Okay, bloggers. I have a family member coming into town next week (FINALLY) and I need your help in the 5 Must Do/See while in Austin, Texas for someone that has never been here...or, very much outside the state of Indiana. (Just taking her to a restaurant and seeing tatooed and pierced servers may blow her mind!) Send me a list of your five favorites and I'll compare mine and narrow it down from there.
THANKS!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Answers to an interview
Answers to Jennifer's 5-question interview:
1. So, if you could have a college degree instantly, like the information and learning electronically zapped into your brain in an instant (with a legitimate diploma), what degree would you choose and what career would you immediately have?
Wow--so many to choose from. I have so many interests, but, I'd have to say that my first passion would be Earth Sciences. Watching the climate changes, the melting Polar Caps, the Volcanoes....I'm fascinated by volcanoes. I'd be the one sitting on the cap of Mt. Ranier when it finally decides to go. Earthquakes--where is the "big one" going to be? California or the long sleeping New Madrid (around the St. Louis area)? The Earth has always taken care of herself--death and rebirth. I'd love to chronicle the next "death". I'm completely handicapped by Physics, though. Physics is a major part of predicting earth changes and how to handle them. We'd all be buried under a pile of snow if it was all up to me!
2. What do you miss most about Indiana?
The green, green summers. Miles of rolling green hills. And tall Maple trees--trees you could really climb high into. The smell of things growing. It smelled like life. Crisp autumns. There is nothing like a football game with the smell of autumn in the air, the rattle of autumn leaves, the color of autumn leaves! I really miss Autumn. It's hard to describe how the air can be crisp to a Texan. And, I don't know about now, but, when I was a kid, it was soooo much fun to go out and play in the snow (and we're talking about a couple of feet, not millimeters like what happens here), get cold and wet to the point of numbness, and then coming in to hot chocolate or chicken noodle soup. It was the best way to thaw out and the warmth it created was so much more than physical. Green summers, tall trees, and crisp autumns...that's what I miss most, I guess. The land is beautiful there. And it grows really tasty tomatoes--Texans have no idea what a tomato really tastes like. Or plums--great plums in Michigan. Going to Indiana Dunes--a real lake, with real sand.
3. What is the best thing about living in Texas? How did you end up here, anyway?
Well, like anyone raised in a small-minded place, I wanted to escape. Women in their thirties in Indiana look twice as old as we do. And they all cut their hair and perm it after the second child, and that's how it stays. Smoking--there's a lot of smoking in Indiana. And eating lots of heavy bland meals with gravy that clogged your arteries just looking at them. I wanted to go to a big city, so, I went to Dallas. My mom already lived in Austin at this point. After a while, I discovered I hated the big city--especially Dallas. I love Austin, though. Austin is not like the rest of Texas. It's full of people more like me: open-minded, full of empathy for their fellow human beings, rational--you can rationalize with people in Austin!--and forward thinking people. People who aren't stuck in the past or just the here and now. People who don't worry about what something costs now, but what the potential cost is for the future by not doing something now. That's not Texas--it's Austin. If Austin were to disappear, I probably wouldn't stay in Texas. So, I guess the thing I like most about Texas is Austin.
4. What is your favorite childhood memory?
The neighborhood I grew up in. All the kids played together, no matter what age. My older brother showed me off to all his friends when I was born, so I was the youngest in the neighborhood for a while. We played outside all the time--until an hour past dark in the summer. At Halloween, we would canvas the entire neighborhood--for blocks! Our friend, Gary, was a mentally handicapped 26-year old. So, he was basically our age. It thrilled his mother to death when we would knock on their door and ask if Gary could come out to play. He fit in just right. We never knew any different. The innocence of my childhood--that's my fondest memory. Kids know too much these days. We had no clue. Ignorance is bliss. We had so much fun! We didn't have to have our parents planning our every move. ADHD didn't exist. When we went on a car trip, there were no DVD players in the car! We read books, used our imaginations with other toys, or just talked with our parents while hanging over the front seat of the car. Dayton Street--that's my fondest memory. We hardly ever went inside--we just played.
