I love having health insurance, especially in a country such as ours where it's treated like a luxury - lucky me!
Today I had my yearly physical check up. I was sitting there on the exam table, in my fashionable, blue hospital gown thingy, when my doc's assistant came in to take my blood pressure, weight, blood samples, etc...
Only...this time she wheeled in a crazy machine on a cart.
"That's new," I said.
She replied, "Cardiogram. It's recommended once you're 30."
Great. This just reminded me of the blurb I read somewhere once upon a time that said a human heart starts its decline at 30 years of age.
I am officially in a new age bracket. I want another birthday party, dammit.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
My sister's third question...
Slowly but surely, I am working through them all. Here's her third inquiry:
3. What gives you the most pride in being a graduate of James H. Harrison Elementary in Laurel, MD? I know ... it will be difficult to pick just one.
My response:
Ah, Laurel, MD. My sweet hometown. Well, my hometown, anyway.
Some Laurel trivia:
-Laurel, MD is a strange, sprawling town that spans three counties. West Laurel (larger yards, some newer developments, higher income bracket) was (and still is, I believe) very different from my own South Laurel (townhouses, large apartment complexes, and some neighborhoods of modest houses).
-During my childhood, the population of Laurel (according to the sign that welcomed drivers to the town limits) was 16,000. This number seems way too low to be descriptive of the current population, however.
-My section of Laurel was in Prince George's County (PGC!), neighbor to Washington, DC, and birthplace of go-go music. Yeah, that's right!
So...James H. Harrison Elementary School is a small to medium-sized educational institution. We lived close enough to school to be able to walk, but far enough away for that walk to be some decent exercise.
But...hm, points of pride? Hard to say, Sarah. I do have some memories of Harrison that stand out more than others. I remember trudging to the school on snow days to sled down the awesome hills behind the school. I remember there was still a forest of trees behind those hills, and not a clear view of the Marlo Furniture superstore like there is now (thanks to "new development," i.e., destroying all the trees of my childhood to make way for giant parking lots and box buildings).
I remember Mr. Kowzun, the gym teacher, throwing me up in the air on my birthday...but instead of catching me, like he did all the other birthday boys and girls, he dropped me, leading me to land hard on my knee. I didn't have to participate in gym that day. And Mr. Kowzun made sure that I knew it was my own fault for being dropped (apparently I was "not holding my arms in such a way that would make it easy for me to be caught")...yeah, we had only the finest teachers at Harrison.
I remember Gary Love teaching me how to do the Running Man and the Cabbage Patch at our 6th grade classroom holiday party...hm, that was pretty awesome, I guess. OK, I pick that as my most proud Harrison moment: tapping into my inner groove - I haven't let go of my dancer self since.
3. What gives you the most pride in being a graduate of James H. Harrison Elementary in Laurel, MD? I know ... it will be difficult to pick just one.
My response:
Ah, Laurel, MD. My sweet hometown. Well, my hometown, anyway.
Some Laurel trivia:
-Laurel, MD is a strange, sprawling town that spans three counties. West Laurel (larger yards, some newer developments, higher income bracket) was (and still is, I believe) very different from my own South Laurel (townhouses, large apartment complexes, and some neighborhoods of modest houses).
-During my childhood, the population of Laurel (according to the sign that welcomed drivers to the town limits) was 16,000. This number seems way too low to be descriptive of the current population, however.
-My section of Laurel was in Prince George's County (PGC!), neighbor to Washington, DC, and birthplace of go-go music. Yeah, that's right!
So...James H. Harrison Elementary School is a small to medium-sized educational institution. We lived close enough to school to be able to walk, but far enough away for that walk to be some decent exercise.
But...hm, points of pride? Hard to say, Sarah. I do have some memories of Harrison that stand out more than others. I remember trudging to the school on snow days to sled down the awesome hills behind the school. I remember there was still a forest of trees behind those hills, and not a clear view of the Marlo Furniture superstore like there is now (thanks to "new development," i.e., destroying all the trees of my childhood to make way for giant parking lots and box buildings).
I remember Mr. Kowzun, the gym teacher, throwing me up in the air on my birthday...but instead of catching me, like he did all the other birthday boys and girls, he dropped me, leading me to land hard on my knee. I didn't have to participate in gym that day. And Mr. Kowzun made sure that I knew it was my own fault for being dropped (apparently I was "not holding my arms in such a way that would make it easy for me to be caught")...yeah, we had only the finest teachers at Harrison.
I remember Gary Love teaching me how to do the Running Man and the Cabbage Patch at our 6th grade classroom holiday party...hm, that was pretty awesome, I guess. OK, I pick that as my most proud Harrison moment: tapping into my inner groove - I haven't let go of my dancer self since.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Regarding my sister's second query...
