I can't think of a better title than that... Today I had my first EKG. It was supposedly a simple check-up at my doctor's office, where he would check my vitals and see how I'm doing to evaluate the medication I'm taking. The nurse started with the usual -- blood pressure, temperature, and pulse. She commented that it was rather fast. I said that it's always like that, no big deal. She made her notes and left the room.
My doctor came in next, discussed how I've been doing and then he checked my pulse as well. He was alarmed. I was sitting there, at rest, and my pulse rate was 125 bpm. He said it was cause for an EKG. "Great" I thought, "More tests to rack up our bill." Not having health insurance really sucks. Someone get my congressman on the phone!!
So, the nurse comes back in with a little machine and tells me to disrobe, all the way down. That kinda took me by surprise, but I complied, all the while thinking how glad I am that the nurse is female. She said that she'd try to keep this as modest as possible, but there were a lot of places to stick those electrical wires and that paper gown didn't cover much... Thankfully, my husband was the only other person in the room.
The hardest part of the test was getting the nodes in all the right places -- the actual test only took a few seconds. She recorded the readings and then left the room so I could get dressed again and the doctor came back in (good thing I'm a quick dresser, or I would have been caught in my birthday suit!).
The readings came back fairly normal (thank goodness!!) but, even laying down, at rest, my heart rate was over 110.
People who excersize have a target heart rate in that range, and they're losing weight while in that range... Unfortunately for me, I'm not. Instead, I'm gaining. I haven't weighed this much since I was getting ready to deliver my last baby. The weight and the heart rate, and a plethora of other things, are side-effects of an anti-depressant I'm taking to help with headaches, an after-effect of the car accident I was in last December.
Sigh... sometimes I think the headache would be better. Though, I'll need a bigger pill once I receive the bill!! :: shudder ::
Friday, September 21, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Literary Musings
I'm sure the buzz has reached just about everyone who isn't living under a rock (yep, even me) and the Stephenie Meyers books have come under your radar. What's the big deal, you may ask? Well, since Harry Potter is yesterday's news, the literary world is trying to create a new phenomenon.
Unfortunately for them, I'm not sure the Twilight series has that kind of caliber.
Stephenie Meyers is a break-out author who published her first book "Twilight" in 2004 (I believe) with the sequel following in 2006 and the third in 2007.
I heard about "Twilight" through an LDS online group -- incidentally, the author is also LDS --and decided to give it a try. I like vampire stories. I thought it would be a good fantasy read that I could share with my daughters. However, by the middle of the book, I realized this was not really written for children. It's marketed for children and young adults, but (in my opinion) it's a little old (read: mature) for them. Perhaps I had an unrealistic expectation that this would be up to LDS standards, but the more I read, the more I realized it really wasn't.
I don't want to give too much of the plot away, so I'll choose my words carefully. The main gist of the story is about a plain, all-American girl who falls in love with a vampire and how their relationship progresses. As I read I was surprised at how "familiar" (in the words of my father in law) this couple acted. I would be appalled if one of my daughters had a boyfriend sneak in her room at night to sleep with her (no sex, just sleeping, but still....) And, I found all the talk of his lust for her blood as disturbing as if it were lust for her body (which occurs subtly as well). Vampires, by nature, are erotic creatures... they've been portrayed that way for eons, and Edward is no exception.
Did I put my expectations too high hoping this was a good LDS book? Maybe. Am I reading too much into the story? Perhaps. Will I read the books all the way to the end? Yes, because I'm curious to know how the story unfolds. Will I let my girls read it? Maybe when they are older... I'd definitely give these a PG-13 rating.
All-in-all Mrs. Meyers is a good storyteller. She's no JK Rowling, but then again, talent like THAT is hard to come by. But, she writes in a way that you can relate to how Bella feels and thinks and puts the reader right into the story. I enjoy that.
I'll let you know if my opinion changes once I've finished the trilogy but for the time being, it is a nice story that takes me away from housework and laundry, and that's good enough for me!