5. If you owned BAH, what would you change?
Well...we'd probably go broke, because I would move the focus away from the financial aspects and more towards doing what we could for the patients. I don't think we should have to have a pet owner approve an estimate before we save their pet's life. Why can't we offer the cheaper alternatives or do more to find out what we can do? I'd like to see us more involved with the community around us. I'd like to see some more concern for all that gets wasted--from electricity wasted when the attic lights are left on when no one is up there to all the recycling we don't do. And, being more open to alternative, natural, treatments. No, you aren't going to cure anything with herbs and nutrition, but you could sure prevent a lot with more natural diets and an awareness of what kinds of cleaning products people are using around the home. And I would try to mend the separation that's felt between the "front" and the "back". Create more of an atmosphere of openness and warmth. Probably move, too, to a place where we wouldn't have to spend so much in overhead so we could come down on some of our prices. And I would never hire people to put a body in a space--blending would be a must--there would be 30-, 60-, and 90-day reviews on new-hires as well as annual reviews on everyone else.
Hope you learned something about me you didn't know.
1. So, if you could have a college degree instantly, like the information and learning electronically zapped into your brain in an instant (with a legitimate diploma), what degree would you choose and what career would you immediately have?
Wow--so many to choose from. I have so many interests, but, I'd have to say that my first passion would be Earth Sciences. Watching the climate changes, the melting Polar Caps, the Volcanoes....I'm fascinated by volcanoes. I'd be the one sitting on the cap of Mt. Ranier when it finally decides to go. Earthquakes--where is the "big one" going to be? California or the long sleeping New Madrid (around the St. Louis area)? The Earth has always taken care of herself--death and rebirth. I'd love to chronicle the next "death". I'm completely handicapped by Physics, though. Physics is a major part of predicting earth changes and how to handle them. We'd all be buried under a pile of snow if it was all up to me!
2. What do you miss most about Indiana?
The green, green summers. Miles of rolling green hills. And tall Maple trees--trees you could really climb high into. The smell of things growing. It smelled like life. Crisp autumns. There is nothing like a football game with the smell of autumn in the air, the rattle of autumn leaves, the color of autumn leaves! I really miss Autumn. It's hard to describe how the air can be crisp to a Texan. And, I don't know about now, but, when I was a kid, it was soooo much fun to go out and play in the snow (and we're talking about a couple of feet, not millimeters like what happens here), get cold and wet to the point of numbness, and then coming in to hot chocolate or chicken noodle soup. It was the best way to thaw out and the warmth it created was so much more than physical. Green summers, tall trees, and crisp autumns...that's what I miss most, I guess. The land is beautiful there. And it grows really tasty tomatoes--Texans have no idea what a tomato really tastes like. Or plums--great plums in Michigan. Going to Indiana Dunes--a real lake, with real sand.
3. What is the best thing about living in Texas? How did you end up here, anyway?
Well, like anyone raised in a small-minded place, I wanted to escape. Women in their thirties in Indiana look twice as old as we do. And they all cut their hair and perm it after the second child, and that's how it stays. Smoking--there's a lot of smoking in Indiana. And eating lots of heavy bland meals with gravy that clogged your arteries just looking at them. I wanted to go to a big city, so, I went to Dallas. My mom already lived in Austin at this point. After a while, I discovered I hated the big city--especially Dallas. I love Austin, though. Austin is not like the rest of Texas. It's full of people more like me: open-minded, full of empathy for their fellow human beings, rational--you can rationalize with people in Austin!--and forward thinking people. People who aren't stuck in the past or just the here and now. People who don't worry about what something costs now, but what the potential cost is for the future by not doing something now. That's not Texas--it's Austin. If Austin were to disappear, I probably wouldn't stay in Texas. So, I guess the thing I like most about Texas is Austin.
