Knitting & Vasectomies - The Incongruity of it All

2009-12-23T11:09:00.001-08:00

Refrigerator Madness - 12/21/09

2009-12-21T07:50:00.000-08:00

Refrigerator Madness - 12/20/09

2009-12-20T07:04:00.000-08:00

Refrigerator Madness - 12/19/09

2009-12-19T08:04:00.000-08:00

Refrigerator Madness - 12/18/09

2009-12-18T06:55:00.001-08:00

(Gleaned from the ton of stuff out there)

Refrigerator Madness - 12/17/09

2009-12-17T06:50:00.000-08:00

Bears and Hockey

2009-12-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

There is something alternately fascinating and bothersome about this little clip. I can not tell if it is because they remind me so much of hockey players or because hockey players remind me of them.

Whatever it is, there is something very surreal about their actions and capabilities (they do need a new goalie though).

Attitude with "Kuyler"

2009-12-02T16:34:00.000-08:00

I really like this one.... I like how it is a cloche, or an Attitude Hat. It can be a tam or it can just be a cap. So versatile.

Attitude Hat "Kuyler"

Nothin' Like this Combo of Grace & Strength

2009-11-27T18:21:00.000-08:00

I have been totally mesmerized by this video all day! Enjoy

Another Piece of S.F.

2009-10-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

San Francisco's People. Canon 5DmkII 24p from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.

Something about some of the images here, really strikes a chord. The 'city' chord. It doesn't have to be San Francisco, it could be New York or Chicago... but there is a big city feel about some of the lighting used with some of these images.

Again, for any of you that have lived in S.F., this is another piece of that city that might jar some memories.

Drinking our Morning Coffee

2009-10-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

There truly is something to be said for white pimp shoes .....

Amsterdam Coffee - Oct 28, 2009

San Francisco 1958

2009-10-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

There is just something eerily beautiful about this little clip....any of you that have ever lived in San Francisco might feel the same way.

This came from a blog called Spots Unknown - Under the Skin of San Francisco

San Francisco 1958 from Jeff Altman on Vimeo.

The Cat Piano

2009-09-06T17:25:00.001-07:00

Take 7 minutes and watch this wonderful Cat Noir film, narrated by Nick Cave

The Cat Piano from PRA on Vimeo.

The Mid-State Fair is in Town

2009-07-25T09:00:00.001-07:00

Nuff said....................

A Brief Pause to Mention...........

2009-07-16T20:07:00.000-07:00

"Whisper Flight"© 2009 WB Eckert
15x30
Acrylic on Canvas
Please click to view full size

Today is my birthday. Another year has come and gone and I am still here. I am here, healthy and still creative. I am here, happy and still content.

My husband painted a painting for me. He surprised me and made me incredibly happy. This is my very own...just for me........all mine. I love my husband.

For the 4th of July

2009-07-05T16:47:00.001-07:00

For the 4th of July we watched "The Great Debaters"

In my opinion.... the perfect movie for the holiday.

From the Film:

Wiley College argues the affirmative side of the question of civil disobedience. In the final rebuttal,
James Farmer, Jr. states:

"In Texas they lynch Negroes. My teammates and I saw a man strung up by his neck and set on fire. We drove through a lynch mob, pressed our faces against the floorboard. I looked at my teammates. I saw the fear in their eyes and, worse, the shame. What was this Negro's crime that he should be hung without trial in a dark forest filled with fog. Was he a thief? Was he a killer? Or just a Negro? Was he a sharecropper? A preacher? Were his children waiting up for him? And who are we to just lie there and do nothing. No matter what he did, the mob was the criminal. But the law did nothing. Just left us wondering, "Why?" My opponent says nothing that erodes the rule of law can be moral. But there is no rule of law in the Jim Crow south. Not when Negroes are denied housing. Turned away from schools, hospitals. And not when we are lynched. St Augustine said, "An unjust law in no law at all.' Which means I have a right, even a duty to resist. With violence or civil disobedience. You should pray I choose the latter.

