Here We Go Again

Aren't we getting just a little too politically-correct?...Or is it just oversensitivity?

Emmy Plane Crash Skit Called Insensitive

While I feel terrible for the people who lost family members in the Kentucky plane crash, the skit was simply a spoof on the TV show LOST. The skit, by the way, didn't even show a plane crash. I truly believe that for someone's comment or action (or in this case, skit) to be considered "insensitive," it would mean that the person would need to do so with mal-intent, which was obviously not the case in this situation.

If this is the way we, as a nation, are going to start thinking of situations such as this, then Hollywood might as well stop making movies, television shows, and music...because there will never be a time when our lives will not relate in some way to what we are watching or listening to. It's human nature to think of your own life's experiences when you view images or hear lyrics...but when you take it out of context, it's not fair to blame that artist, actor, comedian, whatever, as being insensitive.

Well, that is my opinion...

What do you think? Leave me a comment.

Let Me Whine About My Spine

You may remember me talking about the lower back pain I've been having. I posted about it a few times in February; I talked about when it started and the testing I went through. I recently went back to see my Primary Care Physician because I'm still having stabbing pains on the lower left side of my back, as well as weakness and pins & needles in my left foot. So, he referred me to an Orthopaedic Specialist, who I saw today. I brought my MRI scans with me and it turns out I have a herniated disc and mild arthritis in the same area. At least this explains why I haven't been able to do anything overly active for the past 5 months without being in pain!

Isn't it lovely? So, now I am taking a prescription Anti-Inflammatory and will be going to about 4-5 weeks of Physical Therapy with the hope that it will help. Apparently, the disc that is herniated is at the L5-S1 area (L=Lumbar spine, S=Sacrum):


Because I'm so fascinated by this, I took some pictures of my MRI scans to email off to Patrick (my favorite Physician-Assistant-To-Be) and Erin (my sister who just happens to be an Athletic Trainer). Below are a couple of pics...Isn't my spine so cute?? Ha ha!

The arrow is pointing to the protrusion, or the herniated disc:

This is a view of my spinal column from above. In the second
view, I put a question mark, because I'm not sure if this is the
correct scan showing the protrusion (there were so many to
look at!). But, it's cool nonetheless:

Party Animals and Poltergeists

So, yesterday, my parents, as well as my two sets of aunts and uncles, and my grandparents had a wedding to go to. The children/grandchildren (meaning my sisters, cousins, and I) were not invited, so Kelli and I offered to take care of the younger ones for the afternoon and night. We had decided to take our cousins Jimmy & Gina to see a movie, but Jimmy ended up ditching us because a friend had asked him to come to a sleepover for the night. Hmph. I guess our plans weren't "cool" enough. So...it was just me, Kel, and Gi. We had talked about seeing either Barnyard: The Original Party Animals or The Ant Bully...but, in the end, we went with Barnyard because the theater where that was playing was closer to where we were going to be. It was a fairly funny movie, but very cute. Not as funny as I had hoped; but, I'm still not disappointed either.

We were three of only about 20 people (if that) in the theater yesterday...so we had lots of space around us as the previews began...until (dunh, dunh, duuunh) this lady and her two kids had to come in and sit one seat away from us on our left. And, what made it worse was, since I had an empty seat on my left, I decided to put my purse and Gina's purse there because the floor was all gross and food-riddled. So, what does this lady do? Yes, she sits on the other side of that "empty" seat and proceeds to put herrrr purse and bag of popcorn in the seat with myyyy stuff! Don't ask me why I didn't get Kelli and Gina up right at that moment and move down to the other end of the row (where no one was sitting). I thought, okay, well, as long as she doesn't bother me, I'll be fine. But, then again, I should have listened to my instincts...I knew that there were about 15 or so other rows this lady could have chosen because, as I said, there was hardly anyone there...and I immediately had this feeling of "this lady will be annoying"...but, alas, I ignored those observations and feelings, trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Not long after the movie started, the annoyance was building...she kept bringing out her cell phone and looking at it (which, by the way, had the brightest light ever, next to the sun) and she kept talking to her little daughter who was sitting next to her. From the beginning of the movie, her daughter wanted to sit on her mom's lap, so, she obliged...but she says to her daughter, "Oh, honey, you're ready to head home, aren't you?"...her daughter says, "Yes, Mommy." That didn't change anything though, because they still stayed....lucky me. Every time mother and daughter would talk, mom didn't even whisper--only talked at a normal tone of voice. Finally frustrated as the woman got up and left her purse with her two kids as she went off to the bathroom, I got Kelli and Gina and we moved to the other end of the row, which I should have done in the first place.

