Through The Mud Clearly

.......before 2009 rolls around. Well, now that Christmas is over and everything returns to a state of normalcy; let me just offer some reflections....go look in the mirror and you will see one! HAHAHAHAHA!, sometimes I crack myself up. OK, forget about reflections...how about a cat story. My cat, Marmalade is afraid of her Christmas present she received from Lady Bug and Sparky Doo Dah. It is a mouse and it is filled with catnip...you would think she would like it...weird. Well, it is kinda big and it is orange. if I were a cat I might be a bit leery of it too. I got her (yes I bought my cat a present...didn't buy her any clothes though) a Chia Pet...the one that grows cat grass. She was chewing on it last night when I went to bed. I got up this morning to discover she hadn't been eating it; just pulling the grass out of the dirt and leaving it scattered around the kitchen. Fun!!! Maybe I will plant her orange mouse in with the cat grass...that'l teach her! Hm mm, then I will have to worry about paybacks. I guess I won't do it.

Here are some lines you might have not heard before;
1. You'll go down in listerine.
2. Sleep in heavenly peas.
3. Good tidings we bring to you and your kid.
4. Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse, soap and hay.
5. When shepherds washed their socks by night.
6. We three kings of porridge and tar.
7. Olive the other reindeer.
8. Silent Night Holy Night mommys calm all is bright.

Well, I was just sitting here at my desk looking at a Mr. Potato Head toy that is perched on my shelf. I really don't know where I got it...but it is there. Anyway, I was also eating a banana and that got me to thinking about monkeys. Why? I don't know; maybe because monkeys eat bananas. I started wondering if monkeys ever get charlie horses. I decided they don't because of all the potassium they get from eating all those bananas. I guess I am just living up to my blog header: "The Abyss" because it refers to the deep places of my mind, where my thoughts and impressions can be expressed then translated through the written word. Well, I guess this was my thought of the day!

A few posts back I was taking about my cat Marmalade, aka "big baby kitty", and her new habit of removing the blankets from my bed. Remember that post? Anyway, I decided it wasn't a good idea for her to be doing that so I fixed it so she could not pull them off. When I came home from work; my cat ran into the bedroom and stood by the bed meowing very loudly at me. She would look at the bed, then at me then the bed me bed me, meow meow meow. I think she was yelling at me and expressing her displeasure for what I had done. I told her she would be fine and didn't change anything. I left for a while and when I came back she did the exact same thing. Weird huh? Well, this morning I decided that it was ok for her to tear apart my bed and I fixed it so she could. When I left for work this morning she was happily rearranging the blankets. At least I won't get yelled at when I get home!

....I wrote about my pet peeve! Really. I don't mind at all seeing the cupboard doors and desk drawers left open. Really. So....all you jokers out there can quit leaving all the kitchen cabinets open!!! It really doesn't bother me....really! Now let me tell you about my real pet peeve. I hope you can handle this one. It is when...oops I am out of time.

.....I have one! Well, at least one, undoubtedly more than one. I can't stand it when cupboards and desk drawers are left open! Even if they are just a little bit open; like just a crack! Its crazy I know. I can be found regularly walking through the office closing all sorts of cabinets. I think my coworkers know this and leave them in various stages of openness on purpose. Oh well...I will just keep right on closing them. I think I will add this chore to my job description.

My owner, Marmalade is a very unique cat. As many of you know, she is a talker. She even talks in her sleep! She snores too. She used to wake me up every morning between 3:30 and 5:00 by meowing loudly near my face. She stopped doing that when I returned from my hospital stay. Now she has two new tricks. She has started grabbing my ankle with her paws and biting it...not hard..just enough to get my attention. The other thing she does is remove the blankets from my bed. Fortunately I am not in it at the time. Yes she is a strange cat...that is why I like her!

I mentioned in my hospital post that Charlotte had brought me chicken soup and it was the best I had ever tasted. Its true it was. I returned her bowl yesterday at church and told her how wonderful it was. She told me that a few days after giving it to me she remembered she had put bacon in it!! I am highly allergic to all pork products!!! But, I suffered no ill effects from the soup. I believe that was Gods mercy and grace, for which I am very grateful for. I am not going to "hog wild" and start eating pork again though.

