I consider myself to have a fairly comprehensive vocabulary but that does not mean that I don't get stumped on a pretty regular basis. I try to learn new words everyday. Some I would love to include in daily writing or conversation and some I would never use in my lifetime but they can still be interesting. Especially to hear the origin of some of them. The word that I used this month was used in a book that I am currently reading. I had never come across the word before but when I looked it up I found that it could also mean "esoteric" which is one that I have heard before.
I visit a website periodically to find words for my blog which is simply http://www.wordsmith.org/awad "a word a day" and another one which is more challenging http://www.zdaily.com/word.shtml. This one tests your knowledge of the meaning of words.
Since I have a few followers of the blog who try to stump me on words from time to time, I thought I would divulge some of my "secret" sources. There you go, now you know.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Menopause Schmenopause
If you go online and look up Menopause there are medical sites, sites that are funny, sites that try to answer all of the questions one could possibly have, sites that are far too serious, and sites that try to tell you what herbs to take or what drugs are best.
I say, "Put on your BIG GIRL PANTIES AND DEAL WITH IT!". During menopause there are hormone pills to take and a myriad of other treatments to try to make your life bearable. Let's face it, they aren't meant to make your life bearable, they are meant to make the lives of people around you more bearable simply because of the person you are and what you could potentially be.
I mean if you really look at it in economic terms, if all women timed their bursts of bitchiness at the same time, there would be enough energy to power a small city. And if all women had their hot flashes at the same time and you could somehow preserve it, you could cut down on your winter heating bill.
Let's put it this way. If menopause were a roller coaster ride at Universal Studios (I would say Disney but children would be terrified), the ride would consist of many 80 degree ups and downs taking you through tunnels of hot air (hot flashes), cold air (the chills) and a plethora of mood altering sights and sounds which would represent crying jags, angry jags, excitement, sadness, etc. And all of this would happen in about an 8 minute span of time. The ride would be limited to all men and to women between the ages of say 20 and 40. This way those individuals who have no understanding of what you may be going through can experience at least something that comes close.
I have every reason to believe that I am in the throws of such a time in my life as I experience some of the obvious symptoms such as the mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats and the seemingly not present anymore, monthly companion.
Now, I know that there are vitamin suplements, prescription medications, herbal remedies, etc that I could take to help combat all of these symptoms. But where's the fun in that? Some may disagree, and remember this is my choice for me not for you, but I think that I should go through the experience with eyes wide open and with the ability to feel all of the pins and needles. I wouldn't want to wake up one day and think that I denied myself the thrill of this ever so grown up E-Ticket ride that God has so lovingly bestowed upon us women.
So while I enjoy my momentous experience, all I can say is sit down, buckle up, and enjoy the ride with me and I'll try my best to make it bearable for you.
I say, "Put on your BIG GIRL PANTIES AND DEAL WITH IT!". During menopause there are hormone pills to take and a myriad of other treatments to try to make your life bearable. Let's face it, they aren't meant to make your life bearable, they are meant to make the lives of people around you more bearable simply because of the person you are and what you could potentially be.
I mean if you really look at it in economic terms, if all women timed their bursts of bitchiness at the same time, there would be enough energy to power a small city. And if all women had their hot flashes at the same time and you could somehow preserve it, you could cut down on your winter heating bill.
Let's put it this way. If menopause were a roller coaster ride at Universal Studios (I would say Disney but children would be terrified), the ride would consist of many 80 degree ups and downs taking you through tunnels of hot air (hot flashes), cold air (the chills) and a plethora of mood altering sights and sounds which would represent crying jags, angry jags, excitement, sadness, etc. And all of this would happen in about an 8 minute span of time. The ride would be limited to all men and to women between the ages of say 20 and 40. This way those individuals who have no understanding of what you may be going through can experience at least something that comes close.
I have every reason to believe that I am in the throws of such a time in my life as I experience some of the obvious symptoms such as the mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats and the seemingly not present anymore, monthly companion.
Now, I know that there are vitamin suplements, prescription medications, herbal remedies, etc that I could take to help combat all of these symptoms. But where's the fun in that? Some may disagree, and remember this is my choice for me not for you, but I think that I should go through the experience with eyes wide open and with the ability to feel all of the pins and needles. I wouldn't want to wake up one day and think that I denied myself the thrill of this ever so grown up E-Ticket ride that God has so lovingly bestowed upon us women.