4. What is your favorite childhood memory?
The neighborhood I grew up in. All the kids played together, no matter what age. My older brother showed me off to all his friends when I was born, so I was the youngest in the neighborhood for a while. We played outside all the time--until an hour past dark in the summer. At Halloween, we would canvas the entire neighborhood--for blocks! Our friend, Gary, was a mentally handicapped 26-year old. So, he was basically our age. It thrilled his mother to death when we would knock on their door and ask if Gary could come out to play. He fit in just right. We never knew any different. The innocence of my childhood--that's my fondest memory. Kids know too much these days. We had no clue. Ignorance is bliss. We had so much fun! We didn't have to have our parents planning our every move. ADHD didn't exist. When we went on a car trip, there were no DVD players in the car! We read books, used our imaginations with other toys, or just talked with our parents while hanging over the front seat of the car. Dayton Street--that's my fondest memory. We hardly ever went inside--we just played.
5. If you owned BAH, what would you change?
Well...we'd probably go broke, because I would move the focus away from the financial aspects and more towards doing what we could for the patients. I don't think we should have to have a pet owner approve an estimate before we save their pet's life. Why can't we offer the cheaper alternatives or do more to find out what we can do? I'd like to see us more involved with the community around us. I'd like to see some more concern for all that gets wasted--from electricity wasted when the attic lights are left on when no one is up there to all the recycling we don't do. And, being more open to alternative, natural, treatments. No, you aren't going to cure anything with herbs and nutrition, but you could sure prevent a lot with more natural diets and an awareness of what kinds of cleaning products people are using around the home. And I would try to mend the separation that's felt between the "front" and the "back". Create more of an atmosphere of openness and warmth. Probably move, too, to a place where we wouldn't have to spend so much in overhead so we could come down on some of our prices. And I would never hire people to put a body in a space--blending would be a must--there would be 30-, 60-, and 90-day reviews on new-hires as well as annual reviews on everyone else.
Hope you learned something about me you didn't know.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
I just read the last comment to my last blog, and all I can say is ....WOW. I checked out her blog: all about how the service industry sucks. Like, if she weren't in a party of nine, she couldn't be irked because her order wasn't being taken and all this time was being wasted on two little people...Some people have never had to work in the service industry. I'd love to see them try it one day. Just one day. Oh, what a fantasy. That everyone would have to work in the restaurant industry or retail customer service for just one day. Or, be an administrative assistant.
Every year, I watch what used to be Secretary's Day pass by (now it's Administrative Professionals Day) without a card, without a flower, without a cake or anything for the receptionists at work. It adds greatly to the feeling of being underappreciated for what we do at work. For the past few years, I've watched cakes being brought in for "Veterinary Technicians Day". Never have the receptionists been shown such appreciation. If one of us doesn't do something right though, boy--then we all get the kick in the ass.
I know, deep down, the work we do is appreciated, but it would just be nice to be shown that once in while. All we ever hear in meetings is "the receptionists don't do this" or "the receptionists aren't doing that". I would love to just one day have all the receptionists not show up to work so everyone would finally realize how much we do do.
I guess lately, I've been feeling like I'm just wasting time in, not one, but two thankless jobs. I do the best I can at both of them and it just never seems to be enough. I'm --30-something--and I'm still living from one paycheck to another. Working 1-2 other jobs just to have something to have some fun with once in a while--and eat food that's good for me, not just filling. What the hell is wrong with me?
Other friends of mine either have well-paying jobs, houses, or are finishing college. How do they do that and I don't?
I heard something this week that has really set me off. Roger Clemens, a guy that can throw a ball well, is going to be paid 4.5 million a month to pitch for the Yankees. 4.5 MILLION a MONTH. To throw a baseball. That's like, $30,000 a day. What human being actually needs to make this kind of money? And is he going to do anything good with it? Will he be altruistic? Will he save any children in Darfur? Will he save any children here, for crying out loud? He's pitching baseballs! He's not curing cancer or AIDS for God's sake! And it's just for 5 months for sure. That's more than a lot of his fans (or non-fans, like me) make in a whole year of actually WORKING THEIR ASSES OFF! Again, like me. Shit...this country is fucked up with it's values. And they say Gay Marriage is going to ruin things.
Our Police Officers, Fire Fighters, Soldiers, Teachers...people who actually DO SOMETHING get paid Crap, and a guy that can throw a baseball gets paid $30,000 a day. Mull that over for a while.