Well, no more bus stories for a while. It is starting to get dark when I catch the bus in the evening. Where I catch it is not a good place to be after dark...scary! So, I will be driving to work again unless gas prices shoot back up. Then I will invest in a tazer or at the very least a big can of pepper spray and go back to riding the bus. I will miss the people(most of them). I will now have to come up with some other interesting things to write about. That probably won't be a problem!

Let me tell you about my latest exciting adventure. It is kind of a long story and it has nothing to do with riding the bus! One morning I woke up and my arms felt like they were on fire..kinda like a severe sunburn. I kept thinking "this is not right" and after about an hour of off/on pain, I drove myself to the ER. I described my symptoms to the triage nurse and within 5 minutes they had me hooked up to an EKG. The nurse kept looking at me then looking at the machine then looking at me really strangely. I'm thinking...this is not good...first I don't have to wait 10 hours to be seen and now the nurse is looking like their might be a problem. She doesn't say anything but leads me to an ER brick..I mean bed. Gives me the fashionable backless gown and tells me she will be right back. Immediately after she goes; the vampires come in for my blood. Three arms later they finally get what they need. The nurse returns with another EKG machine. Apparently the first one wasn't working properly...I think it said I was dead or something like that. It was wrong. After the EKG was completed, she wired me to a cardiac monitor and started an IV. After a while someone came to take me for a chest x-ray then returned me to my room. Soon a Doctor came in. I described my symptoms. He said "weird". He also said it could be a heart problem and they would probably do more tests. About an hour later someone came in an said they were going to move me to another location. He said it is one step closer to going home. He moved me into the hall!! I think they needed the room. A few minutes later the ER Doc came over and said they were going to admit me and keep me overnight for observation. So they moved me to another location in the ER. Once again they hooked me up to the cardiac monitor and also put me on oxygen..somebody came along and took more blood. I was in this room for at least two hours...but it had a TV...I watched the game show network! Later, they come to move me to the observation unit. In preparation for the move they placed a defibrillator unit at the bottom of the bed. I exclaimed..gee I sure hope we don't need that! They laughed and said not to worry, they just needed a portable device to hook into while they moved me. I finally get to my room. I had been at the hospital since 6am and it is now approaching 4pm. Dinner finally showed up about 5:30 pm. I hadn't eaten all day and I was really hungry. Needless to say, the hospital food kinda tasted good...I knew I must be really sick to think that! Right about that time Rita (co-worker) came in for a visit. We chatted for a while and then a different doctor came in. He wanted to know if I had been taken in for a CAT scan. I hadn't. He said he would go find out why because he had ordered one. Rita left about 6:45. Around 7:10 Laurie and Holly (more co-workers) stop in. They stayed until about 8pm when the nurse came to take me in for the test. She drove me to the test area and parked me in the hall. It was a nice view of the door of the x-ray room. I waited there about 15 minutes then they wheeled me in for the test. Five minutes later I was back out in the hall waiting for my driver. Back to my room. Nothing to do but watch TV and listen to sick people. I finally drift off to sleep about 1am only to be awakened at 2:30 by a nurse wanting more blood samples. I could not go back to sleep, nothing on TV but infomercials and home shopping network. Finally breakfast arrives about 8:30. I figure I must be feeling better because everything has no taste. I ate it anyway. About 11am I called Jayne and told her where I was and asked her to come pick up my keys and go feed my cat. She said she would be there asap. About 20 minutes later they took me up to cardiology for an echo stress test. That is where they take an ultrasound of your heart at rest and then when stimulation is added they take another ultrasound. The technicians explained how the test would work..after the at rest test, they would inject a drug equal to six (yes six) cups of coffee and do another ultrasound. I said that it sounded scary to me and I wondered how many days and nights I would be awake! Then the cardiologist came in and asked me if I could walk on the treadmill because he really didn't like administering the caffeine shot. I opted for the treadmill! After that was over he said I needed to have an angiogram. He explained the procedure and told me I would be awake during the whole thing. AWAKE I CAN'T BE AWAKE!!!! He said it would be OK they would give me something so I would not feel a thing. Then they wheeled me off to the Cardiac Cauterization Unit. It was about this time Jayne finally caught up to me. I gave her my spare keys and instructions for Marmalade. Then I realized she really didn't need any direction about how to take care of a cat....she has several of her own!! We chatted for a while and then the nurse came in with a razor. At that time Jayne excused herself and....never mind. At 3:30 they wheeled me into the operating room. At 3:50 it was all over and I really didn't feel a thing! The cardiologist shook my hand and said my heart was just fine and I could be released in a couple of hours. They wheeled me back to my room. I was instructed to not lift my head or move my legs for at least 2 hours. That was hard, but I did it. Around 5:30 dinner was served. It is very hard to eat while laying almost completely flat and not being able to lift your head!!! Fortunately Pastor Sharon came in around that time. She held my glass so I could drink through a straw. Thanks Sharon! She also prayed with me..that was nice. I needed a ride home so Sharon said to call when I got released and someone would come and take me home. Finally around 8pm they told me all tests were negative and I was being released. Great, I said but that still doesn't explain the arm pain. The nurse said "wow that's true" and wandered off. Another nurse returned with my discharge instructions and I was set free. I called Sharon. She sent Tom and Charlotte to pick me up. Tom drove my car home. Charlotte brought me a big bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup...the best ever!! I got home and my cat spoke to me long and loud! I spent the next couple of days resting...my cat was by my side day and night. I think she missed me. My malady is still a mystery! I told you it was a long story.

