Doctor's appointments

(1) How far is your primary doctor from you? If you can believe it, he's well over an hour away. He's in NY and I live in CT. His office used to be 10 minutes from my house and then he moved and I moved with him.

(2) How long is your average wait? 10 minutes tops - When I went for my biopsy last week, the waiting room was full. I got called within like 3 minutes of arriving. Everyone in the waiting room just looked up and stared. I said, 'Is there another Carol here?' (happened last time I was there). Nope, it was me they were calling. I don't know how long I was in there but it was a while and when I walked out, I saw most all of the same people. I just put my head down and whipped outta there. I hate having a guilt trip for something I have no control over.

(3) If you have waited a long time have you ever said complained? If so, did it help? Various doctors over the years have made me wait. I have a lot patience and I'm not one to complain but I have asked how long the wait will be and rescheduled the appointment if I was short on time.

(4) When making an appt. to see a specialist how long do you (on a average basic) have to wait to be seen (hours,weeks,months?). I can't remember the specifics but I know I've had to wait a long time quite a few times. You have to wait like 4 months for a gyno appointment if you don't schedule it when they send you your little reminder.

(5) Have you ever changed doctors because they always make you wait too long? No

(6) What others things in general do you wait for that takes a long time? Can you tell us your story? I had to wait a while at the Vet's office last week when I took the pups in for their shots. They barked and cried. They wanted to play with the other dogs and probably devour the cats. On the way there, Hyde must have hit the button in the middle of the console and it rolled the passenger window down all the way. While the car was still moving, he jumped out the window. He's so nuts. It was a busy 4 way intersection and he kept running between the cars. It took me what seemed like forever to catch him. This one guy says, 'He's being bad, huh?'. You think?

music/movies

1.) What kind of music do you like? Old Disco tunes, Rock, Blues, Opera (yeppers, love it) but mostly, anything I can sing or dance to.

2.) Is there any kind of music that you can't stand? Country music

3.) What's the last movie you saw? Did you like it? I watched 'Till the Clouds Roll By' which is the story of Jerome Kern. The cool part was that as they went through his life and as each play opened, they did a number or two from them. Lots of well-known stars, although a bit young, were in it too.

4.) What do you do for entertainment when you're on vacation that you don't usually do? I like to check out the local attractions, a.k.a. tourist traps. I also like to check out any art galleries I may come across.

Getting to know me

- What do you like most about your personality? That I get along with most everyone and I don't let the little things in life bug me.

- If you could travel back in time, where would you go? I would like to have lived in Paris in the 1920s and hang out in cafes with all the great drunken writers and artists of the day.


- How do you define happiness? One thing that upsets me is when people say that a particular person makes them happy or if something should happens, then they'll be happy. Happiness is a state of mind that comes from within. It's liking who you are even if the circumstances in your life are horrible. Many people don't realize just how important loving yourself is.


- Is there anyone in your life whose approval means a lot to you? I think it's whomever I'm talking with. Strangely, for years, I used to worry about whether my mom would be disappointed in me if I finally got to meet with her (she died centuries ago). I'm glad that's over with. That was a total waste of my energy. I don't think there's one particular person, now that my dad is gone, but I'll go my close family and friends.

- What is the possession of yours would get you the most money if pawned? I suppose it would be my car.

- What if your cell phone fell in a public toilet, with a line of people behind you, what would you do? Might it depend on what else was in there? I suppose I would have to announce to the people waiting behind me and then beg, borrow or steal something to grab it or pull it towards me. I don't know if I'd want to use it after that or even touch it.

- What are you doing for the weekend? just doing the job.

BTW, kids, I had a biopsy done on Thursday so feel free to send prayers, good vibes, good luck charms, say rosaries, perform sacred riturals, hold candlelight vigils or anything else deemed necessary.

The Yellow Pages

Do you go to the Yellow pages, or do you go online? Perhaps you're very capable and do it all yourself, but let's say you needed to find somebody who does not do what you can do.

Here's how it always goes: I go to the Yellow Pages, find someone and have them come over. Then I innocently tell someone about it and get the third degree. Why are going to them? You should go to so-and-so. He's the best and he doesn't charge a lot. blah blah blah Happens every time. Most of the time, depending on how persistent the person is, I just go with who I have.

