CAREER CHOICES - SOCIAL WORK RATHER THAN MEDICINE/SCIENCE: What Was I Thinking?

I did not graduate in the "normal" sense of the word.  I obtain my GED in 1980.  I scored VERY high in the science area of the test, which leads me to my story.  A couple of years ago while sleeping in bed I noticed something very unusual.  Whenever I would sleep on my left side I would burp.  When I first discovered this, I thought - hmmmmm - very interesting.  What's up with that?  When I would sleep on my right side - NOTHING!  Only when I slept on my left side would I pass gas.  Isn't that funny?  I mentioned this to my roomate - at that time - and he noticed it happening to him too.  Wow!  What a discovery.  Only took me 50 years to find out.  Has anyone else realized this phenomena? 

Although social work is a very rewarding, but not a very highly paid profession, I do feel that I missed my true calling and could have been rewared greatly financially.   Ha.  Cheers!!

5 WAYS TO GET YOUR FLIRT ON!

I was watching The Doctors on CBS and one of the topics was about flirting.  Unbeknownst to me there are five ways in which people can flirt.  First, is the PHYSICAL.  People who flirt this way use touch to communicate.  They develop relationships quickly and seek the deepest emotional connection.  Those who use this form of flirting hope that the relationship lasts.  Second, is the TRADITIONAL way.  This form allows the man to "take the lead" - to be in charge - you know - pay for dinner.  LOL!  Third, is PLAYFUL.  This form allows for the "chase."  People who follow this form are very playful.  Batting eyes, smiling, romping.  Acting child-like but not childish.  It boosts self-esteem.  Fourth is the POLITE form of flirting.  I never heard of this form.  These people like rules.  They enjoy the slow approach.  They take their time.  The Pointer Sisters song "Slow Hand" comes to mind when I think of this approach.  Haha.  Last is the SINCERE approach.  These folk are interested in the emotional aspect of flirting.  Their interests lie in longevity.  The long haul.  According to the doctors on The Doctors the best ones are playful, traditional and the physical.  I like them all and at one point or other used them all.  All seem to have their pros and cons.  Which ones do you like and implement when you are flirting - even with your hubbys or wifeys, if you happened to be wedded kind?  Cheers!!

A HUMAN INTEREST STORY: Progeria - The Aging Disease

Progeria is an aging disease which occurs in one of every 4 million births.  Doctors do not know the cause and there is no cure.  Progeria is a genetic disease, but it is not hereditary and can happen without any warning (I wonder can they detect it through amniosynthesis).  The illness is an auto-immune disease.  The children who suffer from this disease age 8 to 10 times faster than normal.  So, at the age of six these children can have the body of a sixty or seventy year-old person.  There are about 90 individuals world-wide who have this disease and there are none who have lived past the age of 14. 

20/20 aired an expose on this subject about a month ago.  My heart went out to these children and their parents and families as Barbara Walters interviewed them.  What struck me the most was the courage, compassion, spunk and sincerity displayed in their spirits.  These children are truly phenomenomal!  Although their bodies are limited, their spirits soar to great heights.  One little girl Barbara interviewed was six and ready to start first grade.  She wanted to ride the school bus to experience a feeling of "normalcy."  Because she was so small and her bones so weak, she had to practice getting on and off the bus before actually doing it for the first day of school.  She nailed it her first time.  While I take for granted that I have the good use of my body - I'm able to walk, run, jump, talk, see, hear, read and play - do just about anything I want to at WILL - the fearlessness and boldness these young, sick children showed gave me a new perspective on life.  I complain a lot less.  A very startling notion I got from watching these brave children is that they DO NOT want pity.  They taught me at a deeper level about compassion, courage and love.  They are thoughtful, charming, gentle, and just wonderful.  Cheers to them!!

THE LOSS OF A MUSIC ICON

The music world has lost another great one.  The incomparable Whitney Houston passed away on Saturday, February 12, 2012.  I am stunned and at a loss for words. 