A friend of mine sent this to me; just thought I would share it.

Following the problems in the sub-prime lending market in America and the run on Northern Rock in the UK, uncertainty has now hit Japan. In the last 7 days Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone bellyup and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches. Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song, while today shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived. While Samurai Bank is soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, NinjaBank is reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black. Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.

And here are just a few reasons why: my information was gleaned from the Dem and Rep platform.

Embryonic Research
Democrats: "Research should be based on science, not ideology. We need to invest in biomedical research and stem cell research, so that we are at the leading edge of prevention and treatment.… We will lift the current Administration's ban on using federal funding for embryonic stem cells—cells that would have otherwise have been discarded and lost forever—for research that could save lives. We will ensure that our patent laws protect legitimate rights while not stifling innovation and creativity. We will end the Bush Administration's war on science, restore scientific integrity, and return to evidence-based decision-making."

Republicans: "Taxpayer-funded medical research must be based on sound science, with a focus on both prevention and treatment, and in accordance with the humane ethics of the Hippocratic Oath. In that regard, we call for a major expansion of support for the stem-cell research that now shows amazing promise and offers the greatest hope for scores of diseases—with adult stem cells, umbilical cord blood, and cells reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells—without the unethical destruction of embryonic human life. We call for a ban on human cloning, the creation of human embryos for research purposes."



Abortion
Democrats: "The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.
"The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to comprehensive affordable family planning services and age-appropriate sex education, which empower people to make informed choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions.
"The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs."

Republicans: "Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children. We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity and dignity of innocent human life.
"We have made progress. The Supreme Court had upheld prohibitions against the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion, the Born Alive Infants Protection Act has become law, and states are now permitted to extend health care coverage to children before birth. We invite all persons of good will, whether across the political aisle or within our party, to work together to reduce the incidence of abortion; to protect girls from exploitation and statutory rape through a parental notification requirement; and to oppose sex selection abortions. We all have a moral obligation to assist, not to penalize, women struggling with the challenges of an unplanned pregnancy. We salute those who provide them alternatives, including crisis pregnancy centers, and we take pride in the tremendous increase in adoptions that has followed Republican legislative initiatives."
Internationally, the GOP "asserts the rights of families in all international programs and will not fund organizations involved in abortion. We reject any treaty or agreement that would violate those values. That includes the UN convention on women's rights… and the UN convention on the rights of the child."



Marriage
Democrats: "We support the full inclusion of all families in the life of our nation, and support equal responsibility, benefits, and protections. We will enact a comprehensive bipartisan employment non-discrimination act. We oppose the Defense of Marriage Act and all attempts to use this issue to divide us."