Dana Gioia, chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts, was on my local NPR station, WNYC, today. I thought the interview by Brian Lehrer was pretty interesting. You can find the interview halfway down this page and listen to it online.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
On a side note...
I've had a few celebrity sightings in the retail store I manage, but yesterday's sighting was the funnest to date (yes, sometimes "funnest" is a real word).
Yesterday, I sold a pair of reading glasses to Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fame (or Liv Tyler's father fame, depending on your point of view).
He looked like a total rockstar. I think rockstars aren't allowed to leave their homes unless they have on the tight pants/vintage-y tight button down shirt uniform. I base this theory solely on my single Steven Tyler interaction and my sales interaction with Ric Ocasek years ago (he bought some colored pencils from me at an art supplies store. I definitely remember some purple velvet in the ensemble).
The only thing that could have made yesterday's experience more awesome would have been if Stevey had broken into song. It almost happened...he started improvising a tune under his breath to the world music pumping through the store's speakers. So close!
Yesterday, I sold a pair of reading glasses to Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fame (or Liv Tyler's father fame, depending on your point of view).
He looked like a total rockstar. I think rockstars aren't allowed to leave their homes unless they have on the tight pants/vintage-y tight button down shirt uniform. I base this theory solely on my single Steven Tyler interaction and my sales interaction with Ric Ocasek years ago (he bought some colored pencils from me at an art supplies store. I definitely remember some purple velvet in the ensemble).
The only thing that could have made yesterday's experience more awesome would have been if Stevey had broken into song. It almost happened...he started improvising a tune under his breath to the world music pumping through the store's speakers. So close!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Response to my sister's first query
OK, so I put out a challenge to my multitude of readers (and myself) a couple weeks ago. I promised that I would write a post on any topic that was proposed through a reader comment to my June 8, 2008 post.
Sooo....I actually received some comments, and now I've got some writing to do. Two Sarahs, one of whom is my sister, provided me with writing fodder. Sister Sarah went a bit overboard and gave me THREE topics to write about (thank you, dear sister). I am now going to attempt to respond to her first request. Here is her question:
1. Are you concerned that Barack Obama will destroy any motivation to work and succeed through his oppressive tax plan and desired expansion of entitlement programs? Why or why not?
A note: my sister and I are indeed the best of friends, but we have very different political beliefs. Luckily, we both enjoy a good spar once in a while...
Allow me to pick apart your question, dearest sister, as you chose some loaded vocabulary words (destroy, oppressive). I can guess where you stand on Barack Obama's fiscal plan.
What part of Obama'a tax plan are you referring to? I hardly find it oppressive to reverse the tax cuts that Bush gave to the wealthiest Americans.
And the expansion of entitlement programs? Are you referring to his desire to increase access to jobs and transportation in low-income urban centers? His desire to provide incentives to minority- and women-owned businesses, as well as small start-ups?
My answer to your question: NO. I don't think that approaching our nation as a humanistic and compassionate community "destroys" people's desire to "work and succeed."
Yes, I think that people should enjoy the rewards of their hard labor, and I believe in personal responsibility for the course of one's life. But I also think that Americans are born into all different kinds of circumstances, and that offering some government assistance to people in depressed circumstances can create a sense of hope that could be the needed impetus to pull oneself out of said depressed circumstances.
I could elaborate further, but I have three more pending topics to write about. I am not, however, against revisiting this topic in the future...
Sooo....I actually received some comments, and now I've got some writing to do. Two Sarahs, one of whom is my sister, provided me with writing fodder. Sister Sarah went a bit overboard and gave me THREE topics to write about (thank you, dear sister). I am now going to attempt to respond to her first request. Here is her question:
1. Are you concerned that Barack Obama will destroy any motivation to work and succeed through his oppressive tax plan and desired expansion of entitlement programs? Why or why not?
A note: my sister and I are indeed the best of friends, but we have very different political beliefs. Luckily, we both enjoy a good spar once in a while...
Allow me to pick apart your question, dearest sister, as you chose some loaded vocabulary words (destroy, oppressive). I can guess where you stand on Barack Obama's fiscal plan.
What part of Obama'a tax plan are you referring to? I hardly find it oppressive to reverse the tax cuts that Bush gave to the wealthiest Americans.
And the expansion of entitlement programs? Are you referring to his desire to increase access to jobs and transportation in low-income urban centers? His desire to provide incentives to minority- and women-owned businesses, as well as small start-ups?