It does take some forethought.....

2009-05-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

So….. whenever i have to use a public restroom, i will veer towards the handicapped cubicle if no one in the line or outside seems to need to use it. I mean, it’s bigger…. i like bigger (in comparison to my knees touching the door when i sit down).

This ‘restroom’ had no one inside. i opened the door to the ‘handicapped’ cubicle, went in and took care of the business at hand…. then turned to get the toilet paper…. and there it was….. waaaaaaay over on the cubicle wall.

Now…. i am 5′9″ tall with long arms, hands and fingers, and i couldnt reach it…. no one, other then an orangatan could have reached it without first getting up.

Great planning folks…..

Pondering Colors

2009-04-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

Below is a Factoid from a very cool book my husband has. The book is "Pantone Guide to Communicating with Color" by Leatrice Eiseman.

Factoid: "The human eye actually sees warm colors before cool colors. Generally, warm colors advance and cool colors recede, however the degree of saturation can make a difference. Highly saturated colors appear closer than colors of low saturation."

Do you have an intrinsic sense of color? Are you aware of what certain colors do? How they make you feel? If you aren't, or if you'd like more information about colors, this is a great book to have

My husband is artist, and he always says to me that he is amazed at my color sense. That I can put colors together that he would 'never' put together, and I can make them work. This always surprises me and I don't know if he is actually relating to the colors being together or the sense of what they evoke when they are together.

I happen to be one of those people that goes with my gut, my intuition, my sixth sense about alot of things. Color is one of those things and usually I am 'right' about what I choose. I have learned throughout the years that I can rely on my sense of color and how colors work together.

I know colors (and their placement with other colors) can evoke a lot of things. Colors are like musical notes and how they are put together creates visual music. Certain memories can be brought forth, or a 'sense' of a certain look time or place.

I wonder why I react so strongly to color and why I can put colors together so easily and there are people that can't... and I mean, they really, really can't. They have no sense of relationship... or maybe it is that their color schemes evoke nothing in me. No 'sense' of anything. So, is it really the colors they are putting together or what it does or doesn't evoke when I view them?

Factoid: "Confining a color to a particular feature or usage will give greater emphasis to that feature. Repeating a color too many times can create a distraction or dilution of attention."

Now this is Fun!

2009-04-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

Funny, well-done...

How to create some real WEARABLE ART!!!!!

It has Sprung

2009-03-29T16:56:00.001-07:00

I'm screwed..................

2009-03-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

thank you xkcd.com

When did it happen????

2009-03-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

When did a stuffed animal turn into a Plushie?
This is a Plushie
This is a stuffed animal

When did a Robert
turn into a Bob?

or

A Richard turn into a Dick?

When did "Sorry" turn into "Just Kidding"?

or

"Sorry, my mistake" turn into "My Bad"?

and please..........

When did they start breeding animals without legs???

The Sign of the Glove

2009-02-20T18:53:00.000-08:00

"The Sign of the Glove"
2008 San Miquel, CA

A funny and sad thing - a single glove, or even as in the above case, a pair of gloves... that feel like single gloves.

A glove without a partner. A solitary glove. A glove without love. A lost glove. A glove with no owner. A trampled glove, run over while just laying there. To me, the lost glove always evokes something wistful and sad. But maybe I am completely wrong? Maybe these lost gloves are just 'signs'. Portents pointing to new pathways?

We take pictures of lost gloves. Why? Probably some of the above reasons, probably some that I haven't even thought of. I googled 'lost gloves' and came up with a wonderful site "Lost Glove" . I am so glad there are others that have feelings about lost gloves.

These are a couple of my lost gloves pictures. My thanks to my husband for recognizing the importance of photographing a lost glove as it is found. I intend to continue cataloging them as they come into my life.