Then...wonder why you're not getting the best possible service at Chiles.
Every year, I watch what used to be Secretary's Day pass by (now it's Administrative Professionals Day) without a card, without a flower, without a cake or anything for the receptionists at work. It adds greatly to the feeling of being underappreciated for what we do at work. For the past few years, I've watched cakes being brought in for "Veterinary Technicians Day". Never have the receptionists been shown such appreciation. If one of us doesn't do something right though, boy--then we all get the kick in the ass.
I know, deep down, the work we do is appreciated, but it would just be nice to be shown that once in while. All we ever hear in meetings is "the receptionists don't do this" or "the receptionists aren't doing that". I would love to just one day have all the receptionists not show up to work so everyone would finally realize how much we do do.
I guess lately, I've been feeling like I'm just wasting time in, not one, but two thankless jobs. I do the best I can at both of them and it just never seems to be enough. I'm --30-something--and I'm still living from one paycheck to another. Working 1-2 other jobs just to have something to have some fun with once in a while--and eat food that's good for me, not just filling. What the hell is wrong with me?
Other friends of mine either have well-paying jobs, houses, or are finishing college. How do they do that and I don't?
I heard something this week that has really set me off. Roger Clemens, a guy that can throw a ball well, is going to be paid 4.5 million a month to pitch for the Yankees. 4.5 MILLION a MONTH. To throw a baseball. That's like, $30,000 a day. What human being actually needs to make this kind of money? And is he going to do anything good with it? Will he be altruistic? Will he save any children in Darfur? Will he save any children here, for crying out loud? He's pitching baseballs! He's not curing cancer or AIDS for God's sake! And it's just for 5 months for sure. That's more than a lot of his fans (or non-fans, like me) make in a whole year of actually WORKING THEIR ASSES OFF! Again, like me. Shit...this country is fucked up with it's values. And they say Gay Marriage is going to ruin things.
Our Police Officers, Fire Fighters, Soldiers, Teachers...people who actually DO SOMETHING get paid Crap, and a guy that can throw a baseball gets paid $30,000 a day. Mull that over for a while.
Then...wonder why you're not getting the best possible service at Chiles.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Does anyone know what a waitress is paid????
Okay, People....listen up. I'm going to educate you on the thankless job of Waitressing 101.
If the food is bad...it's not our fault. If the food is late coming to your table...it's not our fault. If we don't have what you want...it's not our fault. And if your service is slow and it's Friday night and 3 waitresses have called in and one has to take the sick cook to the doctor leaving only 3 waitresses to serve a busy Friday night restaurant crowd...it's not our fault.
Do you know that wait-staff only make $2.01-$2.15 hourly? Do you know that the proper amount to tip is at least 15%? Do you know that if you have a waitress that is doing the best she can for you and often goes above and beyond that it is totally acceptable to tip more than 15%? Do you know that wait-staff has to tip bartenders and busboys 5 and 10%, even though they are getting paid more hourly? Come on, People! Help a girl out!
Now, I understand that you don't want a tip if your waitress/waiter is ignoring you, getting your order wrong, standing around talking to friends/co-workers, or just plain giving you lousy service when there is no excuse for it. Just 15% or worse, 10% would be justifiable. We're making $2.15 an hour. I think you should know that. $2.15/hour. That's it. And we have to share our tips with people who are getting paid more hourly. We're working hard for you--taking abuse that you would never take in the process--and you're leaving 3 bucks!! Maybe two. And if you're really mad, because it took 40 minutes to get your food and you spilled your expensive Mexican Martini all over the table, you leave NADA. Just a big 'ole slash mark through the tip line on the credit card receipt. Like it's MY FAULT.
Can you tell it was a bad weekend at the restaurant yet?
