Friday, October 31, 2008

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Grand Finale

Labels: breast cancer

Mused by Jenster :: 6:02 PM :: 10 People musing:

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Thursday, October 30, 2008

Fallin' Around

The past two days have been miserable around here. Tuesday it was rainey and windy and barely more than freezing while yesterday was slightly warmer, a little less wet, but just as windy. Today, however, was beautiful. Still cold, but bright and sunny. So I grabbed the camera (I really need to name her) and took a little detour on my way to the grocery store.

Labels: photography, weather

Mused by Jenster :: 9:49 PM :: 13 People musing:

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Monday, October 27, 2008

The Wrath of God or Waiter, There's a Fly In My Soup

On the twelfth day of the tenth month, in the Year of our Lord two-thousand and eight, six ladies of high standing didst gather at a public establishment to share their meal at eventide. These ladies were called by the Latin, Chicas de Faith, for they were devout in their prayers and worship.

The Chicas, being daughters of The King and, therefore, royalty, were seated at a large, round table covered in the finest linen and laden with only the choicest platters and goblets. Whilst the ladies didst make merry the servants brought the bread and the beverage, but a pestilence befell them. "What have we done to anger our Father so?" they asked. "Woe to us, who doth displease our Lord so that He dost send a plague of flies."

A Chica of great influence said unto the others, "Let us each repent of our own wrongdoings lest we rent our clothes and don sackcloth in our humility for our Father's good pleasure." So each Chica didst appear to lament their human desires and frailties. But lo, the flies didst remain as an affliction upon the poor ladies.

For though their countenance didst appear pure and pleasing...



God saw the inner workings of each heart...




Each lady didst say unto herself, "Which one of us has not repented," though none said the words out loud. Of a sudden, each Chica restored herself to God and He smote the beastly affliction. "Tis good and pleasing in God's eyes," sayeth the ladies. And the Lord blessed them with manna from heaven, which presented as chocolate confections and the Chicas were happy.

Thus sayeth Jenster.

Labels: Chicas, friends

Mused by Jenster :: 2:38 PM :: 10 People musing:

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Sunday, October 26, 2008

Do You Know?

Today I watched Living Proof and Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy - both movies about breast cancer. Both GREAT movies about breast cancer. A little hard to watch, but very hopeful and inspiring for different reasons. I'll get into that in another post because they are worth telling you about. I don't have it in me this evening, but I have written today.

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I had no idea what I was in store for. I knew the generals about surgery because I'd had plenty before. I thought I knew about chemotherapy and I also thought this was all just a detour in the road. I found out it wasn't just a detour, but a whole new direction.

I wrote Who Knew? - a post about what I learned - for the Clear blog.

Labels: blog, breast cancer, movies

Mused by Jenster :: 6:31 PM :: 2 People musing:

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Friday, October 24, 2008

Dear Katie,

Labels: birthdays

Mused by Jenster :: 12:58 PM :: 8 People musing:

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Thursday, October 23, 2008

The Hotel Room

Tuesday I showed you the public areas of the Waldorf. Now here's a little tour of our room.





The towels were the softest, most plush towels I've ever used. And the pictures don't do the room justice. It really was beautiful and swanky and the last time I'll ever stay there...

Labels: photography, touristy

Mused by Jenster :: 7:37 AM :: 15 People musing:

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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Stepping Into The Ring

I have a new post up at CLEAR - The Blog.

Labels: breast cancer, CLEAR

Mused by Jenster :: 1:18 PM :: 2 People musing:

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---------------oOo--------------- Guess That Song

I'll get back to NYC and the Chicas later, but first I have this. Guess what song I was singing in the shower this morning! Go ahead. Guess! I'll wait.

*
*
*

Good guesses, but no. There's just no way in the world you'll guess it. But I'll give you a hundred more tries.

1. No.

2. Wrong.

3. Uh-uh.

4. Nope.

5. --- Oh forget it! We'll be here all day. I'll just tell you.

Flat Foot Floozie with a Floy Floy

Told you you'd never guess!! Who sings that?? I mean in like the last 50 years? Well, obviously I have because I'm not 50. And my mom definitely has because that's how I know the song. But how many normal people sing that anymore?

And how did I even get it in my head this morning?

And what exactly does it mean? I know what "flat foot" means because I have a flexible flat foot which means my foot looks like it has an arch until I stand up and then it goes away. Got that from my mom, too. And "floozie" -- everyone knows that's a tramp. But what's a floy floy? Is it a hat? Or maybe they're orthopedic shoes for the hoochie mama's foot problem. Does anyone know??

OH MY GOSH!! I just looked it up and it says the song is actually Flat Foot Floogie, "floogie" meaning floozie which is "a slang for a prostitute who attracts customers by walking the streets" and "with a floy floy" indicates she has a venereal disease! Seriously!! That's what the internet says so it must be true.

MOM! I can't believe you sang that song to me!! I thought the college drinking songs were a little inappropriate. But this???

Labels: random

Mused by Jenster :: 9:08 AM :: 10 People musing:

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Monday, October 20, 2008

Welcome to the Waldorf Astoria

I didn't take my camera to NYC with me because it's so big and bulky, but Katie had hers and we both have camera phones. So these aren't the best pictures ever, but they're good enough to give you a decent idea of our weekend.

This post will be pictures of the public spaces of the Waldorf Astoria. If you have any imagination at all it's easy to see it all the way it was back in the day. My friend, Tina's grandmother worked there back then. Can you imagine the stories she could tell? So elegant and regal. I wish I would have gotten a picture of the doorman in all his finery but Katie was being exceptionally teenagery and that would have been, like, so totally embarrassing.