"Worked to the Bone" Glove
2009 Paso Robles, CA

"I Wasn't Always Alone" Glove

2007 Carmel, CA

What I Don't Like about Myself....I Will See in You

2009-02-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

As I walked out the door today I realized that the color of my sunglasses matched the color of my shoes. This made me inordinately happy. I told my husband, "Hon... my sunglasses match my shoes". I was happy.

But of course, my happy can't last long because I immediately had to figure out what it was about this particular matching sunglasses/shoes thing that made me so happy.

I realized I would have noticed this matching thing if it occurred on someone else. If YOU were walking down the street and had matching sunglasses/shoes, I surely would have noticed and I would have been happy about it too.

This then moved on to.... "Oh no.. so if I notice that my pants are too tight, I will notice if everyone else's pants are too tight also". Which led to: Whatever someone else noticed about themselves, they would surely notice about me.

So if someone hated how their hair always stuck in their shirt collar, they would always notice hair sticking in shirt collars on other people.

There is just no damn way any of us are ever going to be perfect! Either I will notice something I don't like about me and see it in you... or you will notice something you don't like about yourself and notice it in me...

oh woe :(

Now tell me how this whole train of thought went from something making me happy to something making me worry. In a matter of moments, the initial happy thought turned to shit.

I must work on this.

My Theory of Relativity

2009-01-17T08:47:00.000-08:00

i am beginning to wonder about the amount of coffee i drink in relationship to the amount of questions i ask.

the less coffee i have, the more questions
the more coffee i have, the more answers i have
go figure.

I'm Going to Talk about Child Molestation

2009-01-11T15:59:00.000-08:00

Let me talk about child molestation and children's museums. Why? Because I want to and I feel I need to talk about it.

There is a current article in our local paper about the new Children's Museum. The headline for the article reads "Lone adults not always welcome -SLO Children’s Museum bars entry to anyone not accompanying a child or on a tour, while other facilities in the area are more lenient". SLO Tribune - Jan 11, 2009

ZZZZT, what a grabber title that is, huh? Interestingly enough, that is exactly what the article is about... usually we get this flashy, hot-issue, bold title only to find out the story is a piece of fluff. But this article really is about a children's museum that is excluding lone adults under the pretense that they would rather be 'erring toward caution' when it comes to their establishment and that they are creating a safe haven for all those little ones that come in with mommy or daddy or grandpa.

Look, i've raised two children. I think child molestation sucks and is a sickness and I would probably have tried to kill any adult that would have tried to molest either of my children... but some things just go to damn far.

If the museum is really erring on the side of caution, and not just catering to 'the fear factor', they better stop letting in parents with children, grandparents and uncles with children, babysitters and neighbors with children and any adult that may know the child, including school teachers, priests and police.

Why?

Because if they did their homework they would know that out of all the child molestation cases, **60% of them are done by family members and acquaintances.

If you are going to open a CHILDRENS museum, then there should also be enough staff to properly care for it and its patrons, with enough security so that the museum wouldnt have to settle on the use of an archaic, preemptive reasoning that infers that a lone adult constitutes a potential child molester.

I am all for being informed and cautious and safe. I am very much against instituting fear where there is no need for fear. I am very much against the insinuation that a lone man or woman is, by default, a sexual predator, until they can prove otherwise.

**strangers are the offenders in approx 10% of child sexual abuse cases. Most sexual abuse offenders are acquainted with their victims; approx 30% are relatives of the child, most often fathers, uncles or cousins; around 60% are other acquaintances/neighbors http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_sexual_abuse

BEWARE!!!

BEWARE!

BEWARE!!!

This makes me feel like tossing my lunch.....

2009-01-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

The following article was posted on January 8th, 2009, in the New Times - Volume 23, Issue 23
http://www.newtimes-slo.com/shredder/1733/missing-but-unmissed/

Tossing it
Call it the Dumpster dive opportunity of a decade or the dumbest government decision since the war, but according to an article in the Los Angeles Times, as of Feb. 10, thrift stores, re-use stores and Goodwills are going to have to toss out all their used kids clothes and toys.

