sweet kittycat

Doesn't he make a purrrrfect gift? I think so!

peace and love,

m

I passed my certification!

For a while now, I have been studying for my certification exam. I may complain about my employer from time to time, but I am grateful that through their nursing stimulus, they covered the cost of the exam...because let's face it, a $435 exam fee is pretty steep, and I most likely would not have spent that many bones! And before you ask "Why on earth are they paying for certification exams when they are firing people," it's a Magnet tenet to have certified nursing staff...so it's beneficial for the organization in the end :) You may now call me: Megan, RN, BSN, CNOR

It was 200 questions that took me about 2 hours to answer; all multiple choice and on a computer. It definitely reminded me of the joy of boards, except you have to take all of the questions and the computer doesn't choose easier or harder questions depending on your [in]correct answer. I'm sure the testing center employees will enjoy my stick figure drawings on the scratch paper as I tried to create visuals for positioning questions!

After I finished the exam, I headed to Mayfair to try and knock out the rest of my holiday shopping. I have to admit, that when I finally found a parking spot, my intense fear of social situations and people kicked in, but I talked myself out of it...mainly because I still hadn't found a gift for the MawMaw! It was challenging to deal with all of the people, but I made it home in one piece. As someone who doesn't really get into the trends, I was really intrigued by the number of women in leggings, jeggings, or tights, despite the 10 degree temperature, as well as the continued love of Uggs and or moccasins. With my fashion sense [haha] rooted in comfort and warmth, I guess the trends just don't speak to me ;)

peace and love,

m

now where did i leave off?

Ah yes, at #14. Crap, that's a lot of days of thankfulness to have missed! Oops...but that's typical :)

15. Technology. It allows me to keep in touch with family and friends who are far away, even though I might not always do a good job of doing so.

16. My comfy bed to snuggle into after a long day at work.

17. Little acts of kindness. With everything going on in the world, and the hate that seems so widespread, it's comforting to see people taking a little bit of time to change that.

18. Our troops. While I cannot, and do not, support the wars, there are no words that express the gratitude I have for the women and men in uniform who risk their lives, especially my dear friend Kelsey and my Uncle Bret.

19. This is going to sound really silly, but Employee Health. I've had 2 work-related injuries, and I'm very glad that there are people who are there to take care of me and my clumsiness :)

20. Delivery. Sometimes you just don't feel like cooking!

21. Moments of brevity. Healthcare can be a real downer, with constant exposure to sad situations. Whether it's my coworkers, family, friends, or even the patients, it's always nice to share a laugh.

22. Milwaukee. I'm discovering more of this fabulous city. Seriously underrated!

23. Clean water and living conditions. Do you realize how lucky we are to live in a country where we don't have to worry about water-borne illnesses and the like? Cholera is unheard of in the USA, yet only several hundred miles away in Haiti, it runs rampant.

24. Holiday lights. The sparkle and anticipation of the holiday season makes me giddy!

25. Reese's peanut butter cups. A wonderful confectionery creation!

peace and love,

m

thankful

Being November and thoughts of Thanksgiving are flooding my mind, I thought I would join in the tradition of naming what I am thankful for...get ready, because I have 14 days to make up for!

1. My health. Several members of my family have been going through health scares lately, from a new diagnosis of MS to a seizure related to a tick-borne infection. Additionally, being a health care professional exposes me to countless different health situations. I'm lucky to count well-managed anxiety/depression and a bit of troublesome acne as my major problems, with the occasional migraine headache thrown into the mix.
2. Mr. Tuxedo Cat and all of his neurotic behavior. He keeps me smiling and laughing, whether it's because he's managed to climb inside the smallest box he can find, or because he's being the perfect snuggle buddy. Even when he hacks up the world's largest hairball at 2 am, I love the little monster [really Tux, last night's hairball was impressive].
3. My family. Life boils down to who loves you and who will be there when you fall. My family sums it up.
4. Gainful employment. The last week at work has been one of stress and heartache because of people being laid off. There is not a moment that goes by when I do not thank my lucky stars for having a job that, for the most part, I enjoy. Sure, I get tired, and administration often leaves me scratching my head, but I have a job in this caustic job market and that is something to rejoice about.
5. This certain someone who will remain nameless but nonetheless makes my heart flutter. It makes me feel hopeful, that after 2 years of healing, I'm starting to open my heart again.
6. Coffee!
7. My friends and our ability to pick up like we've never been apart.
8. JOB, who is so much more than my best friend.
9. My cozy apartment. I still need to do decorating, but I love coming home to my own space.
10. Cooper the Prius. He gets me to and from work, saves me money on gas, and lets me do a little something to help the environment.
11. Fresh flowers on the table. Especially now that it's getting chilly, I love the flash of color they create.
12. The smell of cinnamon. I was at Trader Joe's yesterday and the store smelled delicious. It reminds me of the cinnamon ornaments that my Mom has. They have long lost their scent, but my memory of hanging them on the Christmas tree as a child is strong.
13. My coworkers. Yes, there are some who absolutely drive me crazy, but most of them are fun and funny and wonderful to work with. They keep me going when it seems like the day will never end.
14. Russ Feingold. He may have lost his re-election bid to a 2-bit hack from Oshkosh, but without his integrity, progressive values, and drive to help the people of this state, we would be a lot worse off.

To be continued...most likely in segments of a couple of days ;)

peace and love,

m

beautiful bride

My wonderful cousin, Danielle, and my now cousin-in-law Derek, got married this past weekend! She was gorgeous, the day was lovely, and a great time was had by all!

However, I do not anticipate returning to Iowa any time soon :)

peace and love,

m

still alive

I am indeed still alive, though you wouldn't know by my lack of activity here...for all of my dedicated readers [*snort]! I feel like I start every one of these catching up posts with some variation of "everything is passing so quickly these days" and frankly, although it's true, it's very cliché.