Republicans: "Because our children's future is best preserved within the traditional understanding of marriage, we call for a constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage as a union of a man and a woman, so that judges cannot make other arrangements equivalent to it. In the absence of a national amendment, we support the right of the people of the various states to affirm traditional marriage through state initiatives.
"Republicans have been at the forefront of protecting traditional marriage laws, both in the states and in Congress. A Republican Congress enacted the Defense of Marriage Act, affirming the right of states not to recognize same-sex marriages licensed in other states. To safeguard that victory, a Republican House of Representatives passed legislation withdrawing jurisdiction over DOMA from the federal courts. We urge renewed use of that Article III power to prevent activist federal judges from imposing upon the rest of the nation the judicial activism in Massachusetts and California. …
"We lament that judges … are undermining traditional 25 marriage laws from coast to coast."

OK, I said I wasn't going to write about politics but...this morning my pastor spoke (in part) about the sanctity of human life. And; as he said; its not a political issue but a moral one! He talked about both the Republican stand and the Democrat stand on the issue. One thing he said impacted me enough to write about it. Now, I may not be able to phrase it in the exact wording the Democrats use in their platform but here is what I heard. If the aborted fetus is (somehow) born alive then the medical staff is obligated to do everything to sustain its life. To me; what the Dems are saying that if the attempt to murder the baby is unsuccessful then they must try to save the child's life. But, they don't call it a baby ..it is considered a mass of cells until it is born. Yes, it is a moral and biblical issue; after all one of the ten commandments is: thou shalt not kill. Life is precious and should be treated that way!

Whew! Yesterday was my first online Spanish class. My brain feels like it has turned to mush! The first thing we had to do was to take a test. :(. We had to listen to some audio and determine if what was being said was true, false, or don't know. The second part was "fill in the blank". This of course was all written /spoken in Spanish. The final part of the test was to write a paragraph about yourself in Spanish. As I am attempting to do this; I am thinking....what have I got myself into....I know absolutely nothing.....this instructor must be loco! Fortunately; this turned out to be a "pre test" to find out how much of the language we actually know! We got points for taking her little test, but our final grade won't include the results of the pre test. I won't know how I did until next week; but I am certain I didn't come close to a passing grade. Thankfully it doesn't matter!

I usually don't write about things of a political nature. But I am today. I have been hearing a lot of negativity about the McCain/Palin ticket (mostly about Palin). This is coming from the majority of my coworkers who are Democrats. They all think she should stay home with her kids, has no experience in the political realm, has a pregnant teenage daughter, and think she is lying about her past. Many of them were supporters of John Edwards. I had to ask them...if Edwards had won the Democratic nomination, then the truth about his extramarital affair came to light, would you still support him? After all, he lied to the American public and to his wife! I also posed the question; what kind of a man would continue campaigning when his wife was undergoing treatment for cancer? That is irrelevant I was told; because Edwards is not on the ticket!! Then it was back to Republican bashing. Okay, I am done writing about politics.

...go round and round, round and round, round and round all thru the town. Well I have written about some of the people on the bus and today I have to write about the bus itself. On the way home I usually board one of those double buses...the ones that look like they are attached in the middle by an accordion and duct tape! It sorta reminds me of a slinky..except Slinky's go end over end while the bus would only go side to side. When you first get on the bus and you look to the back you feel as if the back of the bus is in another zip code. It is actually two buses (only one engine) hooked together with the accordion/duct tape contraption. The middle seats in the accordion section are on a revolving floor. When the bus turns a corner; those seats turn with it....kinda like a slow ride at Disneyland! The other weird thing about it is; when you are setting in the rear of the bus and it turns a corner you can actually see the passengers in the front of the bus through the windows. Oh, and at every turn it makes a strange noise as if someone had just sat on a whoopee cushion!. At first I thought it was from a whoopee cushion... but...its not!
I have learned I cannot sit in the revolving accordion, duct tape seat section because it makes me nauseous! What an adventure!!

Right outside the back door at my office there is a canal. Catfish and carp are the primary inhabitants. It just makes me want to grab a fishing pole and snag a few of those catfish. Ummmm yummy, dredged in egg and cornmeal and fried in a cast iron skillet!!! But I cant do it. Why not? Because there is a big sign that says: No Trespassing...No Swimming or Fishing Allowed...Non Potable Water. The water is sparkling,clear and non-stagnant...you can see the bottom unless there has been monsoonal activity. Then it just muddy waters and I can understand how the water could be bad then. The fish are huge and look very healthy. Ducks swim around in there. I guess I will have to be content to just look at them(sigh).