That’s right, just in time for the worst recession in American history, Congress and the Bush Administration are apparently banning thrift stores from selling used kid stuff.

Here’s the background: After last year’s scare about lead in everything from lunchboxes to T-shirts, Congress passed a law demanding that retailers verify that all children’s products are lead-free.

In practice, that means that all children’s products sold after Feb. 10 have to be tested for lead. It costs upwards of $1,000 to get the test done, per batch of product. That’s not a big cost for Mattel, one of the manufacturers actually found to have sold products with lead. But it is a big deal to people who hand-make toys, games, and clothes. In other words, it’s a big deal to the type of folks least likely to make products anybody has to worry about.

It’s an even bigger deal to consignment shops and thrift stores, because they can’t go around spending $1,000 to test a $1 hoodie. Their only apparent choice? Toss it out.

My Friend in a Baggie

2008-12-20T14:46:00.001-08:00

My Friend in a Baggie.

Last year Nick, my oldest and dearest friend, died on 12/21/2007. (http://www.xanga.com/rachelsent) I miss Nick terribly. He was always there for me, somewhere in the background, with his quick wit, cynical humor, and quiet attitude. Nick was the keeper of my stories and now that he is gone, those stories have no sounding board.

I am in possession of my friend Nick. He resides in a baggie, which is inside another bag full of pictures and history. I am not sure what to do with his ashes. There is a part of me that doesnt want to do anything with them. They have become mine and I am a keeper of memories. So Nick sits in baggie.

I decided to look around and see what other people do with the ashes of those they cared about. It's pretty amazing. None of these options are anything I would do with Nick.... but I think he would get a kick out of seeing some of them.

Pagodas hold peoples ashes

Cardboard coffins, shell-shaped urns and fireworks that can be packed with people's ashes were met by smiles at the Natural Death Center's Green Funeral Exhibition Saturday in London. http://www.daylife.com/photo/06V04tz6gMfeG

The huggable urn!

The planned launch sometime in March of a rocket carrying the ashes of actor James Doohan, who played chief engineer Montgomery Scott on "Star Trek," and Mercury program astronaut Gordon Cooper will give a fitting send-off to two men who helped popularise human space exploration. http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/s46.htm l
Forget burial or cremation, there is a new option for disposing of human bodies in which a lye solution dissolves tissues into a sterile syrupy substance that can be safely flushed down the drain.

The "crime scene" at the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction after a woman spread ashes of her loved one there. It took the Disney crew more than an hour to clean the attraction of the ashes. But by far the most popular location in Disneyland to spread ashes of loved ones is in the Haunted Mansion attraction. I suppose they hope to see their face among all those other spirits you see during that ride. Yet another popular ride to spread ashes is the "Small World" exhibit ... apparently so the spirit of the beloved can hear that nearly-imposible-to-get-out-of-your-head ""It's a Small World After All" song for all eternity. http://www.intenseexperiences.com/cremation-ashes.html

Lucas Seaward, a portrait artist from Edmonton, Alberta, says he has developed a process for incorporating about a tablespoon of ashes into a type of pencil that can be used for drawing a memorial portrait in shades of grey.http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/31/1992617.htm

Diamonds Really Are Forever..
A small company, based in the mountainous southeast Switzerland, uses the ashes of dead people to make diamonds, as a permanent memento for their nearest and dearest.

"Nick in a baggie". I really think Nick would appreciate the humor of finding himself inside a baggie.

I miss you Nick.

Rachel

Talk about feeling 'had'.....

2008-12-12T17:25:00.000-08:00

This was recently... and today it was $1.63. Shit... it makes me want to fill up other peoples gas tanks!

Credit Card Fiasco!!

