Amythist_Malaise on Xanga

TIBER SWIM CLASS OF 2004

Saturday, 07 November 2009

AT THE RISK OF....

.....posting too much about this, my dad is out of the hospital and is in a rehab facility. He will get physical therapy to regain his strength so that he can return home.

The bigger problem is my mom. Thank God my sister Stephanie is able to stay with her while my dad is recovering. Her memory is really shot. My mom called Stephanie to the bathroom, and asked her to investigate a strange noise. It turned out to be my mom's electric toothbrush, buzzing away in its holder because my mom forgot to turn it off. Sigh. And there are the other issues: forgetting to turn off the stove, take her medicine, pay the bills, etc. If my dad can't be there to take care of her, my mom isn't safe. She won't use her cane in the house, either, so she falls from time to time.

So, once again I thank my xanga friends for putting up with my personal problems in this corner of the world. My family is not the first to go through this, nor will we be the last, but it is so difficult when it's your turn.

I'm stuck at home myself this weekend. I aggravated my herniated disc when I leaned over to pick up a sock while getting ready for work yesterday. I did my eight hours in pain, but today it really hurts. When it rains it pours. At least this is my off weekend.

Friday, 06 November 2009

UPDATE ON DAD

My dad had a major turn around for the good, thanks be to God. The doctors changed around a few of his meds and the positive result was dramatic.

Thanks for all the prayers.

Tuesday, 03 November 2009

END OF LIFE

My parents are both 81. As the body ages, it does bad things. In my mom's case, it is her memory. She has no short term memory. Period. In my dad's case, it is his muscles which don't want to work anymore. He is currently in the hospital--he has shingles because the steroids he takes to combat his polymyalgia and giant cell arteritis (say those three times fast) suppressed his immune system and voila!--shingles. Plus, he is having pain when he breathes, and is so weak he can hardly walk. He is in isolation.

I talked to my mom and she is beside herself because she can't find my dad's telephone number, can't find her address book, and doesn't even remember if she ever got the telephone number in the first place. She laments about being 80 (I didn't have the heart to tell her she is 81). I talked to my dad and he can barely get his words out because his diaphragm is so weak it's hard to have enough air to talk. He is depressed because he is having so much trouble getting his strength back.

In the midst of all of this, I wrote a little ditty on my local newspaper's blogging area about an issue with the Post Office. A political flyer got torn while in transit to me, so the Post Office put the torn flyer in a giant envelope and mailed it to me that way. What a waste of money for something I don't even want delivered in the first place. I had two comments on that one, both a bit on the mean side.

I'm contemplating my parents' mortality, and the rudeness of those comments stung me. Normally I would have been able to let it go, but I suppose when you are dealing with something really serious, little things tend to annoy you more. People ought to save their anger for what really matters. Life truly is too short. I can't believe that my folks are old, and that they are showing all the signs and symptoms of being old. I used to have nightmares when I was a little kid about my parents dying. Now the possibility is really there.

I hope my dad gets better and that we have more years with him. But this whole thing with this latest hospitalization has really got me rattled. If I am a bit snippy these days, that's why. Sorry.

Saturday, 24 October 2009

ACCIDENT

Two days ago a NJ Dept of Corrections van overturned, flipping three times. One of the Corrections Officers was badly hurt, and is in critical condition. Please send up a pray for this man and his family. Thanks.

Tuesday, 20 October 2009

MY OTHER BLOG POST

I have a blog on my local newspaper's web site. Here is my entry for today on that site. I am tired of pro-life candidates doing nothing about what they claim to believe.

Hey! Chris Christie is pro-life! Did you see it? One of Jon Corzine's new political ads, in which he delineates the reasons why Chris Christie is "wrong" for NJ, lists Christie's opposition to stem cell research and abortion on demand among them.

To be fair, I knew that Chris Christie sees himself as pro-life. Here is his statement on his web site:

"I am pro-life. Hearing the strong heartbeat of my unborn daughter 14 years ago at 13 weeks gestation had a profound effect on me and my beliefs. The life of every human being is precious. We must work to reduce abortions in New Jersey through laws such as parental notification, a 24-hour waiting period and a ban on partial-birth abortion."

Well, there you have it. I am pro-life, so why do I have a problem with Christie? Let's start with the above cited quote. Does Chris Christie believe that a fetus is human prior to that 13th week when he heard that heartbeat? How does that view affect his stand on stem cell research?

Unless you see Corzine's ad, you might not know where Christie stands on the issue of abortion. It feels as if Corzine has "outed" Christie on the abortion issue.

Christie's silence on this issue leaves me to believe that he is not all that concerned about abortion. I haven't seen him mention either the abortion or the stem cell issue on television, nor has he made his views known in any political flyer which I have received.

Jon Corzine's views, however are well known. Although I disagree with his policies, at least I know what they are.