My answer to your question: NO. I don't think that approaching our nation as a humanistic and compassionate community "destroys" people's desire to "work and succeed."
Yes, I think that people should enjoy the rewards of their hard labor, and I believe in personal responsibility for the course of one's life. But I also think that Americans are born into all different kinds of circumstances, and that offering some government assistance to people in depressed circumstances can create a sense of hope that could be the needed impetus to pull oneself out of said depressed circumstances.
I could elaborate further, but I have three more pending topics to write about. I am not, however, against revisiting this topic in the future...
Sunday, June 8, 2008
This one's for my sis'...
So I haven't posted in a while. It's been about a month and a half since my last entry here. Sure, I felt like a slacker for dropping the writing ball, but I didn't think my grand readership of 2-3 people (by my estimate) would mind terribly the lack of fresh material.
Well, apparently one reader does mind: my sister, Sarah.
I recently went to Maryland for a long weekend - I stayed at my parents' house with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece, who were visiting from Nashville. During said visit, I learned that Sarah regularly checks my blog for new material, usually two times a week, and she was growing tired of seeing the same post at the top time and time again. I was flattered that she was so devoted, and upset that I was letting down my singular steadfast reader.
So...I promise to write more. There are things to write about, and I just ain't been doing it.
That being said, I present:
A CHALLENGE (to my, um, many readers, sister included)
The CHALLENGE is this (well, it's a challenge to myself, too): I promise to write a blog post on any subject matter that is presented to me through a comment to this post.
Frankly, I don't think I'm setting myself up for much work here, because I fear that my readers have all but disappeared. But, hey, if you prove me wrong, I promise to write away. I hope you do.
Well, apparently one reader does mind: my sister, Sarah.
I recently went to Maryland for a long weekend - I stayed at my parents' house with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece, who were visiting from Nashville. During said visit, I learned that Sarah regularly checks my blog for new material, usually two times a week, and she was growing tired of seeing the same post at the top time and time again. I was flattered that she was so devoted, and upset that I was letting down my singular steadfast reader.
So...I promise to write more. There are things to write about, and I just ain't been doing it.
That being said, I present:
A CHALLENGE (to my, um, many readers, sister included)
The CHALLENGE is this (well, it's a challenge to myself, too): I promise to write a blog post on any subject matter that is presented to me through a comment to this post.
Frankly, I don't think I'm setting myself up for much work here, because I fear that my readers have all but disappeared. But, hey, if you prove me wrong, I promise to write away. I hope you do.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Live Through This
My friend Sabrina Chapadjiev has been working her butt off for at least the past year getting this amazing book together, and it's finally done. I went to one of the reading release parties here in New York a few days ago, and the presentations by contributors Cristy C. Road, Nicole Blackman, Fly, Silas Howard, and Bonfire Madigan Shive were just amazing. Do yourself a favor and check this out:
Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction.
Here is a quote from the back of the book jacket (which, by the way, includes endorsements by Janeane Garofalo, Lydia Lunch, and Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara, among others):
"...(Live Through This) is a collection of original stories, essays, artwork and photography. It explores the use of art to survive abuse, incest, madness and depression, and the often deep-seated impulse toward self-destruction including cutting, eating disorders and addiction..."
Full list of contributors: Nan Goldin, Patricia Smith, bell hooks, Eileen Myles, Inga M. Muscio, Diane DiMassa, Fly, Cristy C. Road, Annie Sprinkle, Elizabeth Stephens, Nicole Blackman, Stephanie Howell, Daphne Gottlieb, Carolyn Gage, Carol Queen, Anonymous, Kate Bornstein, Silas Howard, Toni Blackman, and Bonfire Madigan Shive.
I am so proud of my friend and so thankful she has put this amazing book out into the world.
Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction.
Here is a quote from the back of the book jacket (which, by the way, includes endorsements by Janeane Garofalo, Lydia Lunch, and Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara, among others):
"...(Live Through This) is a collection of original stories, essays, artwork and photography. It explores the use of art to survive abuse, incest, madness and depression, and the often deep-seated impulse toward self-destruction including cutting, eating disorders and addiction..."
Full list of contributors: Nan Goldin, Patricia Smith, bell hooks, Eileen Myles, Inga M. Muscio, Diane DiMassa, Fly, Cristy C. Road, Annie Sprinkle, Elizabeth Stephens, Nicole Blackman, Stephanie Howell, Daphne Gottlieb, Carolyn Gage, Carol Queen, Anonymous, Kate Bornstein, Silas Howard, Toni Blackman, and Bonfire Madigan Shive.
I am so proud of my friend and so thankful she has put this amazing book out into the world.
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