2008-11-30T06:57:00.000-08:00

The RBS Credit Card Fiasco

I arrived home the other day to a letter from the RBS Credit Card company. "What could they be writing me about?", I thought. I stopped doing the dishes, dried my hands and went to the envelope that lay beckoning on the table.

I ripped the envelope open and began to read.

"Based on our review, we find it necessary to make a change to your RBS credit card account. We have increased the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) on your new and existing account purchases and balance transfers effective on the first day of your billing cycle that begins in December 2008. Your rate will now be 19.99% APR. This rate will apply to your existing balances as well as to all new purchases and balance transfers, but not to existing balances at promotional rates. All other rates, benefits and fees will remain unchanged."

The next paragraph went on to tell me that they were going to give me a free (for the next 6 months) Protected Cardholder Program.

WTF????????

"Based on what review??? " I pondered. And then I remembered. There was a zero balance on this credit card. It had been paid off in full several months ago, but now my curiosity was piqued.

I called the 1-800-747-8155 noted on the letter for Customer Service and spoke with a female named Chris (I.D. #3002383). I explained that I was confused and that I had received a letter dated November 14, 2008 that said it was going to increase my APR. I asked her to explain to me what this was about.

Chris then launched into the 'reading of the letter' to me. She was so into it that no matter how many times I said "Excuse Me", "HELLO!!!!", she didnt stop reading. Finally, I shouted into the phone saying her name. I told she did not need to read me the letter that I held in my hand. She needed to tell me why the APR was being increased.

She then told me that it was because of the 'economy'.!!!! At this point, I asked if this was just a general review of all RBS credit cards or was this specific to my credit history. She replied that it was a general review and had nothing to do with my credit history.

I then told her to close the account.

WITHOUT ANY HESITATION BETWEEN WORDS, Chris then told me "I can let you keep the same APR you already have, if you keep the account open." I was lucky, there was a zero balance on this account.

What the fuck is that all about???? If you did not know what to ask, or how to ask or even to question the letter, you would automatically receive the higher APR for no reason whatsoever... except of course 'because of the economy'.

HEADS UP FOLKS.... If RBS is sending out these letters, you can bet that every other credit card company is sending these letters out as well.

STOP SELLING YOUR FUTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get rid of the credit cards. (More on this topic in another post).

Oh Inspiration!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-18T06:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.wafrica.jp/

oh my..... love this stuff!
Please take a look at this!

The Future was set

2008-11-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

From early on, I really didnt have a choice...

"Just Kidding"

2008-11-08T06:46:00.000-08:00

I hate the use of that phrase.

My coffee has been made wrong and after I have paid and stood in line waiting, I am told "Just Kidding" when I ask for it to be corrected.

My change has been mis-counted and when I point out the mistake I receive a "Just Kidding".

The wrong price has been rung up at the register and when notified of the mistake I am told by the cashier "Just Kidding".

What the hell is so funny? So funny that you have to tell me that you were "Just Kidding"? Oh Oh I get it.........you werent kidding?!?!?! You made a mistake????? and instead of a "Sorry about that", you tell me "Just Kidding"?????

What an insidious little phrase this has become... and what does it really say? Does it say that you made a mistake and are embarrassed to admit it? Does it say that you aren't really going to take any responsibility for your actions? Yeah..... I think it does. It ranks right up there with "whatever" and "my bad", two other phrases I could do without.

So if I tell you that your response to me sucks and then look at you sweetly and say "Just Kidding" as I walk away, you'll understand, right?

The Art of NOT making a decision

2008-10-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

in other words..... I really did follow my own advice. I shut the gremlins in my head down and went to work. At the very moment I went to talk to the person i needed to about 'the job', I decided that I wanted to do it. I then added that I would be willing to rearrange my schedule to accomodate 4 days a week, that I would expect a raise in pay (more responsibility, blah blah) and that I could not train any new employee they hired (no time, blah blah).

all was unbridled glee. yahoo.........yippee..... hooray

Human Resources called me. Yes, this is a 'real' corporation (ugh).... and we 'discussed'. Basically the 'discussing' was them wanting to know how much I wanted. For a 'real' corporation they are incredibly small in the realm of other 'real' corporations. It is a group of Urologists that have sewn up the market in our county. (More on 'our county' later).