These days we have several versions of Yellow pages, like Verizon. Do you hang onto a current version of those also, or are you a purist? I only know of one version. The one that gets delivered to me so I guess I'm a purist but possibly not by choice.

If you use the internet to find contractors, do you use Angie's list? No, I don't use the internet. I have looked at Angie's list just to see what it was about but have never looked anything up.

Are you somebody who finds the contractors you need strictly through word-of-mouth referrals? I suppose I prefer word-of-mouth referrals but I'm not sure if I've had any more luck with them than the good old yellow pages.

Or do you just throw out the Yellow page books when they arrive, or have creative uses for them? (e.g., doorstops or for small children to sit on at the dinner). That's too funny - doorstops and booster chairs. No, I chuck 'em.

I had meself a fine dinner last night.

I went with my friend to her very Italian aunt's house. It was nothing fancy but it was good. Cavatelli with homemade sauce, meatballs, sausage (that I don't eat), pork and chicken and homemade bread. And in typical Italian fashion, we had the salad last. Yowser, it was good.

DWTS - Poor Tucker

What does surprise me is that Tucker practiced 4 hours a day for weeks. How funny is that? Apparently, he spent most of that time practicing how to sit in a chair. Just imagine what he danced like before this all began? Bwahahaha

I don't know if Tucker was over-confident or ignorant or in denial. To me, dancing is a lot like typing. I always know when I've hit the wrong key and I always know when I've danced the wrong step. I'm so thinking he types with one finger. ~gg

Sometimes you never really know a person

Smack dab on the front page of today's newspaper is a former co-worker of mine. He seemed like a nice enough guy but one day, he ups and walks out of work. Apparently, he didn't want to do something, so he just quit.

This guy was pulled over for a routine traffic stop. He ended up punching the cop and then dragging him for about a 1/4 of a mile going about 60 miles an hour.

He ditches the car and steals another. They caught up with him at his house since the cop still had his license. He holed himself up for 4 hours threatening to have a gun and to use it. They brought in the negotiators and his family and eventually he gave himself up.

One of the things he was supposively distraught over was losing his job. Huh? He's the one who quit.

I worked for years with a guy before I found out that he spent 13 years in prison for killing someone. We used to go out for drinks after work and he always seemed like a great guy. After I found out, I asked him if he ever thinks about it. He said, 'No, I did my time'. That just amazed me. The guy is still dead.

Granted, I didn't know these two men in the bibical sense but from what I did know of them, I was very surprised.

Where I live

Do you own your own home? Do you rent? I own my house.

House, Condo or Apartment? house

Urban, suburban, rural? urban

Have you ever moved from one place to another? How many times? I think this is the 6th place I've lived. I had a few apartments plus we moved when I was in 3rd grade.

Far away or short distance? short - I've lived within a 10 miles radius my whole life (other than living in Florida for a short time as a baby).

For each move, did you hire movers or rent a truck and get friends to help? I had friends help me for my apartments. This last time when I moved into my house, I hired movers.

Are you planning to move any time soon? No, I like it here.

Have you ever experienced a home renovation? Which room or rooms? How did it go? Is it finished now? Are you pleased with the results? I hired one person to redo my kitchen. He never showed so I did it myself. How I ever pulled out a castiron sink, I'll never know. I hired someone to install a patch of the kitchen floor that my pups ruined. Guy came and he refused to do the job because the floor was a different level (?). I installed it myself. I hired someone to paint and especially needed them for the stairway since the walls are extremely high. Never showed, did that myself. The moral of the story is that I scare people away and am better off doing it myself.

Have you ever had a house built for you? How did that work out? Did you have fun or was it a nightmare? How is the house now? No, I've never had a house built for me. My dream house is an old Victorian with a dumb waiter and several fireplaces, etc. so I would probably never build one myself.

It’s so hard to find good help these days. Are you a member of Angie's List or other organization that helps you find contractors? How has that worked for you? They always advertise Angie's List on the pubic radio station that I listen to. Finally one day, I figured, I really have to look that website up. It's boring....I thought it was going to be like Craigslist. It is helpful though. It lists contractors people have recommended.

