  You couldn't come up with something better than that?

Aciphex --  I'm no linguist but it sounds like something we're not supposed to be talking about in public.

Myrbetriq -- This is for overactive bladder.  Just for my own peace of mind and the pronunciation factor, I'd go for Flomax instead.

Urispas -- Yep.  Does just what it says. Stops bladder spasms.  I could have used those a few days ago.

I bet there are more of them.  I'll try to watch the ads on TV and see if there are some others that bear repeating --- repeating ... repeating. 

As I'm writing this, I realized that we were supposed to have a posting about some of the groups in the Middle East -- and delve into what their designation actually means.  And I didn't.

There have just been so many things happening lately between the storm damage to the house and my sister's fall, my brain is on a hiatus.  Hey, wait a minute.  That's a good name for a medication -- hiatus.  It could be for a family riddled with sibling rivalty -- "I hate us." 

My niece loves a funny bit done by a comedian that makes fun of drug names, and he offers some of his own.  It is a classic.  I'll have to try and find that too. 

So that's all I've got this morning.  Today is my granddaughter's birthday party -- held over from May so they could have the kids over to swim.  Picked a good day for it apparently.

Have a wonderful Saturday!  I'll talk to you on Tuesday morning then.

Karen

Another Friday

Here we go -- another Friday.  The weeks of summer seem to just fly by and in some respects I've enjoyed this one more than most.  The weather yesterday was lovely and pleasant and my husband painted the garage doors.  Wonderful!!

Been fighting a UTI.  This one kind of came out of nowhere and there were probably some signs that it was on the way, but I wasn't paying enough attention, but I'm thinking that it's on the mend now.  That ad where the woman carries around her bladder just kills me.  "Again?" she yells at it.  Yep, I know that feeling although I don't have the condition she is talking about.  Today should be a much better day all around.

The weather Saturday is supposed to be REALLY hot -- like close to 90 and my granddaughter's belated pool party is that day.  I'm not swimming nor are the other adults so far as I know.  My husband is not swimming, therefore I'm pretty sure we'll hang out in the garage.  There's a nice breeze through it and it's shady.  We can pull up some chairs and survive the heat.  I'll just be happy for good weather so the kids can do what they do best -- have fun.  They got a replacement blow-up water (after the other one blew up) slide for the event and that should be a big hit. 

In the Better Homes and Gardens this month is a neat pool toy.  It's a foam saddle, notched out for the legs.  You just sit on it in the water and sink down a ways and balance yourself.  Great for playing water games like catch or basketball, water polo.  It's about $33 which is a little pricey but it should last for a long time and should work for larger kids through adults.  Walmart has them, in case you are wondering.  I like it because it keeps you in the water rather than floating on top of it like the pool chairs do, and because you don't have to blow it up.  The device comes in a variety of colors.

I was thinking today about a precious part of us that we don't appreciate enough -- sense of humor.  It gets us through so many things.  There's a show on HBO (which we don't get anymore) that is about a nurse.  When we visited my sister in the intensive care unit at Fairview Hospital, there was one of those dry erase boards with room for the registered nurse on duty at the time.  Her name -- Nurse Jackie.  I thought it was hilarious but of course, it would seem I was the only one at the time.  They say that one of the last things to go is your hearing.  It ought to be the sense of humor. 

When I was in the hospital years ago, a number of funny things happened and I still remember a lot of it.  There was one episode that was so funny, my diaphragm started to hurt from a long session of laughing, and the resident doctor on duty couldn't stop laughing herself.  That doesn't happen too often!!

The doctor who did such a good job for me in surgery had a sense of humor.  He came in one morning doing his post-surgical rounds with his resident in tow.  He started telling me about my condition and compared me to a horse.  I started laughing and looked at the resident -- he was losing it.  Bedside manner?  Oh, he had one all right but it wasn't typical by a long shot, but to me it was just right.  Maybe someone rather thin-skinned wouldn't have taken it well, but he didn't bother me at all.  I live in Canal Fulton -- farm country.

So -- time to sign off on this Friday.  See you tomorrow morning!!

Cats and Kids

Yesterday my granddaughter was here, and as usual, she was doting on the cats.  Two of the four actually -- the other two hide. 

I happened to look out onto the porch and she was lying down with Fred and at first I thought they were both asleep.  Fred was enjoying the moment.

The next time I looked, Fred was lying down on his side, in complete oblivion, with one of my scarves covering him like a blanket.  Fred is the indoor/outdoor cat and I've seen him ferociously chasing chipmunks all over the place and I've seen him in confrontations with other cats that wander into the yard.  So here's this crazy guy who patrols the property like the special forces, and he's relaxing with a peach-colored scarf covering him up.