Last weekend, my dear friend Teresa became Mrs. Moore in a lovely ceremony at Badger Farms. Even though I had to call it an early evening because of a bloody migraine headache [an unholy result of the triumvirate PMS+hunger+freezing] , it was a wonderful evening. I am so honored that I was able to be a part of Teresa and Chris' special day. I'm just sad that our "punk" picture turned out all blurry! The rain was kind enough to hold off for most of the day, and the Badgers even pulled off a win for the happy couple :)

[migraine eyes, not drunk eyes!]

Work has been crazy busy lately. We had a transplantpalooza. Now, while it's true that I like the complex cases, I also appreciate a break now and then. Read: Megan does not want to do ALL of the transplants! I had a stretch of 4 days where I did a transplant every day. That's a lot of physical and emotional work.

Yesterday, I got to see my bestie JOB and meet her BF Geoff [unfortunately, not pronounced "gee-off"]. He is a cyclist in this crazy stuff called cyclecross or something like that. I guess the best way to explain it is like a cross country steeplechase on bicycles. He's very nice and even gets bonus points because he used to be a gymnast!

This week is another 4 day work week because on Friday morning, I'm off to Ames, Iowa, for Danielle and Derek's wedding! Don't worry, I've been reading some heavy material in order to make up for the IQ points I'm going to lose going to Iowa ;) Just kidding...sort of. I'm going to be reading a passage from a Neil Gaiman poem called "Instructions" for the ceremony. Wonder how many people will show up in camouflage...come on Dani, a November wedding with a green/brown color scheme? I'm afraid it will be too much for *some* of our family members to resist!

In other family news, my godfather and Uncle Jim is back home after a stay in the ICU because of a seizure. He's doing very well and has some appointments this week to try to figure out the etiology of the seizures. I'm so happy that he is home...and I'm sure the nurses are too :)

Today I did an intense cleaning of the apartment and managed to misplace my phone...but I found it in the couch cushions. Tux is still not a fan of the vacuum cleaner. I also baked some cookies. It smells delicious in here!

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday! Feingold/Barrett/Nelson/Richards/Larson/Moore! And get this, I'm going to vote for a Republican for the first time EVER--Steven Duckhorn for Milwaukee County Sheriff. I'm sick and tired of David Clarke, a DINO who has become a darling of the local right-wing media by aligning himself with the Tea Party. I really don't think that the county sheriff should be a partisan office at all, but that's what we have, and I'm going to jump to the other side of the tracks for this race. I cry a little bit inside whenever I see a Clarke sign next to a Larson sign...and shake my head each time there's one with the Ron Johnson and Scott Walker ones. Whole lotta confusion going on.

peace and love,

m

is it wrong to...

...love and covet a rug so much?

When it is this one from Anthropologie, I don't think so! Unfortunately, having just bought a new phone and paid my car insurance and rent, it's not really advisable to spend 600 bones on a rug that Attack Cat will most likely commence destroying the moment it arrives ;)

peace and love,

m

special cat

Hi, my name is Tux, and I like boxes. A lot.

Especially ones I don't really fit in. I also like sitting in sinks, racing around at 4 AM, chasing birdies in the windows, and being the guard cat.

I do not like Sarah Palin.

peace and love,

m

dress nightmare

Okay, I'm in my dear friend Teresa's wedding in October. I ordered my bridesmaid dress in the beginning of June and was told that it would be coming in around the end of August. Now, it's the middle of September and I don't have my dress yet...and I'm starting to panic a bit. I even had a nightmare about it last night [anxiety about not having the dress + a hectic work week + the magnificent chemistry of Advil PM = crazy dreams]. Here's the synopsis, complete with my artistic *cough* rendering of the nightmare dress:

Dress finally comes in, except it's the wrong dress...except it's not. All the other bridesmaids have it, and so do you. Cue confusion: who changed the dresses?!! It's a hideous pink, black, and white color block number that hits mid-thigh. I try it on, and it doesn't stay up. Your Mom tries to pin it so it stays up, because we have to go to the wedding now! Julie is yelling at me because "It's fine, just go!" My Mom is saying, "Why did you order a size 5? Your boobs aren't that big." I'm shouting, "All my clothes are size 5 and yes, my boobs are big!" I go to the dress shop and they find a random green dress that I can wear for the wedding...but then when they are pressing it, it catches fire. For some reason, they are outside. I am sobbing because the dress is not only ruined, but it actually disappeared when it caught fire. Then everything switches, and I'm in an OR [still in the fug dominatrix dress, mind you] trying to do an emergency case, but the anesthesiologist is an idiot and can't intubate the patient, so he dies. And then comes back to life...and dies again.

Behold my nightmare [shut it, we're not talking about my artistic abilities, we're talking about the dominatrix/color block dress]:

Seriously. I have vivid dreams, and I remember them. This is exactly what we were wearing...just imagine that the black striping is shiny. Yeah. Shiny. Oi.

peace and love,

m

not my kind of tea party

No, not at all. Mine were full of lovely people, ranging from Felicity [well, with her, we had hot chocolate] to various teddy bears, with good food [usually what I could sneak out of the kitchen], and intelligent conversation; that is, the polar opposite of what Chase and New Left Media found at the "Restoring Honor" rally [wtf does that even mean?] this past weekend in DC. Behold, the Mama Grizzlies and Joe the Plumbers of our nation...behold and weep...

Oof. Maybe I should preface that with a warning that you may lose your cool and start shouting at the computer ;)

peace and love,

m

Izzyfest 2010

Izzyfest was a smashing success. Grandma was so surprised by the yellow shirts. It was great to have the whole family together again!

The truck-tractor pull in Norwalk is a big deal. I just think it's strange, especially this one!