Profiling

We used to call lumping people together stereotyping. Now we call it profiling.

What you may not realize is that you do this all the time. Every time you meet someone, you have a preconception of them based on their looks.

It is a self-preservation mechanism. If I am walking alone and I see an older woman, chances are, I won't be nervous. If I see an unkept man approaching, I may get nervous. I just profiled both of them.

Is every unkept man going to attack me? No, but I may still get nervous. Is every Middle Eastern man going to be terrorist? No.

Am I nervous around Middle Eastern men? No, because most all of them are decent human beings. Would I have been nervous seeing Middle Eastern men on a plane directly after 9/11? I can't really say. I don't recall having a special fear of them and I hope I wouldn't but considering I was afraid of everything at that point in time, it's very possible.

I work with a Middle Eastern man who is from Yemen and who is also Muslim. Everyone thinks he's the greatest guy. He has a great personality and he's so much fun. Just thought I'd throw that in.

We were not attacked for our lifestyle

It AMAZES me that you people believe Bin Laden attacked us because of our lifestyle. Being secular is icing on the cake but it is not the reason Bin Laden bombed us. Think about this. What is at the heart of this conflict? How did this conflict even begin? What was originally at issue? It began with the establishment of Israel. It intensified after land was taken by the Israelis from the Palestinians during the 6-day war - the Golan Heights, the West Bank and the Gaza strip.

Reason number 1 - We support Israel unconditionally. Israel is such an arch-enemy of theirs that most refuse to even recognize the nation's existence.

Reason number 2 - We have military bases in Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden believes we're always meddling in other people's business and that we have no being in the Middle East. Attacking Iraq only made the situation worse.

Reason number 3 - We (during Clinton's term) bombed the location in Afghanistan where Bin Laden was said to be. We tried to kill him. Guess what? It ticked him off even more. What was the Republican response when that happened? They said Clinton did that just to take away from the Monica Lewinski scandal.

Like I said, those are the major, although not the only, reasons. Tell me, have you ever been to Europe? To Amsterdam, where drugs and prostitution are legalized? Go to a beach with an international crowd, you can always tell the Americans from the Europeans. The Europeans are the ones with their tops off while Americans keep theirs on. Remember that we were founded largely by puritans. It seems that we are looser than the Europeans because we raise such a ruckus if something like Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction happens. In Europe, they show woman's breasts all the time on TV so you would never hear of anyone complaining about such a thing. We are prudes compared with the Europeans so to say it is our lifestyle is just plain wrong. That's what Bush wants you to believe.

Invading Iraq

You say that those the oppose Bush never offer real life solutions. Can you tell me what real life solution Bush offered?

He attacked Iraq for no good reason. Did you honestly think Iraq was a threat? Tell me how Iraq was a threat to the U.S.? As I stated in a previous post, Iraq is half way around the world. Do you honestly think Saddam would have the capability to harm us? What exactly was Saddam going to do?

If Saddam had moved his weapons to Syria, as some believe, wouldn't have moved them back to use them when we invaded? What better time would there be to use them? That alone tells you he didn't send them to Syria.

There is one reason and one reason only that I knew there were no WMD prior to our invasion. That is because we WERE willing to invade Iraq. Can you imagine if Saddam did have WMD and if he used it on our soldiers? Thousands of soldiers would have died. If the President truly believed there were WMD, then shame on him for putting thousands of troops' lives in danger.

It is because Saddam didn't have WMD that Bushie knew he could invade. Having WMD is a reason NOT to invade, not a reason TO invade.

I gave this example in my previous post. Let's say I hear my nutty neighbor has a bomb and I'm convinced it's true. Would I go to my neighbor's with a gun knowing that he could use his bomb at any time and blow us both up? No, I use diplomacy because if I truly believe he has a bomb and that he will use it on me, it's the only option I have left. Well, other than a sneak attack but that was not an option with Iraq. Mobilizing your troops along the border is a dead give away.

They are now reporting that the Taliban in Afghanistan is a greater threat to us than al Qaeda. Yep, Bushie's doing a heck of va' job.