I asked them to remember that I was a part-time employee, no paid vacation, no benefits etc. and to think about this and that I would look forward to their actual proposal and salary information.

Another phone call from HR. "We have to watch what we pay because of the 'other' employees". They came back with an increase of $.50!!!!!!!!!!!! To which I fell off my chair, started laughing and said "I will get back to you".

Other than writing a letter to HR explaining my surprise and disappointment and advising that 'other' employees wouldnt know what I made, that 'other' employees were NOT part-time and that 'other' employees received paid vacations and paid benefits, I asked "So... when will we be having my current review?" (so you can give me a $.50 increase?!?!" and I wont have to take on the new position).

SO... little did I know that I wanted to take the position until I said it, and little did I know that I wouldn't want the position until I heard what type of salary increase there would be.

Nuff said about worring about stuff before it happens.

I have a brain that needs to create. It also needs the other stuff too.... the organizing, the other type of 'work' and I switch back and forth pretty easily. So for now, things shall remain the same and we shall see what becomes of it......

Off to work & a big decision.....

2008-10-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

well.. it is monday and i am off to work. it's been a 3 day a week gig for the last 1 1/2 years but has recently started becoming 4 days a week. i have been creating my DreamWoven line for YEARS... and use to do it full time. I've been able to somewhat maintain the creative flow working 3 days a week and being creative for the 4 days i had in my studio.

I have now been offered a position as a 4 day a week M.A. (Medical Assistant). This will seriously cut into my creativeness. (see DreamWoven - A Taste of Different)

I would be working Mon, Tues, Wed. and Fri. I figure Thurs & Sats will be my recoup days and that only leaves Sun to work on the things i need to.

I love working as an M.A. but it is exhausting. I am on my feet the entire time and when i get home i am bone tired and my feet hurt. This old body doesnt bounce back the way it use to and the Hep C has a nasty habit of amplifying this type of tiredness. (I take very good care of this body now, so when this type of tiredness hits, it really knocks me for a loop).

I want to do it. I mean how often will i have this type of opportunity? especially at my age.

And the battle rages on... my internal gremlins battling out the pros and cons, trying to make a decision. They need to shut the hell up.

On most things I jump with 2 feet and make whatever the decision is going to be at the very last moment I need to. It has worked for me so far............ maybe I just need to not think about this and deal with it when it is time to have the conversation at work?

so, wish me luck on either making this decision or not making it.

(That's me.... weighing it out, making decisions.....oy)

You are Kidding Right? What does it all mean?

2008-10-24T17:15:00.001-07:00

Since when did marriage need protection? Protection from what? I thought marriage was something between two people that loved each other.

Is there something threatening everyone who is married? Is there something I should be looking out for? Should I tell my husband?

Sounds like a terrorist scare. This is just down right stupid. If you believe marriage is between a man & a woman, that is great. How can your marriage (and your beliefs) need protection from someone that doesnt think the same way?

If there is anyone out there reading, who feels that THEIR marriage is threatened because of those that would vote NO on Prop 8, please please please tell me what horrible thing is going to happen to you. ok?

ergggggggggggggg

(Faith Stickers...hmmm that is an interesting concept)

and to just add to my rant above,.... i have a real problem with all those folks that feel the need (almost typed 'desperate need') to fly american flags from their cars and rooftops and plaster american flag stickers all over everything.

I've got ask... Who is it that you feel you need to tell that you are an american? Is there someone in your neighborhood that is not an american? someone you passed on the freeway that you know isnt an american? Is your flag flying statement something like "I fly my american flag because i'm american. You dont so I am going to question your americanism."?