So cute! Nick was being a lion :)

peace and love,

m

putting it into practice

If you don't know by now, I think it's fair to say that I am a bleeding heart [and a bleeding heart liberal at that, but no politics today]. I chose a profession, nursing, that allows me to open my heart to others, and help people when they are at their lowest and most vulnerable. I love that about nursing.

My job is to take care of you, protect your dignity, provide competent and appropriate treatment, and above all, be your advocate. In the operating room, I am in charge of your care. The surgeon may have the scalpel, the anesthesiologist may keep you breathing, but I coordinate it all. I make sure you are positioned so you don't have nerve or skin damage. I make sure that everyone is on the same page regarding the surgery. I make sure that no foreign bodies like sponges or instruments are left inside of you. I make sure that you are afforded everything that an awake person would in regards to your dignity and modesty. I get what is needed [equipment, more staff, blood products, medicine, etc] to help the surgeon perform the task at hand. I call your family and friends so they know what is going on in the operating suite.

If you are scared, I'll hold your hand and I'll listen to everything you say without judging. My job is to be there, for you. I will be there, when you wake up, to say that you're all done...I might also shout to take some deep breaths and to open your eyes ;)

I love my job. I love being a nurse. I can make a difference, and I know I do. I've been kicking the idea of a missions/MSF since nursing school, and let me tell you, the urge is as strong as ever [although I should probably get my passport before applying]. Doctors Without Borders [MSF] is doing amazing humanitarian work in various African nations, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Pakistan, and so many other places devastated by natural and man-made disasters. I preach that everyone should have access to healthcare, and they are doing just that.

So what is stopping me? Fear of the unknown, no doubt. In exploring spirituality, I'm finding that my ego is the biggest stumbling block. The ego says, "No, everything is fine this way. No problems. Nothing scary." And that's exactly how you get stuck in one place; how you end up living life satisfied with not necessarily mediocrity, but certainly a sense of safety and a maintenance of the status quo. Ohh, and do I dislike the status quo! Nothing ever gets accomplished when all you do is keep things on an even keel.

I know the answer to my question is to just do it. Take the plunge, full speed ahead, fire the torpedoes! I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. My contributions might be limited to monetary donations right now. Eventually though, you can be sure. I'm going to do it.

peace and love,

m

margarita time

I drink alone. With nobody else.

Mmm, margaritas!

peace and love,

m

dog hates dyslexia

I laughed my ass off at these stupid protesters being beaten at their own "game." Enjoy!

peace and love,

m

grr!

I frickin' have pinkeye. WTF, mate? Today I spent the day in quarantine, which really wasn't that bad because it consisted of get up, go to urgent care [yup, pinkeye, stay home!], get antibiotics eye drops, come home, go back to sleep, eat pretzels with Nutella, watch TV, etc. I might be a little bored tomorrow though. Good thing I have a nice selection of movies sitting in the DVR queue!

Doctor said I should stay home 2 days, but if my eye was back to normal I could go back to work Thursday. Having time off work sucks if you're stuck in your house because your eye is a contagious cesspool of bacteria!

peace and love,

m

NYC

This is from the Today Show. Unfortunately, we didn't get on TV. However, I did see Matt Lauer's hand! And Ann Curry's back. Whoa, exciting ;) Seriously though, we had an amazing time. I'll do a more detailed post...sometime. When I'm not exhausted from work. Or chasing Tux off the table.

peace and love,

m

PS-Yes, there are chickens on our shirts!

all my bags are packed,

i'm ready to go!

peace and love,

m

excitement!

In less than 24 hours, I will be landing in New York City, along with my dear Grandma Z, Aunt Chris, Aunt Kay, Mom, and my cousin Lindsey! Yes, that's right, it's Chicks in the City 2010! And goodness, to make things even more exciting, I reach the quarter-century mark on Monday, July 12, and get to celebrate in NYC with some of my amazing family members.

Rebecca is watching Tux...I hope he behaves for her. He better not puke! He's hiding in the futon right now, as we had a couple rumbles of thunder. What a goober.

I'm packed except for my toiletries and my carry-on bag. The airport shuttle is picking me up and I'll meet the ladies at Mitchell. I have a brand new suitcase [polka dots] and camera [purple] for the trip. I've set up a flickr page where I'll be loading the zillions of pictures I'm going to be taking...but not until I'm back in MKE [computer free for a week].

We are staying at the amazing Waldorf=Astoria. Yes, that's right, we're classy ladies! And we have a kickass travel agent :) We have a lot planned, including a Broadway show [The Lion King], the New York Philharmonic in Central Park [more about this in a moment], Ellis Island, and a variety of tours of all the different sites! Not to mention, all the delicious food...mmm.

So this concert. I'm super-excited about. It's on the Great Lawn in Central Park, and check out this concert program: Tchaikovsky: Polonaise from Eugene Onegin Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story Ravel: Boléro Wagner: Overture to Tannhäuser Rossini: Largo al factotum della città from The Barber of Seville Gounod: "Je veux vivre" from Romeo and Juliet Mozart: "La ci darem la mano" from Don Giovanni Jim Fuzai: Go and See the World Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

Oh my god! First, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue is one of my all time favorite pieces of music. It just makes you feel lovely and summery. Even more awesome: Lang Lang will be performing the piano solo! Second, the rest of the program is also amazing, from another favorite of mine, Bernstein, to the intriguing Bolero by Ravel. Bolero is only 2 measures long, repeating in various fashions for 17 minutes. Torvill and Dean skated to a cut of this to win the 1984 Olympics.

So, unless I get access to a computer during the week, ciao until Friday!

peace and love,

m

if this isn't distressing...

The Commonwealth Fund's update of their report, Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, is out, and it's not a pretty picture for US healthcare...but really, did you expect anything more from a country that focuses on the pocketbooks instead of the well-being of its inhabitants?