My heart is deeply saddened by yet another musical legend taken away from us way before her time.  Whitney was without equal and it is my hope that we focus on the amazing, astonishing and inspirational talent that Whitney left us all with.  RIP Ms. Houston.  Cheers!! 

A WOMAN OF GOOD TASTE

I have a young, sincere, naive and very impressionable eighteen-year-old assistant.  Ray is smart, attractive and works hard.  Last week we had a long talk about mentorship.  He wanted to know what kinds of questions he should ask his mentor and what he say to his mentor.  I told Ray that he should be able to discuss any topic with his mentor.  That his mentor is there to guide, encourage and support him in his professional, as well as his personal endeavors.  So, the following day I asked Ray if he had a chance to speak with his mentor and he said yes.  His mentor is a Director of HR for IBM - a very prestigious posititon.  Anydiddles, Ray said that his mentor invited him out for a night on the town in NYC for dinner, which should prove a great experience for Ray.  On the day of his date, Ray came to school looking very dapper, dressed to the nines, sharp as a tack.  However, one thing was amiss - Ray had on a black jacket, black slacks, black shoes, white shirt, pinned-striped tie and WHITE SOCKS!!!!!  I almost fell out of my seat.  I was stunned.  I tried not to laugh straight to his face, but couldn't help myself so I giggled - just a bit.  This was scandalous, to say the least.  Being the fashionista that I am, I quickly sent him home to change his socks from white to black.  Mama always knows best.  Cheers!!

THE INSIDE DETAILS OF A QUEEN'S PURSE: What Every Dignified Woman Should Have

I was watching CBS This Morning yesterday morning and an anchor interviewing a woman who wrote a book entitled "ELIZABETH THE QUEEN:  Inside The Life of a Modern Monarch revealed what Her Majesty keeps tucked away inside her purse."  Just getting another look of Her Majesty was a thrill in and of itself, but finding out what the contents of her pocketbook was indeed a facinating treat.  It's the same as any ordinary woman's purse:  lipstick, Kleenex, and a comb.  She's so impeccable.  She's not the Queen for naught.  Cherio!!

FE, FI, FO, FUM BEDBUGS SMELL THE BLOOD OF AN......

"GOOD NIGHT.  SLEEP tight.  And don't let the bedbugs bite."  Remember that lovely saying?  I used to hear and say that quote a lot when I was a child, and I said it plenty of times as an adult.  I used to think it was a joke - something cute to say - even to my daughter.  BUT NO MORE FOLKS!  I don't know about other countries but in these here United States we have been inundated with bedbugs.  For the past couple of years I have been hearing how fine hotels, airplanes, taxis, buses, restaurants, libraries and thrift/antique stores have been infested with these creatures.  Just the other day, while riding on the bus, I saw one.  I had already taken my seat, in the rear, of the bus when a woman and child, walking behind me, was about to sit across from me.  She snappishly prohibited the youngster from sitting on the seat because she spotted a bug crawling on the seat.  Immediately I jumped up out of my seat to take a closer look.  Upon further inspection and from my memory of viewing what bedbugs look like on the internet, I quickly assessed that it was one.  Some are a reddish color, others gray.  Rumor has it that once you get them you have to damn near get rid of every single article you own - even furniture - to eradicate the infestation, or hire an exterminator and even that holds no promise that all will be killed.  Bedbugs don't just live in filth.  You can have the cleanest house on the planet and still have bedbugs, so don't think they only thrive in squalor.  I think they prefer material made of cloth because they can't cling to plastic.  And I heard that if you stand close to someone with bedbugs on them they can hop - almost like fleas - on to you.  Creepy!!!!!  Needless to say I stood up my entire bus ride.  However, before leaving I glanced at the bus number perchance I would board that bus in the future, I shall quickly get the hell off.  Well, dare I say it?  Yes folks!  Good night.  Sleep tight.  And please, for heavens sake, DON'T LET THE BEDBUGS BITE!!!!!!  Cheers!!