Then and Now

Heading out to a Notre Dame basketball game before too long, but a couple of updates.

I appreciate all the kind comments and support after I sang my Square Peg Blues. It’s very comforting to know that there are many wonderful people out there who have felt the same way, and I am proud to call them friends. I got some very positive feedback last night that I have to share with you. My Cousin Greg found me on Facebook, after recently getting on there to share pictures with his Marine buddies from the first Gulf War. He sent me a message, and I said Cool! I’ll send you a friend request! But I offered a word of caution. I said I’m a flaming liberal and I write about flaming liberal things. There are relatives on there that I’m not friends with because I know they’d hate my posts, and if they bothered him, he could always hide them. Gee, am I gun shy, or what? Well, Greg wrote this back: “You're my cousin, and i support and respect any opinion you have.”

How awesome is that? It was exactly what I needed. Thank you, Cousin Greg.

Speaking of cousins, I have more pictures from the Godfathers concert in Chicago. Actually, it’s not from the show, it’s from our visit to the Liar’s Club afterwards, where the band met up with fans. The picture at the start of this entry is one that I treasure. It’s me and Cousin Shane from probably around 1982. I know I was in college, and I was back here for a visit, staying with Shane’s family. I’m wearing my “God Save the Queen” Sex Pistols T-shirt! We stopped at a K-Mart, I believe, and while my Aunt Bert grabbed a few things, Shane and I stopped at a photo booth and got these pictures. Well, at the Liar’s Club, they had a photo booth. I said, “You know we HAVE to do it!”

So we did. We were laughing, and as I was trying to finger-comb my hair, it started taking the pictures! Shane looks all handsome and smiling, and I’m sitting there looking all dishevelled and unprepared. It wasn’t until the next day that I noticed the art work that someone had taped up in the booth, right over my head. Which makes the second picture even funnier.

Almost 30 years after the first picture, we made another fun memory. Good times!

An ounce of prevention

I celebrated DB's birthday today by going for my yearly mammogram. [pointing to herself with her thumbs] This gal knows how to party!

I'm glad I got it done, though. I was a few months late, because someone who doesn't reside at Nutwood plowed through the health insurance last year, and I wasn't sure if it would be covered. In speaking with the lady who checked me in today, she was fairly sure that it would have been covered because it is preventive care, so I'll have to check with the company that administers the insurance, in case it happens again.

The bad part, of course, was getting the actual films taken. I've read some interesting descriptions of what it feels like to have a mammogram done. One was to stick your breast into the frame of the refrigerator and have someone slam the door as hard as they can. Another was to lay on the floor by your car, place your breast under the back wheel, and have someone back over it.

That's about right.

In an attempt to cut the pain off at the pass, I took three preemptive Advil before I left, and drank two beers. Not enough to impair me, but hopefully enough to take the edge off. I wish now I'd done a couple of double shots of tequila instead of a couple of beers. (Kidding, of course.) OUCH, I hurt. But it's important to have it done yearly, and I can endure a little pain in order to prevent the potential for a whole lot more. I was in and out of there in half an hour, and the actual painful part was only about 12 hours. Nah, it just seemed that way. Maybe two minutes of pain total? I can deal.

One the upside, the place I go to now uses all digital films. I asked. It's more accurate than traditional films, especially for someone like me. Not to go into too much detail, but the key word is dense, and I'm not saying I'm stupid. It's good to know that they use the more accurate and up-to-date technology. The other cool thing was that they had a display of art in the waiting room done by those with cancer or their families. There were acrylics, water colors, mixed media, photographs, etc., and all had a description of what the person was trying to convey, whether it was pain, hope, family, or achieving goals. I didn't have time to look at them all, but there were some remarkable works, and I enjoyed a chance to see them and read the stories behind them

So even though I ended up with my tits in a wringer, I managed to get a little culture along the way. [grin]

Here's my public service announcement. To all my female readers over the age of 40, or younger if you have a family history of breast cancer, please have a yearly screening. It could save your life, and we all want to keep you around for a while. Okay? Okay!

I had a nice surprise in the mail when I went out to get it. A package from Cousin Shane! Oh boy! I had no idea what it was, because he hadn't mentioned anything. When he was in New York, he went to the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and apparently they had a nice Egyptian exhibit. He got me some really cool notecards with pictures of Egyptian artifacts on them! How sweet of him, and he knows my tastes, doesn't he? Sort of odd, too (we have what we call our Cosmic Cousin Connection), because I watched an Egyptologist on Craig Ferguson's show last night, and she was so cool. I was already planning to post an old interview with her on Facebook. The C³ is still going strong!