Friday, September 26, 2008

The CDC Plays Hardball - with a piano

The CDC has expanded its recommendations for children getting the flu shot to all children up to age 18 (who aren't otherwise ineligible due to egg allergy or other serious health complication). IMO, being vaccinated is a civic responsibility, like learning CPR and first aid, donating blood if eligible, frequent handwashing, voting, or serving on a jury. It is part of being a lawful and responsible citizen.
The captioning describes the music as "somber", and most of the parents talking about having lost a child to the flu remain composed, but the CDC is not fooling around about the need to get kids vaccinated. A talking head points out that even though "only" 100 children a year dies from flu, each death is a tragedy, and the video makes this fact more than a statistic.

Angelina was vaccinated for menningitis in August, and I'll be calling Dr. Sharma today to find out when her office will have the flu vaccine available for her to get her flu shot.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

(Re)Introduction to Meditation

I'm so glad I went to this program last night. Don't be fooled by the blurb. This "introduction" to meditation techniques was not the for-dummies version, it was a methodical and detailed presentation of the reasons meditation is necessary, the obstacles to meditation or to effective meditation, and the benefits of increasing practice. (The Tibetans are so methodical and they count everything, I love that! It reminds me of pre-school when the teachers would tell us "this is blue" or how to draw and "A", could it have been that long ago that I felt "taught"?)

This re-introduction to meditation was sorely needed by me personally, and I liked this Lama. Here's his picture:


TRAGA RINPOCHE

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Cowboy Junkies cover "One" (U2)

I came across this the other day and really liked it, so I decided to upload it as my first video to RFoRC. (Man, these things take way longer to upload than download...) I don't really approve, since I think the song's bigger than some squeeze-y love story, but the shots are all from Ridley Scott's Tristan and Isolde, which I haven't seen even though it's Ridley Scott. I'll see if I can get Angelina to watch it with me sometime. I'm a mystery/thriller kind of gal (I'll be watching We Own the Night tonight), not much into historical drama, disappointed my Sainted Mommy by flat-out refusing to see Brideshead Revisited with her (sorry, Mom), but this is Ridley Scott, so there's fighting at least. ;)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Joseph Petcka, @5540!3


In this, the Inaugural Post of The "@5540!3" Report, I introduce one Joseph Petcka, whose notoriety as an @5540!3 has elevated him to the rank of Forever Undateable. To summarize briefly, said @5540!3 got drunk in the apartment of his girlfriend of 6 weeks, picked a fight with the girlfriend which she tried to end by going to sleep, picked a fight with his girlfriend of 6 weeks' 7 pound cat (Norman), got himself bitten by the 7 pound cat, assaulted the girlfriend of 6 weeks at 3am in her bed where she had been asleep, accused her of loving the cat more than him [gee, yathink?], and then beat the cat to death "in self defense" after she fled the apartment. Not to put too fine a point on things, but the 7 pound cat was declawed. Any woman who would knowingly date this creep, for the rest of his life, a) deserves what she gets, poor twit, and b) had better not have pets or children, because they would not deserve it.

Where have all the cowboys gone?

Pshaw!

We don't need no stinkin' cowboys!

Kitties just want love...

I'm so sorry, Norman. Om bo la mo ling to ning so ha

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Dreamie...


Baby Brother was reportedly surprised that I went to Babylon AD with Angelina Sunday. I can't imagine why. I may be over the hill, but I'm still heterosexual, jeez.

Vin was in my dream this morning. It was wonderful. We were in a crowded restaurant for breakfast and I couldn't stop hugging him and he looked at me with a message and I understood something very important that I can't quite remember now, but it was something profound about love and how wonderful and easy and perfect it is when you just don't make it complicated, but it was more than that, very significant, and I was happy and humbled and surprised and deeply grateful (through and through my bones and deeper than I even knew my heart was) all at once.

Thanks, Vin. Wow.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Om Bo La Mo Ling To Ning So Ha

When I looked down from my bedroom window this evening after putting on my pj's (the blue fleece teddy bear pj's that are giant and warm and comfortable and I love them even though I look ridiculous), I saw a dead baby bunny lying by the walk. I went down to see what had happened, and I don't know what happened to him (or her, I can't tell). He (or she) was so pretty, such beautiful fur and so tiny and perfect, but there were bees in his (or her) mouth, I guess for the moisture(?), and there was this very pronounced a-dead-bunny-how-sad-ness in the sunset air. I buried the bunny under the japanese magnolia beside the driveway, because I thought it was a pretty place and the ground is soft enough there. I covered the grave with rocks and said some mantras (in my blue fleece teddy bear pj's, but the neighbors know me here). Dad thought maybe I should have left it for the fox, but I figured Boo-kitty or the dogs might get to it first, and it's just nicer to give a little being a little burial, isn't it?

I found this lovely image of Earth Store Boddhisattva:


...which I hereby dedicate to the baby bunny buried under the japanese magnolia beside the driveway, and for the benefit of all beings, may the lower realms all be emptied.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Detective Stories

The Medical Detectives was as good as I'd hoped. It included a story that was the final assignment in my intro to epidemiology class this summer. I think part of the story from the book was excerpted in the assignment. The assignment was to track down the source of a Hepatitis A outbreak that occurred in Michigan in 1968. It's a classic case.


I've always loved detective stories. Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey, Conan Doyle, Rex Stout, Sue Grafton, Tony Hillerman, Umberto Eco, PD James, Elizabeth George... I even read Keene's Nancy Drew books (probably 40 or 50 of them). I used to love to spend all day curled up with a mystery novel, a box of chocolates, and my cat(s). I still would, if I thought I could get away with it. Perhaps if I live to retirement...

Alas, my eye has already been caught by another book: Making up the Mind, mentioned on one of the Buddhist blogs I read. I plan to sneak out to a bookstore after work one day soon. I hope the Kindle takes off, so I can stop stacking books two deep on my bookshelves. I'm afraid the ones in the storage unit all these years are mostly a loss...