Friday--the BUSY night for restaurants, especially if they serve Margaritas and Mexican Martinis--we had 2 waitresses call in sick and one that was out of town. Our cook--and owner's brother/co-manager--had been dragging his sick ass to work all week long to the point of bordering on pneumonia. He looked like death warmed over and could barely stand up. I told our illustrious owner--the cook's own sister--that he was going to end up in the hospital on fluids for a week if she didn't make him go to the doctor and go home and get some rest and she finally decided that it might be a good idea. She sent the one waitress--we had only four at this point--that didn't have a table to drive him to the doctor. Leaving us with three. Three waitresses on a Friday night and no cook. At least, no cook that was used to cooking. She ran 30 minutes behind on everyone's order because she's not used to doing it. Because her brother works his ass off every day and every night. And let me tell you...he can run the kitchen just fine by himself. In fact...he prefers it that way.
Anyway..it was a night from hell. Some customers had sympathy and understood that we were doing the best that we could do. Most though....they didn't have a clue. So I just thought you should know: Wait-staff only make $2.01-2.15/hourly. Don't stiff us if we're doing the best we can do. Don't stiff us if we're out of something you want. Don't stiff us if your food is not made the way you want it made. Don't stiff us if it takes 40 minutes for your food to get to your table. If you're the only person in the restaurant and you aren't getting good service, then you may have a point. We are not the cooks. We are not the inventory control managers. We are not the managers that can't seem to hire reliable wait-staff. We are not the owners that think they can get by with only two cooks, one of which only works days. We are not everyone else that decided to go out on Friday night. We are your waitstaff. We are SERVING you. We're not getting paid a living wage. Show some apppreciation for God's sake! You don't have to cook or do dishes because of us. Your getting awesome--yes, we do serve awesome--Margaritas and Mexican Martinis because of us. And you don't have to lift a finger to do it! You have no mess to clean up! You can let your kids throw food all over the place--and you do! You send us running each time we come to the table for something instead of telling us everything you want or need all at once, taking us away from other customers, because YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD THAT MATTERS.
SHOW SOME APPRECIATION!!!!!!!!!!!
If the food is bad...it's not our fault. If the food is late coming to your table...it's not our fault. If we don't have what you want...it's not our fault. And if your service is slow and it's Friday night and 3 waitresses have called in and one has to take the sick cook to the doctor leaving only 3 waitresses to serve a busy Friday night restaurant crowd...it's not our fault.
Do you know that wait-staff only make $2.01-$2.15 hourly? Do you know that the proper amount to tip is at least 15%? Do you know that if you have a waitress that is doing the best she can for you and often goes above and beyond that it is totally acceptable to tip more than 15%? Do you know that wait-staff has to tip bartenders and busboys 5 and 10%, even though they are getting paid more hourly? Come on, People! Help a girl out!
Now, I understand that you don't want a tip if your waitress/waiter is ignoring you, getting your order wrong, standing around talking to friends/co-workers, or just plain giving you lousy service when there is no excuse for it. Just 15% or worse, 10% would be justifiable. We're making $2.15 an hour. I think you should know that. $2.15/hour. That's it. And we have to share our tips with people who are getting paid more hourly. We're working hard for you--taking abuse that you would never take in the process--and you're leaving 3 bucks!! Maybe two. And if you're really mad, because it took 40 minutes to get your food and you spilled your expensive Mexican Martini all over the table, you leave NADA. Just a big 'ole slash mark through the tip line on the credit card receipt. Like it's MY FAULT.
Can you tell it was a bad weekend at the restaurant yet?
Friday--the BUSY night for restaurants, especially if they serve Margaritas and Mexican Martinis--we had 2 waitresses call in sick and one that was out of town. Our cook--and owner's brother/co-manager--had been dragging his sick ass to work all week long to the point of bordering on pneumonia. He looked like death warmed over and could barely stand up. I told our illustrious owner--the cook's own sister--that he was going to end up in the hospital on fluids for a week if she didn't make him go to the doctor and go home and get some rest and she finally decided that it might be a good idea. She sent the one waitress--we had only four at this point--that didn't have a table to drive him to the doctor. Leaving us with three. Three waitresses on a Friday night and no cook. At least, no cook that was used to cooking. She ran 30 minutes behind on everyone's order because she's not used to doing it. Because her brother works his ass off every day and every night. And let me tell you...he can run the kitchen just fine by himself. In fact...he prefers it that way.