The entrance and the stairs up to the "stall hallway".






The hallway to the stalls and the inside of a stall.













The famous clock tower in the main lobby and the elegant elevator bank on the 21st floor.







Beautiful mahogany panelled elevators.
















There was a fashion shoot on the Park Avenue greenbelt in front of the hotel. When we walked into the Grande Lobby we saw a bunch of young, tall, beautiful, modely-type people.

Labels: photography, touristy

Mused by Jenster :: 9:35 PM :: 8 People musing:

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---------------oOo--------------- Book Review: Belly of the Whale by Linda Merlino

A month or so ago several breast cancer survivors, including myself, were asked to review Belly of the Whale by new author, Linda Merlino. Never one to turn away a free book, I eagerly agreed. Upon reading the book, however, I realized my perspective as a breast cancer survivor may have skewed my opinion.

Hudson Catalina has given up. Having lost both breasts to cancer, she is emotionally and physically exhausted, no longer willing to endure the nausea and crushing weakness that chemotherapy causes. Until the wrecked-by-life young Buddy Baker arrives, bent on murder. Linda Merlino’s harrowing, touching story of despair, abuse, murder and survival takes you on a journey through the darkest places of the human mind and spirit, and in the end leads you back out of “the belly of the whale” enriched by the experience.

The book opens with Hudson Catalina on a stretcher in Whale’s Market the morning after a crazed gunman holds the occupants hostage. The story spans the previous 24 hours and as she lays there unsure as to whether she’s dead or alive she begins to think back on the previous day’s events. Sadly, the day before wasn’t such a good one since she had totally given up hope.

As I read the book I had a hard time identifying with Hudson. Frankly I don’t know anybody who felt that extent of despair while going through treatment for breast cancer. Granted her mother had passed from the disease twenty-some years earlier, but that was twenty-some years earlier. Treatment has come so far since then.
Also, we never know what type of cancer it is, what stage, how aggressive, etc., and that could play a part.

Her one saving grace, in my opinion, is that she does admit to being a bit dramatic. Still, I don’t know of a single mother who would spend any length of time considering the things she does. I found her to be an extremely selfish drama queen and rather annoying. That attitude, however, is what allows her to grow and get a new perspective while at the market.

While not my preferred type of read, Belly of the Whale has redeeming qualities in Hudson Catalina’s change of outlook and the interesting characters she interacts with in the market. It probably wouldn’t be something a current breast cancer patient would be interested in reading – it may hit too close to home or her attitude about her circumstances could be depressing. But it might appeal to readers of suspense.

Labels: book review, reading

Mused by Jenster :: 8:00 AM :: 5 People musing:

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Sunday, October 19, 2008

Too Much Life...

I still have more to post about the Chicas last weekend AND about this weekend in New York City with Katie to see Wicked. (It was wicked awesome!) As soon as life slows down - hopefully in the next day or so - I'll get back to it. I'm further optimistic that I will be able to catch up on my bloghopping, too.

So until later...

PEACE OUT!

Labels: blog

Mused by Jenster :: 5:49 PM :: 2 People musing:

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Friday, October 17, 2008

Getting Crazy at the Cheesecake Factory

As I mentioned in my Where Do I Start post, after all the Chicas were reunited at the Philadelphia airport I met them at the Cheesecake Factory in King of Prussia for dinner. On the left from the front back are Liswilla, Sing 4 Joy and God's Guitar Girl. On the right from the front back are Junus, His Girl and me.

And as I also mentioned in that same post, when I got up to chat with Stephanie and her family they grabbed my camera (actually Katie's camera) and took these pictures without telling me. So here's a bit of Chicas in Action. Aren't they the cutest!? And this after either traveling all day or playing tourist in the city.



After dinner with the Chicas I tracked down Stephanie and her husband snapped this shot for us in front of Smith and Hawkins. Nice backdrop, isn't it.

While I would prefer to never have my picture taken EVER, I think we both look pretty good after a day of running around in Philadelphia.

Labels: friends, fun

Mused by Jenster :: 2:01 PM :: 14 People musing:

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Thursday, October 16, 2008

A Tiny Glimpse of Philly

The Franklin Institute at 20th and the Ben Frankly Parkway, the museum the kids and I went to see the Pirates exhibit at.




The front steps to the Franklin Institute. I could hardly believe the audacity of those people walking up the really cool treasure map or standing there with their stroller while I was trying to take a picture. Rude.



Heeheehee.



The Aero Memorial across the street from the Franklin Institute. It's a part of the immense Philadelphia Arts program and honors World War I Aviators.



Also across the street from the Institute in Logan Square is this bench. Does it look familiar? Did you see the movie National Treasure? (If you haven't you really should!) This is the bench Riley sat on while the little boy copied down certain characters from the Silence Dogood letters on display within the museum. Yeah! That very bench!



The Franklin Institute Foucault Pendulum as seen from the top floor. The wire is 85 feet long and you can't see them, but the bob swings back and forth, knocking down pins with each pass.




The Cathedral-Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, built in 1846.



Check out the hitching posts all along of each side of this narrow street.




As the title says, this is just a tiny glimpse of a great city. One city block's worth. And looking at the pictures just makes me want to go back for more.

Labels: photography, touristy

Mused by Jenster :: 8:27 PM :: 10 People musing:

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