Bush has only made our country less safe and more vulnerable because he's created enemies that we never had before. One of the reasons Al Qaeda bombed us was because of our presence in Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden felt we had no reason to be in the Middle East. So what does Bushie do? He sends more troops to the Middle East. Brillant. Saddam and Bin Laden hated each other and were never in cahoots.

Bushie has stretched our army so thin that we wouldn't have the capability to invade another nation should something happen.

Bush can't admit he's wrong which is a lot different than standing by your convictions.

Please, please, tell me how invading Iraq makes America safer? I would really like to know that. I would also like to know what Bush has done to make this country safer? I predict this post will go unanswered or someone will point out a misspelling. Please prove me wrong.

Bush's speech on 9/11

I was boiling mad listening to Bush speak last night. I was just waiting for him to talk about Iraq and how it's central to the war on terror. That's about the only thing we can count on Bush to do; tell lies. Grrrrr, double-dogged grrrrr

How does this man out and out lie to the American public and get away with it? Why does no one call him on this? Where are the checks and balances that are the foundation of our government?

Bushie wants to spread democracy throughout the world? What a joke! They say 'charity begins at home'. Well, Mr. Bushie, so does democracy.

9/11 Pictures

The day after 9/11, our local newspaper, showed a large photo of a man falling to his death. The picture was extremely clear and the man was easily recognizable. That one picture affected me more than anything else.

I couldn't stop thinking about that poor man's family and about how his mom or his wife may have opened their newspaper and seen that same photo. I can't think of anything more heartbreaking.

I don't normally believe in censorship but I do believe in respect for the families. I don't feel any close-up photos of people leaping to their deaths should have been printed. That picture still haunts me.

FROM THE 104TH FLOOR By LEDA RODIS

FROM THE 104TH FLOOR By LEDA RODIS

When the plane hit
the building rocked first
to the right
then
to the left
and outside all the skyscrapers
of New York
seemed to tremble.

The alarm screamed louder
than we did, and I knew
it was time to get away. It’s funny
what you notice
a pen rolling across the floor
my screen saver flicker and go off
a picture of you
and me
at Coney Island

So much to leave behind. And yet so little.

Running down the hall I remembered
my mother
taking me to the top of the Empire
State Building when I was just
a little girl.
telling me that a plane
had crashed there a long
time ago. So I thought that
maybe
that’s what happened. Just
an accident. And accidents
happen every day.

Under the blown-out exit sign
a crowd
is screaming.
crying.
pounding
on the door.
I know
There’s
No.
Way.

Out.

You have to believe I tried. I’m not the one
to give up.

Back at my desk.
I rescue
the rolling pen.
stare
at the blank screen,
and hold
my picture
of you.

I look out at the blue morning.
I expect to see God there.
But what I see is
another
plane.

And I know what it means.
But I don’t know why …

I always thought life was full of choices,
It always has been.
What to wear
Where to eat
Who to love
(And you know who I chose).

Now my choices have been taken away from me.
The men in the planes have narrowed them
down
to
two:

Death by fire. or death by fall.

I see the smoke rising
filling the room
It’s hard to breathe.

I look towards the open window.
What
would falling
feel like?

I remember the roller coaster at Coney Island.

The wind tugging at my hair
How good it felt to scream
The feeling in my stomach.
And how
all
the
way
down

I was with you.

- How do you want people to perceive you? Kind, fun, a good friend

- What is your single worst fear? drowning

- What is your best physical feature? my smile

- If you could change any aspect of your personality, what would it be? to be more assertive

- If you had to choose between a wonderful romantic relationship that would end after only a year, or a so-so relationship that would last your entire life, which one would you choose? The wonderful relationship that lasted 1 year.

- If you could ask an All-Knowing Being one question about life, what would it be? Why do some people have it so well and some people have it so bad?

- If you saw someone in public with toilet paper stuck to their shoe, would you tell them? I'm sure I'd tell them.

Immigration, a different twist

I just wanted to put a different spin on the immigration issue.

As I've stated before, I work for one of the largest companies in the world and I work with people from all over the world.

Lots of people here have been laid off due to work being transferred to other countries, mainly India and Brazil. All the helpdesks that I know of have all been transferred to Canada.