It was hilarious.  And then my granddaughter found a lovely fringed scarf that came from Georgia, in the former Soviet Union, a gift from one of our favorite graduate students at UA -- Keti.  She found a way to turn it into dress using another scarf as a belt, and then later she came in wearing it like a top with a very clever folding around the neck.  I casually mentioned, "You know, maybe you should be a fashion designer."  And she shot back, "That's what I want to be."

Well, isn't that interesting.  One of her great-great grandmothers was a tailor as was her sister.  Her great-great-great grandfather was a tailor.  My mother could tailor clothing including woolen coats with linings and shoulder pads.  My sister is a wonderful seamstress. So she could easily have the genes for it which is really neat to me.  We'll just have to see because she's mentioned being an elementary teacher too.

 Another great-great grandmother of Lauren's was a farmer and a midwife, a capable, independent woman who could do all kinds of things well.  Another relative is Lawrence Welk; another a professional baseball player.  The music gene and the athletic gene have been found along the way in our family.

Isn't that one of the most marvelous things that God does for us?  How the generations are linked and how people who never got the chance to meet are brought together through God's amazing creation?

I once heard someone talking about being a grandparent.  This person said that grandparents have more time to listen and observe than busy, harried parents -- and suggested that grandparents can bring to the attention of grandchildren their strengths, talents, and abilities.  Grandparents can plant seeds.

So it isn't just babysitting, if there is any "just" to babysitting.  We have work to do.

PS -- My sister called me today -- twice.  She seems to definitely be feeling better and is taking her rehab work by the horns.  Her attitude is wonderful to behold, and I am thanking everyone who said a prayer for her.  The prayers have been answered in a variety of great ways.  She's not out of the woods but here attitude has improved tremendously.

Drawing a Blank

I have a vacant stare on my face as I stare at the screen this morning.  I'm slouching.  My brain cells are still enjoying their nightly rest.  Lots of topics are flashing in front of my eyes but nothing takes hold.  It's like the "circle of death" on the computer when you're waiting for something to load.

We didn't watch the news last night although I caught glimpses yesterday morning.  I haven't left the bedroom end of the house since I got up today, so there hasn't been any contact with media yet this morning.

In other words, reading friends, I'm drawing a blank.

Writers absolutely cringe in fear when anyone mentions the dreaded, "writer's block."  Usually, it occurs in the creation of a book or something else with length, and without warning no plot points come to mind, the characters are muddied and dulled, and the project begins to languish.  From what I've read, writer's block can go on for quite some time and must feel really awful for a person who makes their living off of the words that flow from their busy brain.

Here on this blog, none of us has to worry too much because I don't make a dime off of the blog.  You've probably noticed that there is no advertising.  Even if I sought it out, I'm not sure my readership is large enough to garner a company's support.  And I'm NOT whining here, not at all.

So maybe here's what I'll do.  I'll write some snippets of things that are floating around my head this morning and maybe one of them will take root:

1. Was dismayed that the little girl disfigured by the pit bull attack and then shunned at a KFC is most probably a hoax.  If the money that people gave isn't used to help the little girl, then I'll be far more steamed.  But no matter how urgent a matter might seem, lying about it and besmirching the name of a business is no way to handle it.
2. The Browns are coming to The University of Akron!!  Their usual intersquad game played each year has to be moved due to stadium renovations.  They picked UA.  It should be a terrific chance to see the Browns and visit a great athletic facility at the same time.
3. Lots of prayers for the sick today -- remembering my sister, Bob Stopar, and Mary Tohill plus all of the people listed in Julie Barkey's prayer online prayer list.
4. If you get sick of the usual breakfast fare, try raisin toast.  It's still so good and makes a nice change of pace for the day. 
5. We're going to have one of those "stay inside and find something to do" rainy days today.  So just seek refuge inside and look out at the beautiful greenery that the rains have produced!  We are blessed for this rain and it will help our farmers grow good crops this year.  The corn crop is very important.
6. I've heard the pros and the cons of doing something in Iraq and find the whole thing very disconcerting and frightening.  Especially for the Americans that got left behind in Baghdad.  We watched a World War II program the other night and it was really good because it explained everything.  As the events unfolded in old vintage newsreel footage, the narrator explained a number of different times that the Treaty of Versailles, signed after WWI, caused much of the unrest and hatred that spawned WWII.   It shows that the early post-war period is very, very important in determining the future -- just as we are now seeing in Iraq.
7. A roof guy came to the house last night.  We have to get some shingles replaced from the storm damage caused by the top of a tree that fell alongside the end of the house and just missed breaking out windows.  The tree guys came and got the tree off the house and cleaned up nicely.  We also have to have the smoke stack guy come and fix the stack that takes smoke from the woodburner up and out.  All in all, it could have been WAY worse so we thank God for sparing us what some poor folks in Brunswick got.  One minute they're in their houses around dinner time and the next minute the bedroom they slept in the night before is open to the elements.  How terrifying!!  And everyone sees your interior decorating too!!
8. I was thinking about the prayer that we say at Communion to ourselves, "We beseech thee, therefore help thy servants whom thou hast redeemed with they precious blood."  Then my mind flashed back to the scene from Mel Gibson's movie.   The unbelievable sacrifice of Jesus became so much more real to me this past Sunday.  Another one of those "leaps of faith" moments in a life.