The Adventures of Kuntah Kitteh

2008-10-24T11:14:00.001-07:00

My husband (that sick sick man) will be doing a comic strip....
Please stay tuned for the ongoing adventures of Kuntah Kitteh. He is a Kitteh with attitude! He's mad and he's bad!

What's the difference?

2008-10-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

Ok... here's some pics

and here are three more....

In the last 3 pics.... can someone tell me what the name of that gambling game is? From what i understand, the odds were suppose to be pretty good....

I think the rules of all of these games is the same.... you put your money in ("betting") and you wait to see if things come out in your favor. If they don't, you lose. You lose what you put in and what you thought you might win.

but as we all know, "the house always wins"..... otherwise it doesnt stay in biz too long.

Todays Interesting Tidbits

2008-10-11T07:17:00.000-07:00

A few things i've found interesting today:

1. I am not sure why some things just make me laugh.... this one did, as well as her other video.... "Duelers".... check them both out....

monkey's butt is red from min oh on Vimeo.

2. On Monday I get to assist in a vasectomy on a porn 'star'. Oh...wait....'adult movie' star. I took a phone call last week and it was someone who said he would be coming in for a Vasectomy and wanted to know how long he would be out of 'commission'. I explained that he would be horizontal at least 24 hours (and the bag of frozen peas would be his new best friend) and after that he could go on to light activity as he felt able to. I suggested that he not go horseback riding or motorcycle riding. I then asked him what type of business he was in and he said "adult movies". So i told him he probably wouldn't want to go jiggling the goods right away. He sighed, sounded sad and we hung up.

3. I have been practicing my blood letting techniques :) Yesterday I spent most of the day drawing blood. I'm doing pretty well at it. For me it's awkward to stand over the patient while they sit. I would feel more comfortable if i were sitting too....maybe if I were shorter?

Money Made from Money

2008-10-02T15:18:00.001-07:00

Money made from money.... ( a rambling....)

I recently watched a film called "Surfwise" about the Paskowitz family. It is the story of a father who graduated Stanford and became and MD and at some point, made a conscious decision to change the way his life was going. He married (again) and he and his wife raised 9 children in a camper and then founded a school of surfing.

The film is a documentary and was released this year. I enjoyed it. The rebel part of me nodded in agreement thru a good portion of the fathers discussion of his life and the change he made. This 84 year old still surfs every morning and still stands by and practices the beliefs he adopted when he decided to change his life. The movie moves forward and interviews the 9 adult children. About mid-film you start hearing the discontent, the 'i need to blame someone for the way my life is' of most of these adult children. During this portion of the film I kept thinking, "ive raised my two children, now 26 and 19 and I heard/hear that from them too, and funny, I remember going thru that period myself as i grew into adulthood". By the end of the film the family is rejoined, and there is no blame, just a wonderful sense of family, a sense of something very special because of the way they were raised and how they were taught and each adult child seems happy with his/her life choices. A good film, that left me feeling good.

One of the things that Doc Paskowitz talked of in the film was the idea of 'not making money from money'. This was one of the things that he had decided he would not do. The thought of "not making money from money' has rattled around in my head since I saw the film. What does it mean? What does it mean to me? Is it a feasible way to live? How closely could I get to following that precept?

The idea of making money from money, most especially in this country, is to become a usurer. What occurs here in this country, with banks, credit card companies and most large corporations is nothing short of usury (definition: usury n. , pl. -ries . The practice of lending money and charging the borrower interest, especially at an exorbitant or illegally high rate. ) The other name for what occurs is 'loan sharking'.... which usually connotes some sense of gangsters/mafia. We, as a nation have become gangsters in the handling of our business affairs....(as well as in alot of our other dealings with people & countries).