The language barrier this has created is over-whelming. Sometimes, I have to pass the phone to someone else because I'm clueless as to what is being said. If it wasn't for IMing, nothing would get accomplished. The company may think it saves money but if time is money, I hardly see how that is true. Problems take 3 and 4 times longer to resolve because it's hard to get a clear picture of what the problem is.

I am sad for those who lose their jobs here. I also find it frustrating that those who were given the job can not perform it as well as we can. It's plain and simply because of the language barrier. I find myself torn because considering the extreme poverty in some of these places, it's good these people are able to find work. India is finally starting to have a middle class.

The location where I work also has a lot of foreign workers. People mainly come from India and China, although I'm sure lots of other countries are represented. Many of them come here for graduate school and then stay afterwards to work. I believe they are allowed to work here for 1 year after graduation before they have to go back.

Now the people who come here for graduate school are not poor. Their parents have a lot of money, otherwise, they would have never found their way here. I hear all about the chauffuers and maids and how these people never had to do anything until they came here to America.

Most of these people try their best to stay here in America after graduation. The company has to sponsor them, which costs over $1,000 a month. There are certain restrictions which I won't bother to get into plus I'm sure I don't know the half of it anyway.

These foreigner workers frequently get promotioned and transferred to better departments even though they may not be able stay in this country for an extended period of time. Many of them can hardly speak a lick of English. I try to not let it upset me when American-born workers are passed over for them. Not only can I not do anything about it because I also figure this is one world and they have one life and why not let them live and work wherever they want. These workers, btw, aren't any more intelligent nor do they work any harder than the rest of us.

Another way this has affected me is salary-wise. One year, we were given a breakdown of the expenses the company had to pay for us. Included was the immigration sponsorship fees. I asked why they hired these people if they need to pay this money. The response was that Americans won't work these crazy hours. Firstly, I don't believe that and secondly, it shouldn't be included in those of us with whom they do not need to pay a fee.

One thing this company excels at (although I'm sure it's an outside contractor) is clearing the snow in the winter. It's deceiving when you look out and see the parking lot cleared and then make it onto the main roads and see the difference. I used to work 3rd shift so I know that all through the night, these people would plow and shovel continuously. The workers who I've seen shovel the walkways appear to be of Mexican origin. These people work in the coldest, nastiest weather. I never see them stop to talk or take a break. They are hard workers.

Are these workers legal? Beats me, of course. I have to tell you though, I feel better about those who shovel the snow than I do about the high tech workers that stick around here knowing they could be living this life of luxury back home.

In light of the war in Iraq and the state of the world, I do not believe that immigration should be on the front burner. My grandparents came over here from Italy at a time when the immigration laws were not as strict. If the laws had been stricter, who's to say they wouldn't have come anyway. The term WOP, a derogatory term for an Italian, stems from the large number of immigrants that came to America without papers. That's what was written next to their names. W.O.P. which stands for 'without papers'.

The point I am trying to make is that legal immigrants take just as many jobs away, right here in America, as illegal aliens do. The argument that they are doing it legally is valid. However, these people are not in the same dire straits as the illegals are.

As I stated in a previous posting, what I don't understand is why the U.S. does not demand changes within Mexico to advance their economy so that people will not need to flee to America.

Child safety

A couple of years ago, I was at a local church fair and this woman comes walking down the hill with one of those strollers that are almost like a little hammock. There are no straps to hold them. I don't know what if they have a special name. This baby was tops 3 months and should have been in a proper carrier as this thing was clearly not for younger babies. My friend and I saw it coming. The baby fell right out and smacked her (his) little head on the cement. The mother freaked but WTF? Can you get any dumber? It was the kind of fall that at that young age, I would think it could do some serious damage. The ambulance came pretty quick but my friend and I were very upset about it.

Whenever I babysat or was around my nieces and nephews, I was always super cautious. Your S-I-L and hubby are in desperate need of parenting class. Also, I agree with having your boys wear life jackets because even though they can swim, if (God forbid) they had to be in the water for any length of time, they would need it.

- What is the one world/national topic that you most passionate about? I don't think anything can get me going more than Bush and the Iraqi War.