Well, that's that.  I think I've covered most of the ground and ended up with a so-so posting, but one that is honest and tells the truth.  I just don't have much to say today.  I'm tired and concerned about my sister, and I also have a UTI so you probably know how that is.  I'll get my spark back, I promise.

Karen

A Take on Drugs

Pope Francis recently reaffirmed his stance on the legalization of recreational drugs, and this time he was more emphatic than before.  He believes that any relaxation of the drug laws is wrong and that doing so only puts more drugs in the hands of the addicted.

This pope has had personal experience with the effects of addiction, having walked the streets in his native Argentina and viewed the devastation of the many lives it touches.  So as I was reading the article about what the pope said, something leapt out on the page.

The drug czar in Argentina who believes that the legalization of recreational drugs deserves a debate is a Roman Catholic priest.  Interesting that in this country the vocations of political and religious overlap. 

More or less adapting the phrase used in the 1980s in the U.S., "just say no," the pope suggested that people as a whole must take on a new attitude.

To reject illegal drugs, he said, "one has to say 'yes' to life, 'yes' to love, 'yes' to others, 'yes' to education, 'yes' to greater job opportunities. If we say 'yes' to all these things, there will be no room for illicit drugs, for alcohol abuse, for other forms of addiction."

And I say, what about, "yes to God."  With God in our lives, there is always hope and a pathway to love, acceptance, and joy no matter the circumstances.  The positive attitude that flows from a personal relationship with Jesus is just as addictive and counters the negative, violent and putrid output in society today.

Because drugs are manufactured in Argentina and many Central American countries from the plant that converts to cocaine, poor residents become addicted to "paco," which is made from the leftovers from the plant and other chemicals.  In Buenos Aires, the then Francis Bergoglio supported the priests who opened drug rehab centers to help those addicted on paco.  The pope washed the feet of recovering paco addicts.

In Mexico the whole mess related to drugs and the cartels is even more murky.  In Mexico, the cartels support the Catholic Church because they are the ones with money.  The cartels are the real money makers and at the top layers live really opulent lives compared to the rest.  It bothers me though that the church in Mexico gets dirty, blood money.  I wonder what the pope thinks about this.  Will he speak out about it at some point?

No one knows what the pope's stance on medical marijuana is, but there is a strain known as Charlotte's Web that has very little of the hallucinogenic properties and more of another substance that is known to stop seizures.  For this reason and many others, so long as it is regulated, I support medical marijuana and the production of this type of plant.  The company formerly known as Yoder Brothers in Barberton was bought out, and the new company located in a couple of different places may apply for various licenses to grow this strain of marijuana.  It is useless to the drug trade because it does not produce a high.  In fact, they would probably look upon it as competition because at least some of the marijuana sold illegally now is used by people who are in dire health trouble.

So that's about it for today.  I'm tapped out.  My sister continues her struggle.  Her right leg is giving her problems and I don't think the hospital has yet to figure it out.  They've been doing some ultrasounds on it but so far nothing has shown of concern. 

Karen

Art Class

I'm going to an art class at 10:30 a.m. today, so I thought I'd better get this written.

We are going to Exploration Gateway, part of Stark Parks.  The class is all about drawing and we were not asked to bring any materials.  They called my friend who is also going, but I didn't get a call so now I'm wondering if they don't know I'm coming (because of some kind of error).  Images of only six pencils and there are seven students, not enough paper, no erasers, etc.

They told her to bring a blanket.  I'm 67.  The thought of sitting on a blanket and trying to draw isn't a pleasant one.  Do they happen to have a crane on the property?  Because after I sit for three hours on the ground drawing, I'm going to need one.

And what about bugs?  We are going into the woods, I think.  So we've decided to bring some bug stuff too.  AND some folding chairs for the old backs and butts.

In addition, apparently there is a wedding out there.  So I sure hope the bathrooms are operational just in case.  I hate that feeling of being stranded without facilities!!

