(OK, so I’m taking a little spiritual liberty with this one. )

The Golden Telephone

A man in Topeka, Kansas decided to write a book  about churches around the  country. He started by flying to San Francisco and  started working east from there.  Going to a very large church, he began taking  photographs and making notes.  He spotted a golden telephone on the vestibule wall  and was intrigued with a sign, which read “Calls: $10,000 a  minute.”

Seeking out the pastor he asked about the phone and the sign.  The pastor answered that this golden phone is, in fact, a direct line to heaven and if he pays the price he can talk directly to God.  The man thanked the pastor and continued on his way.

As he continued to visit churches in Seattle, Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, and around the United States, he found more phones with the same sign, and the same answer from each pastor.  Finally, he arrived in Pennsylvania. Upon entering a church in Pittsburgh, he saw the usual golden telephone. But THIS time, the sign read “Calls: 35 cents.”

Fascinated, he asked to talk to the pastor, “Father Jones, I have been in cities all across the country and in each church I have found this golden telephone and have been told it is a direct line to Heaven, and that I could talk to God. But in the other churches the cost was $10,000 a minute. Your sign reads only 35 cents a call. Why?”

The priest, smiling benignly, replied : “Son, you’re in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania now, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers-6 time Super Bowl Champions, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3 vibrant rivers meeting at the Point of the most beautiful downtown area around, the city with the best hospitals, neighborhoods and friendliest people in the world! You’re in God’s Country…It’s a local call.”

AMEN!

Astronauts are so smart.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (still do;  I sing and play percussion on my church’s Worship Team)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (To paraphrase Elaine, if the Lord calls, the Lord provides, so it’s hard to judge this one.)
7. Been to Disneyland/world…
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis…
10. Sang a solo…
11. Bungee jumped…
12. Visited Paris…
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea…
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch…(cross-stitch)
15. Adopted a child -
16. Had food poisoning -
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty…
18. Grown your own vegetables…(I’m back to the grocery store!)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train…
21. Had a pillow fight…
22. Hitch hiked…
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill…
24. Built a snow fort….
25. Held a lamb…
26. Gone skinny dipping…
27. Run a Marathon…
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice….
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset…
31. Hit a home run…
32. Been on a cruise…
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person…
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors…
35. Seen an Amish community…
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied…
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person…
39. Gone rock climbing…
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David…
41. Sung karaoke…
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt….
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant…
44. Visited Africa…
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight…
46. Been transported in an ambulance.…
47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris…
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling…
52. Kissed in the rain…
53. Played in the mud…
54. Gone to a drive-in theater…
55. Been in a movie…
56. Visited the Great Wall of China…
57. Started a business…
58. Taken a martial arts class…
59. Visited Russia…
60. Served at a soup kitchen …
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies…
63. Gotten flowers for no reason…
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma…
65. Gone sky diving…
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check…
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy…
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar…
72. Pieced a quilt…
73. Stood in Times Square…
74. Toured the Everglades…
75. Been fired from a job…
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London…
77. Broken a bone…(Does a chipped elbow count?)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle…
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person…
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car…
83. Walked in Jerusalem…
84. Had your picture in the newspaper…
85. Read the entire Bible… (working on that…still)
86. Visited the White House (and even got a private tour, including the Oval Office)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating…
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life…
90. Sat on a jury…
91. Met someone famous…
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one…
94. Had a baby…(3)
95. Seen the Alamo in person…
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake…
97. Been involved in a law suit…
98. Owned a cell phone…

99. Been stung by a bee…

100. Read an entire book in one day…

So, what have you done?   (I’d like to know what I did to double space some of those…so I could undo it!)

::blank stare::

Prodding, I asked, “What would you do first?”

::thinking::

“Have a slice?”

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

~Isaiah 9:6~

Christmas Blessings

and

Best Wishes for a Healthy, Happy 2009!

I am now beginning my 6th year with SAD.  The first year, I didn’t realize what I was dealing with.  I was at home with 3 young children and figured I just had cabin fever.  It wasn’t until Spring came, and I felt a tremendous difference, that I knew something else was going on.  Imagine the weight of a heavy, wet, black blanket being lifted off of you.  That’s what Spring felt like.  Black?  Yes, it felt black.  My husband told me then that he noticed I was dealing with something but didn’t know what to make of it, either.  I actually began to have anxiety attacks thinking about Fall coming again.