Somebody famous rides the bus!! Well, okay, he is probably not famous. But he looks like he could be the brother of someone who once was famous. I ride the bus with a gentleman who looks like he could be Tiny Tim's brother! You do remember Tiny Tim don't you? Long black hair, high pitched voice. No? He was the guy who played the ukulele and sang "Tip Toe Through the Tulips". What??? You still don't remember him? He married Miss Vickie on the Tonight Show hosted by Johnny Carson. Ah...I see it all coming back to you now. Gee, that was really a long time ago, hope I didn't make you feel old. I was just a little kid then! :)

Its still summer in Arizona. Right now it is hovering around 100 degrees outside. Here is my question: why would anyone be wearing a furry purple hat with ears??? Every morning a teenage girl gets on the bus wearing this hat. She seems normal enough. She has hair. I know this because it is long. I would ask her about this but I sit in the back of the bus (so I can watch people and write interesting/semi interesting tidbits) and she sits/stands in the front. The bus is sooo very crowded that it would be impossible to get to her to ask. Besides that; I would lose my seat!! It probably just a form of self expression in the same way orange hair, tattoos and body piercing are. Hummmm. I think I just answered my own question.

I am about to embark on a new adventure! No I am not traveling anywhere; I am taking an online course: Elementary Spanish 101. I had the choice of an "accelerated" or "leisure" paced course. Naturally I opted for the leisure paced one! Maybe, in the future, I will write my bus stories in Espanol. Or possibly in Spanglish...a mixture of both. Wouldn't that be interesting?!?! Anyway, I am doing this because I think it will enhance my job and; they are paying for it! Class starts September 8th and goes thru March 2009. Hey, I said it was leisure paced.

Yes...another bus story. The bus system here allows those in wheelchairs to ride for free. I think that is pretty cool. The buses are equipped with ramps and have seats that fold so a wheelchair can maneuver into that space. Well, the other day, the driver picked up a wheelchair bound individual. The person was having considerable trouble getting on board and the driver was very helpful; assisting the gentleman. When we arrived at the man's stop; again he had trouble maneuvering and again the driver assisted. Immediately after he was off the bus, the man stood up; walked around the chair and began pushing it down the sidewalk....with a big grin on his face! Obviously he was not handicapped, but was using the system for a free ride. I laughed.

Here is another bus story. I know I said I probably wouldn't write about my bus riding adventures everyday but.....I have to tell you about this one. Yesterday, I was sitting there minding my own business when I noticed this guy (outside) looking like he was about to throw something and a nano second later the bus window shattered! I and another couple were sitting in the seats next to that window! The couple and I shook off the small pieces of glass and promptly moved to seats on the other side of the bus. The driver safely stopped; called his supervisor and announced to the riders that there would be a slight delay. About 1/2 of the people got off the bus and started walking. The rest of them crowded around wanting to know what happened and if we were okay. It was kind of neat because everyone just started talking as if they had known us for years. The concern seemed genuine and friendly. The supervisor came and took pictures of the damage; duct taped the window and wrapped yellow caution tape around the seats. Both the driver and the supervisor apologized for the delay, the driver turned the "not in service" sign on and drove the remainder of us to the transfer center. The comraderie continued as we got off the bus...everyone saying goodby and telling each other to be safe. The window incident was a bit un-nerving but the end result was good. Yes, I am still riding the bus.

For the past few months; due to rising gas prices and an office move; I have been riding the bus to and from work. It has been quite interesting!! Everyday something happens. These experiences have been amusing, amazing, sometimes tragic and always different. I could write something new everyday (but probably won't). I do want to tell you about "the lingerie lady" (I have dubbed her that). Every morning she gets on the bus wearing a piece of nightwear. Fortunaltly for all of us, this is either worn over or under her "regular" clothing...but it is definitly lingerie. I am not really sure she knows it though. Oh yeah, this is the same woman who usually wears her hair in a bun. But the other day she had her hair down. I am telling you her hair must have been five feet long. Anyway; she sat down and immediatly began combing her hair with her fingers. Oblivious to the passenger sitting behind her; she began flinging her hair back and forth, finally twisting it into a bun and without aid of any clips or ties she fastened her hair into place. Amazing!! The person behind her didn't say anything and just moved over one seat...that is even more amazing. Its a fun ride.