After doing a google search on the phrase "not making money from money", I came across references to this throughout written history. The Quran, the Talmud and the Torah all have restrictions on usury. I found this article on "Principles of Islamic Banking" to be a good read. http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/economics/nbank1.html

I particularly like this principle written about in the article: "Money is only a medium of exchange, a way of defining the value of a thing; it has no value in itself, and therefore should not be allowed to give rise to more money, via fixed interest payments, simply by being put in a bank or lent to someone else. The human effort, initiative, and risk involved in a productive venture are more important than the money used to finance it." We sure are a long way from this.

I am not wealthy. I am better off then quite a few and nowhere near as wealthy as others. Somewhere along the line I became what use to be called middle-class and which is now called upper lower class. I dont have huge savings accounts or stocks and bonds and I dont have a nest egg other than my home, to fall back on. I would gladly throw everything away in order to be happy and content. I find that having lots of things eventually winds up being an anchor that will sink me.

i'd like to think that I might be capable of living by a principle like "do not make money from money" and be content.

I was attacked!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-01T06:34:00.001-07:00

minding my own business
doing the morning walk.... and out of nowhere they came running at me......... at least 20 of them!!!!

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-27T07:30:00.001-07:00

Yes, i did! I mean, how many times in one's life, does one get to assist in a surgical procedure? (Vasectomy). I never knew i wanted to assist in a surgical procedure, but the set of circumstances that presented themselves last august when i started working part time, couldn't just be passed by... kwim?

For me, it's like being high. Not the high one gets from doing something dangerous and accomplishing it.... (the evil knievel's, the flagpole sitters, etc... that's not for me... i am a chicken shit)... but the chance/opportunity to do something i havent done before and to do it well... and the doing it well part is really important to me.

When i was younger i was accused of being 'spoiled'. I always took great umbrage at this. 'Spoiled' meant that i always got what i wanted and i knew that wasnt the case... not by a long shot. What DID occur was that when i really wanted something, i went and got it.... no if's, and's or but's about it. One of the readers of my blog has known me since i was about 17, i'll never forget her saying to me "jeez rachel, when you want something, you just go get it!". i always took this as a very great compliment. granted, some of the things i have wanted haven't always been in the best interest of myself (or of others)... but it was/is a most definite part of my personality.

so... the accomplishment of being able to assist, hands-on in a vasectomy was something that i had aimed for and succeeded at and got the "good job" pat-on-the-back from the doctor afterwards. i walked into the situation after some deep breaths, assuming the persona that i had done this a million times, my hands didn't shake, there was a smile on my face and i read the doctors signals as if i had been working with him for years! a goal reached... and now i will continue with this until i can't go any further.

i've already cut my teeth (my vampiric eye teeth) drawing blood... (just a bit out of practice).... the next procedure i will assist with is a Prostate Biopsy.

A little homage....

2008-09-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

homage is not oatmeal.

the title of this blog came from the reaction a friend of mine had upon finding out i was working at a urologists office. he said the image of me with a penis in one hand and a pair of knitting needles in the other was just a tad too much.

it is a bit odd when you think about it.... but not really that odd for me.

approximately 10 years ago i decided that i would never do anything (for a job) that i had ever done before. to date, i've been able to keep my promise. so when i embarked on this adventure at the urologists office last year.... who knew that i would wind up assisting in vasectomies??????

well..... i believe tomorrow will be my first vasectomy... where i am the one assisting the doctor. i've seen plenty in the last couple of months, but i havent assisted.... so wish me luck....hmmmmm.. maybe you should wish the guy luck....?!?

actually i am very excited over this..... i have to dig out my long santa list paper and add these new found talents of mine........i'll let you know how it goes.

The intent.............

2008-09-24T17:59:00.001-07:00

The intent here is to chat, commiserate, cajole, make fun of, discuss, debate, argue about things that i think about. Of course it will be a bias discussion simply because it will be from my own perspective... but i invite any and all to talk, chat, converse etc., about whatever........

we shall see..................