Unfortunately for them, I'm not sure the Twilight series has that kind of caliber.
Stephenie Meyers is a break-out author who published her first book "Twilight" in 2004 (I believe) with the sequel following in 2006 and the third in 2007.
I heard about "Twilight" through an LDS online group -- incidentally, the author is also LDS --and decided to give it a try. I like vampire stories. I thought it would be a good fantasy read that I could share with my daughters. However, by the middle of the book, I realized this was not really written for children. It's marketed for children and young adults, but (in my opinion) it's a little old (read: mature) for them. Perhaps I had an unrealistic expectation that this would be up to LDS standards, but the more I read, the more I realized it really wasn't.
I don't want to give too much of the plot away, so I'll choose my words carefully. The main gist of the story is about a plain, all-American girl who falls in love with a vampire and how their relationship progresses. As I read I was surprised at how "familiar" (in the words of my father in law) this couple acted. I would be appalled if one of my daughters had a boyfriend sneak in her room at night to sleep with her (no sex, just sleeping, but still....) And, I found all the talk of his lust for her blood as disturbing as if it were lust for her body (which occurs subtly as well). Vampires, by nature, are erotic creatures... they've been portrayed that way for eons, and Edward is no exception.
Did I put my expectations too high hoping this was a good LDS book? Maybe. Am I reading too much into the story? Perhaps. Will I read the books all the way to the end? Yes, because I'm curious to know how the story unfolds. Will I let my girls read it? Maybe when they are older... I'd definitely give these a PG-13 rating.
All-in-all Mrs. Meyers is a good storyteller. She's no JK Rowling, but then again, talent like THAT is hard to come by. But, she writes in a way that you can relate to how Bella feels and thinks and puts the reader right into the story. I enjoy that.
I'll let you know if my opinion changes once I've finished the trilogy but for the time being, it is a nice story that takes me away from housework and laundry, and that's good enough for me!
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Fixing Others' Mistakes
I have to vent for a moment, so please bear with me.
I work from home doing secretarial work, and it is often necessary for me to actually go in to the office to catch up on paperwork, etc. Yesterday was one of those days but instead of just the usual filing, etc, I had to put print/copy and bind several booklets containing 110 pages. I'd spent several hours compiling and printing the pages when Mr. Bossman points out that the odd pages are on the right instead of on the left. I looked at him like he was crazy to think I was going to redo everything I'd already done just to appease such a simple thing. The way he looked back at me spoke volumes... I was going to redo them. Sigh.
So, I was supposed to leave at 2:30, but instead I didn't get out of there until 5:45 and I get the distinct pleasure of going back on Friday to make more booklets.
Why is it that some people expect perfection from others, but if they were doing the same chore, they'd allow little things to slide by? If they had been my booklets, I would have just let it slide and kept the page numbers as they were.... But since he's the one who signs the checks, I gotta do what he says. Blech.
So that was my day yesterday... There was no time for anything else. :: insert an eye-rolling smiley here ::
I work from home doing secretarial work, and it is often necessary for me to actually go in to the office to catch up on paperwork, etc. Yesterday was one of those days but instead of just the usual filing, etc, I had to put print/copy and bind several booklets containing 110 pages. I'd spent several hours compiling and printing the pages when Mr. Bossman points out that the odd pages are on the right instead of on the left. I looked at him like he was crazy to think I was going to redo everything I'd already done just to appease such a simple thing. The way he looked back at me spoke volumes... I was going to redo them. Sigh.
So, I was supposed to leave at 2:30, but instead I didn't get out of there until 5:45 and I get the distinct pleasure of going back on Friday to make more booklets.
Why is it that some people expect perfection from others, but if they were doing the same chore, they'd allow little things to slide by? If they had been my booklets, I would have just let it slide and kept the page numbers as they were.... But since he's the one who signs the checks, I gotta do what he says. Blech.