To Chris Christie, I say this: Do you know why you are in a statistical dead heat with Jon Corzine? Because you have not offered anything of substance to the voters in NJ. You have given no specifics in your ads about how you would cut spending. What would you cut, and how much would those cuts be? Will you reduce taxes? How will you pay for restoring the property tax rebate? What is your stand on energy--do you agree with LoBiondo's "yes" vote on cap and trade? What is your opinion on sending more troops to Afghanistan, especially in light of the fact that it is our reservists, many from NJ, who have been called up to serve in the Middle East? Why do you give lip service to the pro-life community on your web site but ignore the abortion issue in your political ads?

It's not enough to say "I'm not Corzine". It's not enough to say "I'll cut spending." It's not even enough to say "what a thrill to hear my child's heartbeat". We want to know what you will do if you are elected to public office. To me, you are just another in a long line of candidates who put forth sound bites with no substance. You have not earned my trust or my vote.

Monday, 19 October 2009

WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING

My state of NJ is in a hotly contested governor's election. The editorial page on my local newspaper, which I access online, has been filled with all kinds of issue oriented letters and articles. I have been blogging on that site, which is why my entries here have been a bit sparse.

I suppose that once the election ends, I will be posting on xanga more often. I read my subscription and I leave comments, but I haven't been really consistent with putting up my own stuff.

I hope everyone has a good week. If there are elections in your area, stay informed and involved.

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

ONE STEP CLOSER

Go, Phillies!

Friday, 09 October 2009

THE NEW PEACE PRIZE: WORTHLESS

I don't often put political entries on here, but you could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out President Obama won the Nobel Peace prize.

WHAT?! Where has he effected peace anywhere on this planet?

Apparently the committee chose him because it likes his foreign policy. Seriously. The committee cited the renewed use of diplomacy. Never mind that there are no concrete outcomes to tie to the President's policy--I suppose that the committee just feels good hearing about it. Even CBS pointed out that the President has thus far not accomplished anything. Bob Schieffer's take on the award is that this is as much a declaration of its dislike of President GW Bush as it is anything else.

For substance, one only has to go back to the Clinton presidency.
Here is the famous 1993 handshake between Rabin and Arafat.

Now tell me, does President Obama really deserve the Nobel Peace prize? Someone needs to explain the rationale to President Clinton. At least he had a signed accord to offer when the handshake occurred. President Obama has nothing but his rhetoric, golden as it may be.

Tuesday, 06 October 2009

WHAT A FEELING!

Today I paid off a credit card debt, and boy did it feel great. Harry was out of work for a year a while back, and then last year I incurred some big medical bills, so it has been a long haul trying to pay things off.

When I paid that bill today, I couldn't help but think about the enormous amount of money our nation continues to borrow and spend. Anyone who has a budget, or who pays the bills, or balances the checkbook each month, knows that debt will kill you. The interest can accumulate to the point where it seems as if you will never get out from under. People who only purchase items with cash when they are able to afford them are the smart ones.

"Smart" does not describe our leaders. Congress and our Presidents GW Bush & Obama have saddled our nation with crippling debt. Go here and see for yourself why we are in a great deal of trouble.

I've said this before: if we don't get a handle on our national debt, we will all need to learn Mandarin and will end up making cheap plastic toys for dollar stores.

There are elections approaching this November--aside from the usual concerns about life and ethics issues, make sure that you know where your candidate stands on the issue of the national debt before you pull that lever. Your children and their children will be stuck with a huge bill if our legislators don't reign in this ridiculous spending.

Saturday, 03 October 2009

EASIER TO GIVE THAN TO LIVE

I was blessed to be off on First Friday, which doesn't always happen. Since I work second shift now, that means I can't make it to Holy Hour on First Friday unless it falls on a day off.

Earlier in the afternoon, I went to the grocery store to stock up on what I need. The woman in front of me lost her debit card and was writing a check for her groceries. It was her first time to do so, and her check was rejected. Most grocery stores have so-called super saver cards, and when you apply for one, you have to specify that you want check cashing privileges with it. This lady always uses her debit card & therefore had not realized she needed to obtain special check cashing privileges. I felt so bad for her! I've been in the situation where everything has been rung up, & then realize my wallet is at home or something along that line. It is really embarrassing. So, I paid for the woman's groceries. She only had a few items, less than $50 worth, and it really was no great sacrifice for me. I waste that much on foolishness every month, I'm sure.

You would have thought I just gave the woman a million dollars. She was so grateful, the other cashiers were praising me, and I just wanted to die.

You see, my Mass attendance has been a bit spotty for the last month, and I have been really aware that I need to get back on track. With my schedule it is so hard to get to church, but on those Sundays when I can make it, I am sometimes so worn out by that crazy schedule that I don't go.

As I sat in front of the Blessed Sacrament last night, I pondered how it is easy to give--God has blessed me with a job which pays me a decent living at this point in my life--to put money in the poor box or pay for a few groceries or send money monthly to a needy child overseas is easy for me right now. But to live out what I believe? Man oh man, the devil is indeed in the details. I told Jesus my struggles with this schedule and let Him know how much I need to figure out how to adjust my life right now so that it is in line with Him. After all, He is in charge of my life, and if I am in a bad spot right now, then He certainly knows that and can help me with it.

Yes, it is easier to give than to live. Please pray for me that I will be better at the living end of things!