So while I enjoy my momentous experience, all I can say is sit down, buckle up, and enjoy the ride with me and I'll try my best to make it bearable for you.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
The highs and lows of aging
There are so many products out there these days to "combat" aging. There are boob and butt lifters, wrinkle creams, pills, beverages, etc. I have crows feet and I wear them like a badge of honor. I have no plans to do anything about them. I do scrub and moisturize and that's it. I don't want to combat aging, it's a natural progression. I will get skinny again and that might take a few years off but otherwise, hey, 50 is what it is. There are fun parts and not so fun parts. The poking and prodding and testing is not the fun part. I still have to schedule my colonoscopy. And today I received a phone call from a lab nurse at Group Health about my mammogram. They found what look to be calcium deposits and want to have another, closer look. She told me that those show up in about half of all women who have mammograms and that it is probably just that, benign calcium. They just want to look again and rule out anything else. That is also not the fun part of getting older. Getting what could potentially be bad news. It probably is nothing but I have to wait until the 23rd to go in for my next round of xrays and then wait another week or so for them to analyze the films. Lovely.
The fun part of getting older is having grandchildren. It's having a life to reflect back on and one to look forward to. It's thinking about retirement. It's getting closer to my husband. It's taking the time to enjoy the details in everything.It's developing a good photographic "eye". It's developing new friendships and cultivating some old ones. It's learning new things and learning to like things that are out of my comfort zone. It's about appreciating the everyday things that you often take for granted in your younger and busier life, and it's about counting the gifts and blessings that have been bestowed on you thus far. It's about looking forward to what God has in store for you for the next 40 or 50 years. It's about appreciating everyday as a new opportunity. So there it is.
Now I have the "opportunity" to go bake brownies for my HOA meeting tonight and have another "opportunity" to go vacuum out my car. And then there is finishing the laundry, doing a bit of sewing, and straightening up the rec room to get ready for tonights' meeting. Away I go!
The fun part of getting older is having grandchildren. It's having a life to reflect back on and one to look forward to. It's thinking about retirement. It's getting closer to my husband. It's taking the time to enjoy the details in everything.It's developing a good photographic "eye". It's developing new friendships and cultivating some old ones. It's learning new things and learning to like things that are out of my comfort zone. It's about appreciating the everyday things that you often take for granted in your younger and busier life, and it's about counting the gifts and blessings that have been bestowed on you thus far. It's about looking forward to what God has in store for you for the next 40 or 50 years. It's about appreciating everyday as a new opportunity. So there it is.
Now I have the "opportunity" to go bake brownies for my HOA meeting tonight and have another "opportunity" to go vacuum out my car. And then there is finishing the laundry, doing a bit of sewing, and straightening up the rec room to get ready for tonights' meeting. Away I go!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Friends past and present
I have some pretty awesome friends in my life right now and they are very important to me. However, I had some really great people in my life when I was younger but because of the person I was then, I let them go. I just sort of blew them off and went my merry way. People and relationships weren't a priority then, not sure what was really. Probably drinking and being selfish I suppose. It would seem that in my late teens and through my twenties people were pretty disposable to me. I have over the past year been in contact fairly regulary now with a person that I worked with at Arrow back in 86, another that I've known since I moved to Wallingford in 1970 and a few others that I just wanted to reconnect with. I am so grateful that they are so forgiving.
During the last couple of years I have spent a pretty fair amount of time contemplating what I would write for the biography that I would like to give to Fawn. In doing so, it has brought up repressed memories that I don't want to deal with but will, memories that are good and I'm glad have surfaced,and thoughts of so many people that I knew. I have googled some, facebooked some, and just wondered about others. With some it's just curiousity in wondering how they are and how their life turned out, and with some of the others I feel like I might want to reach out to them and communicate. They may not want anything to do with me and that I can accept. It can't hurt to try. All they can do is say no or perhaps, yes. Time will tell.
During the last couple of years I have spent a pretty fair amount of time contemplating what I would write for the biography that I would like to give to Fawn. In doing so, it has brought up repressed memories that I don't want to deal with but will, memories that are good and I'm glad have surfaced,and thoughts of so many people that I knew. I have googled some, facebooked some, and just wondered about others. With some it's just curiousity in wondering how they are and how their life turned out, and with some of the others I feel like I might want to reach out to them and communicate. They may not want anything to do with me and that I can accept. It can't hurt to try. All they can do is say no or perhaps, yes. Time will tell.
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