So that was my day yesterday... There was no time for anything else. :: insert an eye-rolling smiley here ::
Sunday, September 02, 2007
It was a great day
Usually, Fast and Testimony meeting is my favorite meeting to attend. I love hearing all the different testimonies borne by members of my ward... my friends. However, the last few months have been painfully boring and uninspiring. Instead of spiritual messages of faith, we received travel-monies, brag-a-monies, and long-winded sermon-monies. It is difficult to get through meetings when these are being spewed over the pulpit.
However, today it was different, and back to the type of meeting I look forward to each month.
What was different? Perhaps it was me, and my willingness to search for the message of faith in their words, or perhaps it was those who stood to bear their testimonies that were different. In any event, I left feeling uplifted and spiritually fed, and it felt GOOD.
One particular testimony touched me where one good brother stood to tell about an experience he had earlier in the week where he was confronted with someone who was talking badly about the "Mormon Cult." He was hurt by the words confrontation and tried to dismantle the anger by subtly bearing his testimony to the irate man. It didn't accomplish much and the man stormed out of the office.
For a couple of hours afterward, this ward brother replayed the exchange over and over in his mind and worried that he didn't handle the situation correctly. Maybe he could have been more bold in his testimony, or maybe he could have taken a more "Porter Rockwell" approach. It was much to his surprise when a knock came on his office door and the irate man stepped in. He said he had come to apologize for the words that he'd said earlier and felt sorry for his behavior. The ward brother expressed how glad he was for the apology and, again, bore his testimony.
The entire exchange may have done nothing to change the irate man's opinion of the Church or its members. Perhaps he'll go on thinking his same thoughts and keep his same opinions. But what DID change is the way this dear brother will handle similar confronations in the future. He was an example of what Christ would do -- simply that he would love his brother and continue to stand as a witness of Christ and to not bow down in the face of adversity. He can walk away blameless that he did all he could to let the irate man know that Mormons are Christians and that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, just as He is for everyone on earth.
I hope I could do as well in a similar situation.
I love the Gospel and I'm grateful for all our Savior has done for me -- little, seemingly insignificant me -- and He loves me. I'm so thankful for my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I pray that I can always stand as a witness for Him who stands at its head.
It was a great day. :o)
However, today it was different, and back to the type of meeting I look forward to each month.
What was different? Perhaps it was me, and my willingness to search for the message of faith in their words, or perhaps it was those who stood to bear their testimonies that were different. In any event, I left feeling uplifted and spiritually fed, and it felt GOOD.
One particular testimony touched me where one good brother stood to tell about an experience he had earlier in the week where he was confronted with someone who was talking badly about the "Mormon Cult." He was hurt by the words confrontation and tried to dismantle the anger by subtly bearing his testimony to the irate man. It didn't accomplish much and the man stormed out of the office.
For a couple of hours afterward, this ward brother replayed the exchange over and over in his mind and worried that he didn't handle the situation correctly. Maybe he could have been more bold in his testimony, or maybe he could have taken a more "Porter Rockwell" approach. It was much to his surprise when a knock came on his office door and the irate man stepped in. He said he had come to apologize for the words that he'd said earlier and felt sorry for his behavior. The ward brother expressed how glad he was for the apology and, again, bore his testimony.
The entire exchange may have done nothing to change the irate man's opinion of the Church or its members. Perhaps he'll go on thinking his same thoughts and keep his same opinions. But what DID change is the way this dear brother will handle similar confronations in the future. He was an example of what Christ would do -- simply that he would love his brother and continue to stand as a witness of Christ and to not bow down in the face of adversity. He can walk away blameless that he did all he could to let the irate man know that Mormons are Christians and that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, just as He is for everyone on earth.
I hope I could do as well in a similar situation.
I love the Gospel and I'm grateful for all our Savior has done for me -- little, seemingly insignificant me -- and He loves me. I'm so thankful for my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I pray that I can always stand as a witness for Him who stands at its head.
It was a great day. :o)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)