So we already have a few doubts about this thing we signed up to do.  But we'll forge ahead and give it a good old American try.  My friend says, "We can always leave early." 

That might just work out too.

I know, I know.  This is a wonderful opportunity to go out into nature and expand our horizons.  To become one with the beauty of God's creation.  To smell the smell of fresh greenery.  To put pencil to paper and let the mind go free.

I'll try; I promise.  And don't give me the old Yoda wisdom either that's already floating in my head, "There is no try; only do."

Well, when I get home at around 1:15 or so, I'll have some stories to write about in the blog.  I just feel it coming.

By the way, my sister is having a real tough time of it.  They moved her yesterday afternoon to Lakewood Hospital acute rehab.  She has a room to herself which is lucky.  But she is very irritable and upset.  She had herself worked into an upset stomach about the ambulance ride, fearing she would get carsick.  She already said the nurse isn't any good and the bed is awful.  My niece is just about spent and my nephew isn't far behind.  Please pray for her to have some inner peace, because this behavior is not typical of my sister who is usually much more worried about others rather than herself.

When I was looking up anxiety tonight to try and understand what is going on with her, I happened upon an article about PTSD in the elderly after a fall.  It surprised me.  Apparently, a fair number of elderly patients who had fallen develop similar ymptoms to those of our young men who experienced war.  There are some identifiable symptoms but I don't know if there is anything that helps.  They did give my sister some Xanax to try and calm her down about 15 minutes before the ambulance ride.  I hope she slept well last night, because that's been the other real problem.  I think she has a bad case of homesickness too.

The doctor says she is going to work hard today in rehab.  They have to be pretty tough on them because these patients need to get up, get independent again, and get home.  He says 1-3 weeks and that's it.

All or nothing

One of the quickest ways to get into an argument about a topic is to say something like this, "You ALWAYS forget to _____."    "You do that every single time."  "This group, _____, is ALL about ______."

The all or nothing comments are generalized to the point that they can't stand on fact.  They show insensitivity, judgment, and a level of frustration that is never good for getting along.  We see a lot of that today.  Attack, attack, attack -- with words.  Make a generalized statement that is all encompassing and attach it to someone or a group, and there you go.

When I went to a Marriage Encounter weekend years and years ago, we learned about how to discuss feelings, for one thing.  We learned that if you can say, "I feel ...," but you could just as easily substitute, "I think ...," then you aren't talking about your feelings at all.  These statements again get people into trouble, especially married couples.

We learned that feelings in and of themselves are not right or wrong.  But what we do with feelings can definitely be right or wrong. 

In the political arena, there is a lot of the "all or nothing," types of comments going on.  Aren't you getting sick of it?  Don't you wonder sometimes if all of these crises play into the hands of people who don't really care about the U.S. the way they should?  Well, I know that I wonder.

Here is one technique that I've learned over the past couple of years.  Listen to the structure of the sentence that is being used.  Analyze it, rather than reacting to the content.  You will see a pattern after a while, and that is helpful in getting through all of the muddied water to the clear.

There are also certain buzz words or phrases, subject matter and discussion points that do the same thing -- press our buttons on issues that bring us to anger.  Analyze them.  You'll soon see a pattern and that diffuses anger into something more constructive.

A couple of the things that make understanding such complicated subjects as the Middle East is their organization, their culture.  I'm going to do a little research for tomorrow so I can tell you what some of the most common words that are that describe groups in the Middle East and then maybe things will make more sense.  What is going on there is really a civil war in Iraq -- between Sunnis and Shiites, with Kurds thrown in for good measure.  They absolutely hate each other and it's been going on for centuries.  The election of al Malaki who is a Shiite, has long been a thorn in the side of the Sunnis who felt left out of the election and the subsequent decisions made in favor of Shiites. 

Then this ISIS group that was thought to have been more or less wiped up reappears on the scene and goes after the weak Iraqi forces, taking the weaponry that we furnished, stealing billions from the banks, and even trying to get into a closed chemical weapons plant that was sealed 20 years ago. 

The people must be scared to death but in most cases they probably aren't armed.

Well, tomorrow we'll do a little more of this and see where it goes. 

By the way, I saw a guy on TV last night who talked about some of the crises that the U.S. faces right now.  He mentioned how little coverage they are getting in the lame stream media.  If you want to get a more fair and balanced view, try Fox.  For example, did you know that the emails sent from Lois Lerner to people at the IRS, the White House, and members of Congress are missing -- allegedly destroyed by a virus?  If you haven't heard that one, there is a good reason.  The lame stream media in total only covered it in one program for about 15 seconds over a period of a couple of days.

We'll talk again tomorrow.