- How good are you at debating your position? If I'm up on the facts, I'm good at it. Otherwise, I won't be able to counter what the other person is saying.

- What social problem (child abuse, discrimination, abortion) are you most passionate about? I think the problem that affects me the most is child abuse.

- Have you ever actively protested or engaged in even the smallest of ways for your cause? I did go to the capitol with a friend years ago to show my support for a bill that would eliminate the sale of animals in pet stores and thus, the abuse that comes with that.

- What in your personal life are you most passionate about? That is, your interests or hobbies. I really wish I had a hobby but nothing interests me enough. I like antiques and learning the history behind them. I especially like to hear stories about the way things were. Let's see, I passionately love going to the beach and on vacation. I passionately love to...ok, I'll skip that. I suppose the only thing I've ever really been passionate about is dancing. I still take dance lessons/classes after all these years. I guess I'll call that my hobby.


- What personality trait truly irks you? How much time do I have? There's too many things to mention but since I'm at work, I'll go with something here. I HATE lazy people.

- What are you doing this weekend? Just the usual, I'm working. At least I have fun here at work

Game Shows

1. Do you watch game shows? Not too much these days but I used to in my younger days.

2. Which ones? If I happen upon 'Pyramid' or 'The Family Feud' while surfing, I usually stop for those. I don't usually have the TV at this time but if I do, I stop by 'Jeopardy' and 'Wheel of Fortune'. I usually check out 'Deal or No Deal too'.

3. What is your all time favorite game show? Match game - I don't know if that's my favorite but I probably laughed the hardest from that show.

4. Do you have a favorite game show host? I like Bob Barker. I always liked Wink Martindale. With a name like Wink...how could you not?

5. Is there a game show you would like to be a contestant on? I wish I knew enough to be on Jeopardy but since I don't, I'll go with 'Deal or no Deal'. I've always been a gambler. From the old shows, I think I'd like to be on 'Let's make a Deal'.

6. What is your favorite game show memory? A funny moment, a memorable win, a recollection from years past? I always liked when Gene Rayburn used to read on 'Match Game', 'Dumb Dora was so dumb' and the audience would yell, 'How dumb was she?'. No matter how many times they did that, I always laughed.

7. And finally, what game show parting gift would you NOT want to win? I wouldn't want to win the cow from 'Let's make a Deal'.

New list of 4s

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. cashier
2. dietary aide
3. computer programmer
4. systems analyst

Four movies I have watched over and over:

1. The Breakfast Club
2. Scary Movie
3. Airplane
4. Sound of Music

Four places I have lived:

1. Oakville, CT
2. Waterbury, CT
3. That's it
4. I'm just so worldly, aren't I?

Four TV shows I love to watch:

1. Desperate Housewives
2. Colbert Report
3. All My Children
4. Family Guy

Four places I have been on vacation:

1. Turks & Caicos
2. Jamaica
3. Ireland
4. Dominican Republic

Four of my favorite foods:

1. Shrimp Fra Diavolo
2. Veal Oscar (will take chicken Oscar since I try not to eat veal)
3. Anything my dad cooked
4. Spaghetti & Meatballs (both homemade)

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. on the beach on some deserted island
2. sitting in my friend Tom's backyard, next to his reflecting pool, with a vodka & tonic, eating one of his fabulous dinners
3. in a small cafe in Paris
4. at a wicked party with my friends

Summertime

*What did you do this summer? Nothing special - just worked around my house, hung out with my friends and family.

* Did you do everything you wanted to do this summer? I have a few projects left. My brother's coming over this week to help me with them so hopefully I'll get them done in the next couple of weeks.
* Are you already planning on what you would like to do next summer? No, I'm not much of a planner and that's way too far away to even think about it.
* Any plans for the Labor weekend? My exciting life continues...I'll be working.

I was just bragging about escaping the wrath of ticketing police officers. I should know better than to jinx myself. I got meself a speeding ticket this morning on the way to work. $294 bucks. Grr.....double Grrr.... Thankfully, one of my dearest friends is a public defender so I'm hoping I can emerge from this relatively unscathed. Triple grrr...