Here's the deal. As US-ians, we spend about double per capita than the next closest nation on our healthcare, but IT STILL SUCKS. We should be asking ourselves why countries with smaller GDPs and much lower per capita healthcare expenditures can provide much better and satisfactory care than our own. If you ask me, it's because we treat healthcare as an industry, and not a right.

As a healthcare provider, this graph frightens me. I know that I provide the absolute best care that I can for each and every one of my patients, and so do other healthcare providers, but when the delivery system itself is broken, the quality of care is only part of the picture. For overall healthcare performance, we rank last. DEAD LAST. [emphasis on the dead.] Now there are some bright spots in the report, such as our top ranking in preventative care and short wait times to see specialists, but this is drastically overshadowed by our inability to to provide equal access to care and frankly, adequate care. It's also frustrating to see that, as a nation that continually proclaims itself to be the greatest, the USA has the lowest ranking among the countries studied of people living long, healthy, productive lives.

Indicative of how our priorities are messed up, eh?

I'm lucky. I have healthcare coverage that extends beyond waiting until the symptoms are life-threatening and going to the emergency room. I also pay an arm and a leg for it, and can only see certain healthcare providers unless I want to shoulder more of the cost, but it certainly beats being uninsured or under-insured.

peace and love,

m

from bliss to pissed in 5 minutes

That is, going from feeling all floaty and happy after spending some quality time with a wonderful person, to being angry and frightened that a different person is still around in my neighborhood. Must concentrate on those floaty feelings!

peace and love,

m

to scrub or not to scrub...

...that is the question. Should we be using thousands of gallons of water, bottles of Dawn dish soap, and countless hours of labor to wash off the animals coated in oil from our latest drilling disaster? It cost $32,000 per animal during the Exxon Valdez spill; what does it cost now? Silvia Gaus, a German biologist, argues that we should simply kill the animals instead. I see her point: it's likely that they will not survive because of the amount of oil they've already ingested, and it's even more likely that once released, they'll simply become coated in oil again.

However, I can't quite wrap my heart around killing the animals. I guess that's the animal lover in me. As Nicole Belle says in the article, we should use this as an opportunity to teach conservation and environmentalism, and to put a moratorium on off-shore drilling. It's not just the heart-wrenching pictures of birds covered in oil that we should be concerned about. We've covered an entire coastal ecosystem in crude oil, from which it may not ever recover. It's not only the brown pelicans, which have been brought back from near-extinction; it's the entire habitat that has been destroyed. We can clean off all the birds and turtles, but it's not going to do any good because we're just sending them back to a dead ocean and coastline.

This brings up the economic effect of the oil spill--and how we got to this situation in the first place. There is a confusing bit of terminology that needs to be cleared up. Energy independence does not equal alternative energy. The reason we have disasters like this is because we are so focused on energy independence instead of alternative energy sources. The sole focus has been reducing the amount of oil the USA imports from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. Remember the debates on off-shore drilling and opening up ANWR to drilling and the oil sand reserves that came up during the 2008 elections? That was energy independence, not alternative energy. That's not creative thinking-it just continues our dependence on fossil fuels, albeit ones on our own soil. Alternative energy is photovoltaic, hydroelectric, geothermal, wind...and yes, nuclear [that's another can of worms for another time].

We're so busy thinking of the birds covered in oil, that we don't think about the non-cuddly animals--invertebrates like shrimp and oysters, the fish. These are the creatures that eat, breathe, and sleep directly in the ocean, and now, directly in the oil. They are also the livelihood of many coastal residents. You don't have to be a genius to figure out that fish and shrimp coated in crude oil equals dead fish and shrimp and no income for the fishers of the Gulf Coast.

This is not only an environmental disaster, but an economic and humanitarian one as well. The Obama administration needs to step up, BP, Deepwater, and Halliburton need to step up, and we as citizens need to step up. Boycotting BP gas stations doesn't really help, in fact, it hurts the families that own the stations--and the chance that you are still buying gasoline produced from BP wells is highly likely. The gasoline sold under the BP name is only called BP because of certain additives. Remember that places like Woodman's, Walmart, and Sam's Club that have gas stations have to buy their gasoline from some oil company, be it Shell, ExxonMobil, or yes, BP.

What can you do that will truly help? Write to your congresspeople and emphasize the need for energy independence through alternative energy. Decrease your fossil fuel consumption. Give up your air conditioner and unplug your appliances when not using them. Drive a hybrid! Support green job creation.

peace and love,

m

retirement party

This past weekend was Dad's retirement party. It involved family, friends, lots of beer, and a cake that probably qualifies as a Cake Wreck. Behold!!

Bad airbrushing? Check. Random flowers [in the river]? Check.

Lots of plastic flotsam? Check. Weird lettering? Check. [Why was "DOC" in block capital letters and everything else was script?] Everything was spelled right, however. I guess that's a good thing! And it was delicious :)

peace and love,

m

beagle!

[click photo for website]

My parents keep telling me about the cute little beagle puppy that their backyard neighbors just got, so I had to do a google search to find one of my own. Isn't he the cutest little thing you've ever seen? Look at those smooshable cheekies and those floppy, velvety ears!

peace and love,

m

spring has sprung

What a beautiful Memorial Day weekend. Not only is it 3 days away from work, it's absolutely gorgeous outside; perfect spring weather. I was a little bored and cranky yesterday, but that all changed after a stroll down by the lake. Tux loves this weather too, for the sole fact that all the little birdies are flitting about. In fact, he was just stalking a pigeon that landed on the walk! His ears went up, he stretched up as tall as he could, silly thing! I think he would have a great time outside, but I'll never get him past the front door, even with the promise of treats...or birdies.

peace and love,

m

BP cares?