After the movie, we picked up some salads and headed to my house to eat them (we weren't all that hungry after having a little popcorn at the theater). We also made a stop at Blockbuster because Gina loves scary movies (as do Kelli and I), so we figured we'd try to find something good and also appropriate for Gina's 10-year-old age. We settled on Poltergeist because it was PG, Gina had never seen it, and Kelli and I hadn't seen it in a long time. Plus, Gina was going to sleep over that night, so she thought it would be fun to watch it in our pajamas.

After eating our salads and watching Gina's own magic show, we made some milkshakes, turned down the lights, and settled in to watch Poltergeist. Needless to say, we all enjoyed it, but it certainly freaked Gina out. After hearing the dog in the movie barking at the strange things happening, Gina got scared because a little while later Murphy (my dog) was barking at something out the front window. As I went to see what he was doing (knowing full well that he barks at neighbors and passersby all the time) Gina ran up behind me, grabbing my arm and saying, "Collllll, I'm scared!!!!" So, I shooed Murphy away from the window and closed the blinds, and we went back to the movie. Gina buried her head in my arm a few times, but she loved it nonetheless.

After the movie, we turned on all the lights, at Gina's request...but, before we could do anything else, the phone rang...it was our neighbor, as I could see on the Caller ID. I was a little worried thinking maybe our TV was too loud or something...it does sound like a movie theater in our den when we watch movies...plus the windows were open because of the nice cool air coming in. But, no, he was calling because he noticed the lights were on in my car when he was outside in his garage. After I thanked him and hung up the phone, this sent Gi into a frenzy because Kelli and I were going to go outside and see why the lights were on (even though no one had turned them on earlier). Gina said, "You're not going out there and leaving me in here!...I'm coming with you!" So, she hung on my shirt as the three of us went outside to check the lights in my car...turns out the back window hatch was slightly ajar somehow...in any event, though, all was well.

We were all still awake when my parents returned home around midnight and we recapped the night for them; they laughed at our silliness though. Surprisingly enough, Gina did not ask to share my bed last night after the Poltergeist experience...she felt brave enough to sleep in our spare bedroom. I made her pancakes for breakfast this morning (what service!) and we talked more about the scary movie. It was a very fun night...one I can't imagine spending any other way.

Moving Right Along

Yeah, so I have already finished Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas. It was a very quick read...three days and done. Tears were shed, but I cannot say whether they were happy tears or sad tears (Dana may be reading this...I wouldn't want to spoil it for her!) Dane--hope you're reading this book...you would definitely like it!

Oh well, on to the next book...hmmm...what will it be??

Goodbye Bette, Hello Suzanne...

So, I just finished reading the book Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger; it was a book I chose to read after hearing Alicia rave about it. I loved it, by the way...thanks for the suggestion, Aleesh.

Recently, my book club has started up again and we are reading Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas by James Patterson, as you can see listed in my sidebar.

Here's the thing though...as I finished the last page of Everyone last night, I felt a little sad that I was done with it. I can't say that I feel that way about every book that I've read, but Weisberger's character description and writing style hooked me. It was as if I had gotten to know the characters (in particular the main character, Bette) so well that I was, in a sense, "lost" in the storyline...well, maybe "immersed" is a better word. I want to know what happens to Bette next! I'm not ready to say goodbye yet!

Have you ever felt the same way about a book? I'm really not crazy, I swear...although Kelli will probably tell me I'm a nerd...that I can handle.

A No-Work Monday / Decisions on My Plate

I slept in today for the first Monday since starting my summer camp job back in June and it felt good. No, I didn't play hooky today; camp is over for the summer. We all said our goodbyes on Friday. Now, onto the next phase of my life...decision-making time.

Well, I have already decided I will not be a Sub for another year...As a teacher, I want my own space. I don't want to be a guest anymore. When you have a taste of something that is all yours, and then you need to give it up, it is hard to accept. I want to play by my rules again, not by someone else's.

So, what does this mean for me? Well, first and foremost, I will find a job doing something else in the meantime. I have also spent a lot of time thinking about pursuing my Master's Degree. It was always something I planned to do...it was just figuring out the what, where, and when. My Master's Degree will not necessarily be in Education, however. I considered getting my certification in Special Education--which is still a possibility. But, I am also strongly realizing a want to pursue a Master's of Science in Psychology (after all, Psych was my intended major in my Undergraduate studies before deciding on Education).

Right now, I am looking at a program that would ultimately lead to a career working in Psychological research, wherein I would like to specialize in Developmental Psychology. I don't, necessarily, want to be a Clinical Psychologist where I would actually see patients and provide therapy (but who knows?...that could change!) At the present time, I am more interested in the research end of it...so we will see. The program also requires a Master's thesis, which would then prepare me for a Doctorate program, if I so choose. So, yeah, I've got a lot of thinking to do...I wish I could blink my eyes and the decisions would appear before me. Where is Jeannie when you need her?