Anyway..it was a night from hell. Some customers had sympathy and understood that we were doing the best that we could do. Most though....they didn't have a clue. So I just thought you should know: Wait-staff only make $2.01-2.15/hourly. Don't stiff us if we're doing the best we can do. Don't stiff us if we're out of something you want. Don't stiff us if your food is not made the way you want it made. Don't stiff us if it takes 40 minutes for your food to get to your table. If you're the only person in the restaurant and you aren't getting good service, then you may have a point. We are not the cooks. We are not the inventory control managers. We are not the managers that can't seem to hire reliable wait-staff. We are not the owners that think they can get by with only two cooks, one of which only works days. We are not everyone else that decided to go out on Friday night. We are your waitstaff. We are SERVING you. We're not getting paid a living wage. Show some apppreciation for God's sake! You don't have to cook or do dishes because of us. Your getting awesome--yes, we do serve awesome--Margaritas and Mexican Martinis because of us. And you don't have to lift a finger to do it! You have no mess to clean up! You can let your kids throw food all over the place--and you do! You send us running each time we come to the table for something instead of telling us everything you want or need all at once, taking us away from other customers, because YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD THAT MATTERS.
SHOW SOME APPRECIATION!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
In order to get Kat to respond.....
Kathryn...she goes away to Boston and then starts asking questions! Can you belive? So..in an effort to get a response from her.....I have to do this. Oh well...post in the comment field your answers. Maybe I'll learn something about you that I don't know already (because, I know more than you think!)
1. Can you cook?
2. What was your dream growing up?
3. What talent do you wish you had?
4. Favorite place?
5. Favorite vegetable?
6. What was the last book you read?
7. What zodiac sign are you?
8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
9. Worst Habit?
10. Do we know each other outside of Livejournal?
11. What is your favorite sport?
12. Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?
13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
14. Worst thing to ever happen to you?
15. Tell me one weird fact about you.
16. Do you have any pets?
17. Do you know how to do the Macarena?
18. What time is it where you are now?
19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
21. Would you be my partner in crime or my conscience?
22. What color eyes do you have?
23. Ever been arrested?
24. Bottle or Draft?
25. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it?
26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew?
27. What's your favorite bar to hang at?
28. Do you believe in ghosts?
29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
30. Do you swear a lot?
31. Biggest pet peeve?
32. In one word, how would you describe yourself?
33. In one word, how would you describe me?
34. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?
1. Can you cook?
2. What was your dream growing up?
3. What talent do you wish you had?
4. Favorite place?
5. Favorite vegetable?
6. What was the last book you read?
7. What zodiac sign are you?
8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
9. Worst Habit?
10. Do we know each other outside of Livejournal?
11. What is your favorite sport?
12. Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?
13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
14. Worst thing to ever happen to you?
15. Tell me one weird fact about you.
16. Do you have any pets?
17. Do you know how to do the Macarena?
18. What time is it where you are now?
19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
21. Would you be my partner in crime or my conscience?
22. What color eyes do you have?
23. Ever been arrested?
24. Bottle or Draft?
25. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it?
26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew?
27. What's your favorite bar to hang at?
28. Do you believe in ghosts?
29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
30. Do you swear a lot?
31. Biggest pet peeve?
32. In one word, how would you describe yourself?
33. In one word, how would you describe me?
34. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Momentous Events
Alright Blogger-hounds...I'm posting!
This will probably seem a strange thing to start blogging with, but it picks up off a post from Leah. It involves a trip to the Girly Doctor. I have discovered that the best time of day for us motherless, always-wanted-to-be-a-mother-but-it-never-happened women to go in for this appointment is late afternoon. A blessedly empty waiting room awaits you!
It happened. She clarified the aging process by saying, "It's time for you to get a mammogram." Shit....I was hoping Leah's doctor was just crazy and jumping the gun a bit. A mammogram. Great. It's time for me to get my breast squished down to pancake size to search out possible invaders. Men don't have to have their testicles squished in a machine. Sure, they may think being manhandled by a doctor is horrible, but no...we have to endure so much more in our lifetime, but I digress. To top it off, insurance doesn't cover a whole lot of the cost because it's just to get a baseline. They don't think baselines are that important. Men run insurance companies, don't you know?