From the fake BP PR twitter account, these great shirts. The proceeds go to the non-profit Gulf Restoration Network, which will, I'm sure, do a lot more than BP is doing to recover our precious coast and wetlands.

peace and love,

m

you know you...

...have been working in the OR too long when you bump the cookie tray on the counter when you're taking it out of the oven, and think, "Shit, I just contaminated it!"

peace and love,

m

awkward

I don't know if there is anything quite as awkward as hearing reporters old enough to be my grandparents talk about "sexting."

peace and love,

m

catch up

I've been neglecting personal blogging as of late, so here is a hodgepodge of happenings.

• Friday was my Pawpaw's official last day of work. He also gave the BHHS commencement address [I think I got my mammoth dislike of public speaking from him]. The man is now retired and free to do whatever he wants...okay, free to do whatever is on the honey-do list ;)
• Saturday was my parents' 34th wedding anniversary! Hawaii for the big 3-5? I don't know, that requires getting on a plane, and the Pawpaw is not a fan.
• Tux has spring fever. He knocked a lamp over on Wednesday and has been quite naughty as of late--trying to climb screens, sitting on tables, and mrow-ing.
• Work is...trying. I struggle every single day with the fact that people come to work and expect others to do their job for them. I struggle with the lack of team players, the lack of unit cohesiveness, and the me-first attitude of so many. We are there to take care of the patients, not our own selfish needs. If you see something that needs to be done, do it! Don't wait for someone else to come along and tell him/her to do it. No one is "above" anything...and my license trumps your nothing, so deal.
• I am so excited for the upcoming nuptials of both my dear friend Teresa and my amazing cousin Danielle [Lindsey too, but we've got a bit of time before that one]. I'm honored to have been asked to stand up in Teresa's and to read in Dani's. <--Yes, I can deal with public speaking in this sense :)
• Girls' Weekend 3.0 is a go, with hotel reservations in WI Dells made, and Chicks in the City 2010 is also a go, with vacation time granted! That's good, as I was planning on calling in sick every day from NYC if I didn't get it!!

peace and love,

m

Chanel Larkin

Why is this murder in my Milwaukee not getting the attention it deserves? Oh wait...because Chanel was a MTF [male to female]. A black MTF. A black MTF murdered during an exchange of sex for money. A blatant hate crime...and the victim is a person who has been marginalized to the extreme by society.

Had Chanel been a straight, white female, this murder would be splashed across the front page and all over the airwaves. I'm willing to bet my left foot on that. Instead, the coverage has been limited to 2 paltry paragraphs on 2 news websites.

I just don't understand. It's murder. It's the wanton taking of life. And because Chanel didn't fit society's standard of a "proper victim," her murder is relegated to the back pages.

peace and love,

m

BP > US government?

From Crooks and Liars, this story on the oil spill in the Gulf. A few observations:

1. The Coast Guard, a branch of the US military, is "looking into" British Petroleum's rule that journalists* cannot tour and film the damage that their catastrophic oil rig explosion is causing to the Gulf States?
2. Journalists* = the Kelly reporter and Katie Couric, really? You're not even going to question the Coast Guard official telling your reporter that it's "BP's rules," and that it certainly looks like a foreign oil company is telling the US government what to do?
3. The Coast Guard, again, a branch of the US military, is withholding live video of the explosion and resulting oil spill from its beginning from Congress and the public. Lemme guess...BP's calling the shots again!
4. Poor, poor sea turtles and dolphins. And who knows what else, with the oil plumes underwater, tar balls washing up in Florida, and the well still spilling millions of gallons of oil into our fragile ecosystem.

amos lee

peace and love,

m

interesting developments...

Who says you can't meet straight men at a gay bar :)

peace and love,

m

seriously?

What.

the.

effffffff??

Now, I know I'm not one to write about fashion...I mean, I wear scrubs over 40 hours a week, and prefer comfy jeans and t-shirts to couture. However, I can still tell you that wrapping the slipcover from Sarah Palin's college sofa around your waist and accessorizing with what appears to be a leopard print gauze curtain, a denim purse, sandals from Payless, and a seriously bad hair dye job is not fashionable!!

peace and love,

m

do i look illegal?

In our history, we've been through this before: singling people out and discriminating against them because of their skin color. We had a civil war over it. We interned people over it. We created second-class people because of it. They've been Europeans, Asians, Africans, and now, Latinos.

Haven't we learned our lesson yet? I guess not, because we keep repeating our mistake, and we keep dividing ourselves over something as minor as a person's perceived skin color.

Humanity is not based on color, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, ability, or gender. Humanity is being human, and loving and accepting each other as we are. When you look at the big picture of things, we share many more similarities than differences. Isn't it time we started focusing on the big picture, working together to make this world a better place? Our conflicts are seeded in our refusal to acknowledge and accept the differences among us, and trying to force one point of view over another--think about it.

• Nazis and just about everyone else.
• Israelis and Palestinians.
• Al Qaeda and the western world.
• The Taliban and Afghanistan.
• Southern border states and Latinos.
• Mississippi and gay teens.
• The Christian Right and secularists.

I guess I just have one question. Do I look illegal?

peace and love,

m

kittens

Yes, we all know that kittens are absolutely adorable, with exhibit numero uno being Mr. Tuxedo Cat himself. And we all know that fish are...not so cute. However, I don't think PETA's ambitious campaign to rename fish "sea kittens" is going to pan out.

**disclaimer--I had to google 'sea kittens' after it popped up as one of those stupid "personalized" ads that gmail has. Seriously, they are bad. There's no way that anyone reading my email or scanning for keywords should think that I'm a vegetarian. Or, for that matter, Republican...yet I still get the Sarah Palin and the teabagger website suggestions!

peace and love,

m

what gives you the chills?