So, I did some research and planned to face the next Fall head on.  Mostly, I just forced myself to get out into daylight with the kids on a regular basis.  Knowing what I was dealing with was half the battle.  I managed through that season a bit better than the year before, but it was still difficult.

The following year, I again expected the SAD and tried staying active and getting out more.  It didn’t help this time.  The depression only got worse as the days grew shorter.  In late November I knew I needed to see a doctor.  While I waited in the exam room, I picked up a copy of WebMD magazine.  There was an article about SAD, and it listed 8 or so symptoms.  It was one of those, “If you have 3 or more of these, you should contact your doctor.”  I had all of them.  When my doctor came in to the room and asked me how I was doing, I just handed her the magazine article, said, “That’s me,” and fell apart.

What are the symptoms?

• Difficulty concentrating.
• Low energy and fatigue.
• Reduced interest in daily activities, especially social activities.
• Moodiness (depressed, sad, or unusually quiet).
• Increased appetite.
• Cravings for complex carbohydrate (such as pasta and bread).
• Weight gain.
• Increased sleep.
• Loss of interest in sex.
• Irritability.

I thought, at the time, that light therapy was standard treatment for SAD, but it wasn’t.  I knew more about it than my doctor did.  After a long discussion about what was happening to me, including my spiritual life (she was glad I was active in church and attended a weekly women’s Bible Study), and family history (both parents and at least one brother dealt with depression) she recommended meds, “Like Prozac.”

“Prozac?!?” 

I felt like I’d been kicked in the chest. 

She understood my reaction and told me that it didn’t have to be Prozac; that there are a number of drugs that are similar; and that many more people take antidepressants than I could imagine. 

Drugs. 

I don’t know why, but I just hadn’t planned for that option.  She left to do something else for awhile and let me think about it.  It came down to this: I had to do something.  I couldn’t go on the way things were.  I could investigate light therapy, but who knew how long that might take?  I needed help now.  If I’d had an infection and she’d said, “Here, take this antibiotic,” I wouldn’t have thought twice.  So I accepted an Rx for Celexa and made a follow-up appointment.  She saw me 3 more times in the following month as we got the dosage right.  I was fortunate: the first drug I tried worked wonders for me.  It can take several attempts for some people. 

I was afraid that I’d feel drugged up or hyper.  I didn’t.  I felt…normal.  Normal.  I remembered laughing with my kids for the first time in months.  How wonderful that was!  Before, I had been irritable, fatigued, and spent most of many days on the couch.  Mom was back!  Christmas was on!  Seriously, had I not gotten help I don’t think we would’ve had Christmas. 

In April, I began weaning off the Celexa.  I was afraid at first: what if I need it all the time now?  What if I have some weird withdrawal symptoms?  I took it slowly (NEVER abrubtly stop psyche drugs!) and was fine.  I had one odd withdrawal symptom: a sort of “brain zap.”  Periodically, I felt like my brain got a quick electrical shock, like static electricity.  It didn’t hurt and was over in a flash, and fortunately, was infrequent and didn’t last long.  

That summer, I did more research on Light Therapy for SAD.  The meds were a godsend, but I’d still rather not take them.  If you google “light therapy” you will get a bazillion sites selling you all sorts of gizmos, the vast majority of which were never tested in clinical studies for treatment of SAD.  When I went searching for procedure codes for my insurance company (which, in the end, did not cover the light), I found The Center for Environmental Therapeutics.  The best source of professional information on the web, including online self-assessments, and an “Ask the Doctor” forum.  They also carry a reasonably priced light that meets the criteria used in light therapy studies.  No hype. 

So, in the fall of 2006 I began light therapy, 30 minutes every morning, October thru March/beginning of April.  It works just as well as the meds did for me, without any of the side effects.  The hardest part is going to bed on time and getting up early.  I don’t do either, given the choice.  But the best time for me to do light therapy, according to my online assessment, is 6:30am.  OK….I’m lucky if I sit down to it by 6:45, but it still works. 