But wait! Oh...now there's a reason for the mammogram--she finds something. No, no, not THAT, just a cysty material. But reason enough for insurance to cover most of the cost of the mammogram because there's something there. The one breast also gets to have an ultrasound. Now I get to have cold gooey stuff rubbed all over it as well.
When I was 12-years-old, I started my period. The day this happened was a momentous event. I was filled with joy (little did I know). I was so filled with joy, that I called my dad--two states away and at work--and told him, "Dad! Guess what? I'm a Woman now!" He was so tickled that I would call and tell him this, that he told everyone at work. Little did I know what that one day would give way to, especially at the age of 12: hormonal fluctuations that caused horrible skin eruptions (because 2-3 zits are horrible at that age), split second emotional ups and downs that had the whole household walking on egg-shells, cramps from hell, "leaks" caught by someone in the hall at school that no one bothers to tell you about until the start of the next class, sudden longing for boys I had never noticed before and I would die if they didn't notice me, trial and error with pads and tampons...yeah, joyful day.
But, it is a momentous change. Good or bad. Here comes the beginning of the next one. I guess after my appointment, I'll call my dad--now four states away--and tell him, "Dad, guess what? I had my first mammogram today. I'm a middle-aged woman now,". This is just a small momentous event. That big one is lurking just around the corner. As always, there will be the good and the bad with that one.
This will probably seem a strange thing to start blogging with, but it picks up off a post from Leah. It involves a trip to the Girly Doctor. I have discovered that the best time of day for us motherless, always-wanted-to-be-a-mother-but-it-never-happened women to go in for this appointment is late afternoon. A blessedly empty waiting room awaits you!
It happened. She clarified the aging process by saying, "It's time for you to get a mammogram." Shit....I was hoping Leah's doctor was just crazy and jumping the gun a bit. A mammogram. Great. It's time for me to get my breast squished down to pancake size to search out possible invaders. Men don't have to have their testicles squished in a machine. Sure, they may think being manhandled by a doctor is horrible, but no...we have to endure so much more in our lifetime, but I digress. To top it off, insurance doesn't cover a whole lot of the cost because it's just to get a baseline. They don't think baselines are that important. Men run insurance companies, don't you know?
But wait! Oh...now there's a reason for the mammogram--she finds something. No, no, not THAT, just a cysty material. But reason enough for insurance to cover most of the cost of the mammogram because there's something there. The one breast also gets to have an ultrasound. Now I get to have cold gooey stuff rubbed all over it as well.
When I was 12-years-old, I started my period. The day this happened was a momentous event. I was filled with joy (little did I know). I was so filled with joy, that I called my dad--two states away and at work--and told him, "Dad! Guess what? I'm a Woman now!" He was so tickled that I would call and tell him this, that he told everyone at work. Little did I know what that one day would give way to, especially at the age of 12: hormonal fluctuations that caused horrible skin eruptions (because 2-3 zits are horrible at that age), split second emotional ups and downs that had the whole household walking on egg-shells, cramps from hell, "leaks" caught by someone in the hall at school that no one bothers to tell you about until the start of the next class, sudden longing for boys I had never noticed before and I would die if they didn't notice me, trial and error with pads and tampons...yeah, joyful day.
But, it is a momentous change. Good or bad. Here comes the beginning of the next one. I guess after my appointment, I'll call my dad--now four states away--and tell him, "Dad, guess what? I had my first mammogram today. I'm a middle-aged woman now,". This is just a small momentous event. That big one is lurking just around the corner. As always, there will be the good and the bad with that one.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
MySpace Evacuee
I've recently retreated from MySpace and I am entering the world of Blogspot where many of my friends and co-workers have been for years. Too many problems on MySpace--too much time typing brilliant blogs that got lost in Cyberspace as soon as I hit the "Preview and Post" tab. So now, I have to get back into the habit of posting a blog because I had just given up trying. Bear with me as I transition....
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