In a good way, of course!

• Pavarotti's interpretation of Nessun Dorma.

Absolutely lovely.

peace and love,

m

just to let you know

Dear people,

Please remember that you are still paying taxes under Bush's tax code. So no, it's not Obama's fault. Won't be next year, either. You'll have to wait until you're paying 2011's taxes to start bitching about Obama. I figure it's a good time too, to remind you that the bank bailout was started by Bush.

The national day of prayer was not "cancelled by Obama." In fact, the Obama administration was the defendant in the recent federal court case that found the day unconstitutional. Please don't try to tell me that, as Christians, your rights are being oppressed. The First Amendment guarantees your right to practice whatever religion you want or to not practice a faith at all, and it also prevents the government from endorsing one faith over another. Think about it--look at other countries that are theocracies. There's a whole lot of bloodshed going on in those places, isn't there? And let's talk about rights being oppressed...as far as I know, you're still able to go anywhere you want and pray. This is not a Christian nation, but you're certainly not persecuted for being Christian. Furthermore, all the ballyhoo about Obama being a secret Muslim is pure poppycock. I can't believe all of the distrust and hatred coming from so-called Christian hearts and minds.

peace and love,

m

Meet Cooper!

On 4.10.10, I became the proud owner of Cooper, my new car, an '06 Prius. I've wanted a Prius since they first hit the USA. Great gas mileage, cool look, and tons more bells and whistles than my economy-model Escort. Don't fret though, as it is likely that Shrek will find a new home with my lovely cousin in Ames!

I made a trip home on Friday night with the hope of driving my new car home, and as you can tell, it happened. I had to get a lot of ducks in a row, as insurance wouldn't give me a policy without a VIN, and the dealership wouldn't let me drive off the lot without an insurance policy. Fortunately, I have an excellent insurance agent in Tim Young, and he verified proof of insurance for me as he was driving home from Madison. Talk about being there for your customers! I'm incredibly pleased with his dedication, as cheesy as that is.

Speaking of cheese, I have a great coworker in Bob, who kindly agreed to take 3 hours of my afternoon call yesterday afternoon so I could make the trip to Monroe, for the small cost of a pound of limburger cheese. [It's sitting in my fridge, wrapped in 4 bags in hopes of not stinking things up too much.] Like I said, small price!! He originally asked for "1 kilo of limburger" but I objected on behalf of his wife :)

Named for Anderson Cooper, as they are both silver foxes, Cooper is a mean, green, driving machine :)

peace and love,

m

channeling your feelings into something productive

Today...the vote on HCR in the House, and as expected, a large amount of histrionics and fear-mongering is occurring--everywhere from the blogosphere, to the CSPAN call lines, to facebook statuses. Personally, I'd like to see Bart Stupak and his anti-choice cronies care about the former fetuses as much as they're professing to care about the future fetuses.

I guess what throws me off the most is all of these people praying that the bill doesn't pass. Call me crazy, but I just think that there is a f*ck-ton of things more important than asking for HCR to fail that these people could be praying for. Let's start with the humanitarian crises in Israel, Palestine, Darfur, Haiti. Or the quagmires we have created in Iraq and Afghanistan. Or we could look closer to home and the destitution that many of our own US citizens are living in. And goodness, if we really wanted to get crazy, we could actually DO something instead of praying! Gosh, there go my social justice mores that run hand in hand with dirty socialism.

OH. That brings me to another thing. I'd have to say that 99% of these people haven't had a basic political science or civics class. Socialism =/= Communism =/= Universal health care.

And finally, you may believe in a Christian God, but I don't. And our nation was founded on the ideas of religious freedom and separation of church and state. You can have your religious beliefs, but don't try to force them on me, and certainly don't try to tell me that I live in a Christian nation.

peace and love,

m

good reporting

...of course, it will be labeled "liberal ambush journalism" because someone armed with facts asked neutral questions to a bunch of idiots...

peace and love,

m

things I love about the fam

I was at The Farm this weekend for the St. Augustine's St. Patrick's Day Smorgasbord. Mmm, church potlucks! Actually, it's not bad. At least they don't serve the funeral casserole...but that's a different post :)

Spending the weekend with [most of] the fam reminded me of the silly things I love about my relatives.

• The Christmas tree is still up in the farm living room.
• Grandma, Nancy, and Chris drank a bottle of Mogen David before going to 4 pm church on Saturday.
• At one point, the Christmas tree had a mannequin head and a flannel shirt on it.
• Lunch involves taking everything out of the refrigerator and putting it on the table.
• We get competitive over word games.
• The list of what's in the freezer consists of a couple of years of venison...and frozen pizza. And the Mogen David made an appearance in there too!
• Married stuff ;)
• "Do bishops only get to move left and right?"
• Crocs and socks.
• Norwalk bars.
• Sitting on the wet picnic table with coffee in the morning, calling it the veranda.

peace and love,

m

spring is coming!

Yes, yes! It's March, the weather is warming up [slowly but surely], and the promise of sundresses, jazz in the park, sun on your shoulders, and the steady transformation of drab winter grey to verdant spring green is in the air. To celebrate, have a listen to the lovely, wonderful, gorgeous Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, as performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Marcus Roberts Trio.

George Gershwin - Rhapsody In Blue
Uploaded by Quarouble. - Explore more music videos.

peace and love,

m

teh stoopid, it hurts...

Chances are, if the school is called "Carlingford University," it's probably not legit.

peace and love,

m

guns + starbucks

Now, I really don't care for Starbucks, but that's no excuse to take your gun there.

Okay, all kidding aside, my opinion on the matter is probably pretty obvious [being the possible socialist that I am]. I really don't think you need a gun, and I REALLY don't think you understand the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Additionally, Starbucks in Sussex?! It's not like you're on North and Teutonia in the middle of the inner city.