This year, I was wondering if I might not need it, as I hadn’t really noticed any SAD symptoms in September.  I had been increasingly grumpy lately, which I was blaming on hormones (at 42 anything is possible), but it hit me last night as I made dinner…which I didn’t want to make…and why does the freaking phone have to ring all flipping day?…and I really don’t want to have to leave the house tonight to take DD to youth group…and why doesn’t everybody just leave me the heck alone?…that, OH…I’ve been feeling more and more like this lately, so I guess it’s time to break out the light. 

For the first time, I got angry about SAD.  In the grande scheme of things, doing light therapy to prevent depression 6 months out of the year is not much to complain about, but it ticked me off that I have this stupid “disorder” and may have to deal with it for the rest of my life.  Whatever.  It is what it is.

I started this morning.  Bright and early.  OK, it wasn’t bright outside, but it was at my diningroom table. 

If you suffer with SAD and haven’t sought treatment, please see your doctor.  If you’re not sure, please visit The Center for Environmental Therapeutics for more information.  Help is available.  Normal is possible.

I love my coffee.  I’m not a coffee-snob: a good cuppa joe with half and half is all it takes to make me happy.  I need my four cups every morning, and from time to time, extra later in the day. 

But this totally freaked me out. 

Cafe au Bat? Woman Treated for Rabies After Finding Bat in Coffee Filter

It’s a short story; I’ll just post it here:

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa  —  It wasn’t just the caffeine that gave an Iowa woman an extra jolt after she had her morning coffee. It was also the bat she found in the filter.

The Iowa Department of Public Health says the woman reported a bat in her house but wasn’t too worried about it. She turned on her automatic coffee maker before bedtime and drank her coffee the next morning.

She discovered the bat in the filter when she went to clean it that night. The woman has undergone treatment for possible rabies.

Health officials say that the bat was sent to a lab but that its brain was too cooked by the hot water to determine whether it had rabies.

Help me out here, folks.  How the heck did a bat get in the coffee filter?  How did the woman not notice the “essense of bat” in her coffee?  How did she go to bed at night not concerned that there was a bat in her house in the first place?!?  Don’t get me wrong; I like bats.  I’m not into bat collectibles or anything like that, but how can you not like a creature that can eat thousands of bugs in a day?  Sweet creatures, in spite of their bad reputation.  But, I wouldn’t climb into bed at night unconcerned about one in my house.

OH…and that last part…the bat’s brain was too cooked by the hot water to determine whether or not it had rabies.  Oh please. 

So, here I sit, morning coffee within reach and pondering the imponderable…bats in my coffee.

::shudder::

I can’t believe how many conspiracy vids I had to wade through looking for videos posted by sane people.   I’m disabling comments for this post.  If you’re sane, there’s nothing you need to say; if you’re a troofer, I don’t want to hear from you.

Never forget.

Remember this?

Oh. My. 

I had forgotten how much I liked Adam Ant.  Kind of a strange thing, for me, as at the time I was obsessed with the Beatles and everything 60s.  But here was Adam Ant: new, fun, gorgeous; and those clever videos.  Great stuff!  And the dancing.  I love to dance.  I loved to watch him dance.  Adam Ant taught me how to dance with abandon. 

Sooooooo…..I’ve spent wayyyyyyy too much time on Youtube catching up with Adam Ant: music videos, concert videos (I had no idea how good Adam and the Ants were live – incredible!), interviews, a BBC documentary; as well as at a few other sites just getting up to speed on what’s happened in this man’s life and music.  Eye opening, heartbreaking (dealing with bipolar disorder), and now hopeful.

I played a couple of those old videos for my kids.  (Caution: they’re not all kid friendly.)   Comments from the peanut gallery:

• “What’s that in his hair?”
• “He looks like a woman.”
• “Is he wearing a…Captain’s jacket?  What is he wearing?!?” 

::sigh::  Some things you just can’t explain to children.  Like post punk glam in the early 80s. 

 That dandy highwayman no doubt influenced Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow. 

So, there’s a CD making its happy way to my house (oh please hurry!); I’ve got more on my wish list; and I’m eyeing some concert videos.  My husband says he’ll be glad when I’m over this fascination.  I’m wondering what he’d look like with a white stripe across his nose. 

Da Diddley Qua Qua!