The segment on the news was equally terrifying. The first darn thing I noticed about the people was they were all Caucasian. They're doing it for protection. Because, you never know when a homicidal [person-of-color] maniac is going to jump on the bus from the Milwaukee ghetto and ride out to the Sussex Starbucks and start shooting. You've got to be ready!

peace and love [and just really hoping for some semblance of sanity in this world],

m

the cute!

The sweetest, silliest, cutest monster cat in the whole wide world, Mr. Tux, sitting contentedly in the bathroom sink.

From My Cute Animals, this adorable panda playing!

And finally, this gigantic bunny!

peace and love [and cuteness],

m

dear idiots:

One week of weather does not nullify decades of climate change. Please remove your heads from your collective sphincters and stop talking about something you know nothing about.

peace and love,

m

thankful

After a crabby week of work, I'm trying to put a more positive spin on life. I'm really not a pessimistic person, but I was super-snappy and cranky this past week, in part to work-related burnout and in part to life circumstances. I don't like being crabby, it certainly puts a damper on my character ;) So what makes me happy, and what am I thankful for?

1. Wonderful friends, rainbow margaritas, and a table full of delicious Mexican food at La Fuente's.
2. Snuggly Mr. Tux.
3. Pandas.
4. Carrots and spicy 3 pepper hummus.
5. A cozy bed.
6. Long conversations with Mama Z.
7. The shadows from the sun shining through the ivy on my windows.
8. Writing letters, and getting "real" mail.
9. Planning our NYC trip.
10. Tim Easton.

peace and love,

m

bonus

As I work on my APR [annual performance review] in hopes of receiving a 3% raise--that amounts to about 78 cents--I can't help but express awe that $9 million is considered a small bonus!

peace and love,

m

new day

After a totally and completely self-destructive yesterday, I'm moving on.

peace and love,

m

10 thoughts

1. It's absolutely freezing out. Tux didn't even get out of bed at 6 am this morning to beg for food...you know it's cold when that happens!
2. Howard Zinn died, leaving a great legacy as someone unafraid to tell the truth. "There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people for a purpose which is unattainable."
3. Pandora is being funky fab this morning, having played Hallelujah as performed by Jeff Buckley [swoon], Arabian Nights from Aladdin, and some good old Frank [Sinatra].
4. TGIF. What a week, what a week.
5. Thinking about going here this weekend for the new photography exhibit.
6. Excited about going to IKEA with Jenn in a couple of weeks.
7. I love cupcakes.
8. "How's it looking, Meggie Meg?" Seriously, WTF, Dr. Wlodarski!??
   
9. I miss my Grandpa.
10. Groundhogs are kind of cute.

peace and love,

m

today in WHAT THE #*%!

I give you the Menifee Union School District in Menifee, California.

If you're going to ban books, I guess this is a good place to start!

peace and love,

m

Haiti relief

I'm watching the Haiti relief concert [okay, well, I didn't watch Taylor Swift or Sheryl Crow], and Dr. Gupta's piece about the complete lack of surgical supplies breaks my heart. As a surgical RN, I KNOW my hospital has supplies that they are not using, but are refusing to send to Haiti because they are concerned about liability.

That there sums up everything that is wrong with the USA. When it is all boiled down, we aren't really concerned about making a difference and helping people in their deepest hour of need. All we're concerned about is the possibility of being sued by a Haitian earthquake survivor. Something tells me that someone who has survived the terror and devastation of the past week in Haiti is not concerned about the potential of their surgical supplies not being up to American standards. For goodness sake, they are using the most basic of supplies now:

"At some of the hospitals and clinics now treating survivors, the conditions are as basic as can be, with vodka to sterilize instruments and health workers going to the market to buy hacksaws for amputations."

The supplies sitting in the warehouse at my hospital aren't helping anyone. It's been taken to the CEO of the hospital, but it all comes back as liability. Here is an opportunity for a health care organization that at least to me, does not have a very positive humanitarian image, but they aren't stepping up to the plate. It is infuriating.

At this point, the best way to donate to the Haitian relief effort is to donate money. I suggest Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières, The American Red Cross, or Oxfam America. If you text "Haiti" to 90999, $10 will be donated to the Red Cross for Haitian relief, and the charge will be added to your cell phone book.

Help these people rebuild their lives, their homes, and their world.

As one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation. --William Bradford

peace and love,

m

robert gibbs =

the man.

With the situation in Haiti as dire as it is, the last thing we need is an asshole like Pat Robertson running around saying that the people of Haiti brought a natural disaster on themselves by gasp, not being Christian. Nevermind that 80% of Haitians identify as Catholic [eh, but that's the devil's religion too, according to the evangelicals]. It just goes to speak to the intolerance some people have in regards to other religions and the quite common practice of blending multiple forms of spirituality [i.e. Haiti's unique mix of Roman Catholicism and Haitian Vodou].

It's a frickin' earthquake. Haiti did not cause this to happen any more than Thailand caused the 2005 tsunami.

peace and love,

m

9 days in

Yes, that's right, 9 days down and only 356 to go! Actually, the year hasn't been too bad :) I start therapy for my thumb on Wednesday...which involves...tiny barbells? I'm not sure. All I want is to be able to open doors and jars and put my seatbelt on without pain. Is that too much to ask?

Jenn and Pursey visited overnight, and as predicted, Tux is terrified of the puppy. When Pursey first came in, Tux was perched on the back of futon [per usual]; when they saw each other, Tux froze, then bolted for the bedroom where he hid behind the curtains! I tried to bring him out later, but he leaped out of my arms, tried to climb the wall, and dashed back into the safety of the bedroom. What a scaredy cat! He even slept under the comforter with me, which he never does unless I'm sick or he's terrified. I didn't think that he would like the dog, but had hoped against hope that they would hit it off and be BFFs like their mamas are :) As a friend says, Tux doesn't even like other people, why would he like another animal?!

We got a big snowstorm Wednesday night and Thursday, about 10 inches. It was light, fluffy stuff so that wasn't too bad. Now it's very cold.

I went to a surprise 40th birthday party last night. She was definitely surprised! I was laughing about how when I moved to MKE 2 years ago, I didn't think my social life would include a gay wedding, a 4 year old's birthday party, and a surprise 40th birthday party, among other things :)

peace and love,

m

quick catch up!

• Got called in Tuesday night. It always throws my body off for a good 3 days when I get called in. I think I'm finally recovered today!
• Lots of snow!
• JOB and Pursey are visiting tonight. Tux is going to meet his first dog! This should be interesting :)
• That's all I can think of.

peace and love,

m

epic fail

Yesterday while driving to work, I saw a Hummer. With the wolf endangered species license plate. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure one stop with the Hummer at the gas station completely negates any donation to the endangered species fund.

peace and love,

m

newest pillow

Okay, it's really Mr. Tux in his new favorite spot, curled up with Brewster and the pillows. Seriously, he is the cutest kittycat ever!

Today was full of cooking. I'm making a pot roast in the crockpot and as well as a pan of calico baked beans. Mmm, I'm set for the week [and probably the next]!

So I was channel-surfing tonight, and came across Bridezillas. Oh my goodness, are these women for real? I can't believe it. They're so whiny and bitchy--is it all for the camera or are they really like that?? And if they really are like that, how on earth are they in a relationship of any kind?! Jeez.

peace and love,

m

i'm bringing sexy back.

Okay, not really [JT's got that covered], but I am going to try to be better about my Saturday Picks this year. See, this is why I don't like resolutions. You start all gung-ho about them, but by January 3rd, you're all "eh, eff it." Maybe I'll make it to February ;)

Music

Joe Purdy. I'm officially obsessed, I think. He plays the sensitive acoustic folk music that I love. I heard this song, This Morning Blue, on pandora last night and it sent me on a wild google search

to find more about the artist. His songs have been featured on Dawn and Kia ads, as well as in Grey's Anatomy. He's got record execs foaming at the mouth to sign him, but he flatly refuses, because he wants to make his music how he wants, not how some guy thinks will be best for selling records. Gotta admire a person for being dedicated to his vision!

Books

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, by Alison Bechdel. I received this from Jeff for Christmas. It's a graphic novel-autobiography. Bechdel writes the "Dykes to Watch Out For" comic strip...you obviously don't find that in your standard newpaper ;) I really loved the book: a coming-of-age story, a story of familial trials, all woven together with excellent drawings, humor, and heartbreaking honesty. It doesn't matter that her coming-of-age story involves realizing she is a

lesbian, and that her father is gay; familial dysfunction and finding yourself is all-encompassing. I felt the same way about Brokeback Mountain: a love story is a love story, no matter who the lovers are.

Push, by Sapphire. The hit film Precious is based on this book. It's a quick read, only 140 pages, but it is jam-packed with substance. It will leave you outraged and overjoyed at the same time. Pregnant with her 2nd child from her abusive father, Precious is kicked out of her school, kicked

out of her home by her abusive, jealous mother, and tossed into the streets by a system that labels her as just another Harlem failure. However, she meets a passionate teacher who won't let her fail, and begins a new journey where she takes the steps to own her life.

Movie

I'm thinking that this category might have to go. I just don't watch enough movies to have it be a regular fixture! Mom and I saw 2012 at the fancy movie theatre when she visited in the beginning of December--it was totally lame, but we got to drink beer in the theatre. I watched Fahrenheit 451 last night on TV. That was pretty good, you really can't go wrong with the old movies. I think it's telling how all of our dystopian literature seems to be coming true these days!

Covet

I've been looking for wall art for my bedroom. I have this big white wall [like every other wall in Casa de Meg] that is begging for decoration. I just haven't found the right thing yet. It will be something in the vein of this painting that I found on etsy.

peace and love, m

wrong way

From the Journal Sentinel:

Task force records 55 drunken driving arrests; woman drives into lake

By Annysa

Posted: Jan. 1, 2010

A woman who drove her car into Lake Michigan was among 55 people arrested Thursday night and early Friday by a drunken driving task force composed of 11 police agencies in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties.

"She went the wrong way," Sgt. Phil Wentzel of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said of the 19-year-old woman, who apparently was attending a private New Year's Eve party at Discovery World on the lakefront in Milwaukee.

This reminds me of my Paw, looking out my dining room window.

"Why can't I see the lake?"

"Because you're looking west, Dad."

"Harummphhh. I don't like being in the city, too many tall buildings, I can't tell which direction I'm looking!"

peace and love,

m

hello new year!

I had a *lovely* NYE, that did not involve Jo-Cat's, Sheryl Crow, or Water Street. It was a quiet and perfect evening. It goes without saying then, since it was a perfect evening, that we did not watch Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year ;)

Since the surgery schedule was pretty light, I had a short day yesterday. I went in at 9 and was out by 12:30. I used my extra time [such a rarity] to finally get my haircut. Then seeing as I was already at the mall, I did some shopping and found some nice bargains. Maurice's has a new jeans size that they call "extra short." The frickin' things are still too long, but much closer than anything else I have been able to find. They fit nicely everywhere else, so what's a girl to do? Buy them, of course!

Mr. Tux is starting this year out by being bratty and adorable all at once...so really, no change. I went to the linen closet this morning to find him with his head in the bag of food, chowing down! What a little piggy!

Time for some relaxation after a day of laundry. Maybe that should be my resolution: do not put off dishes or laundry until they become Mt. Everest.

peace and love,

m