diane42997's Open Salon Blog

Next Time I'll Start With "A"

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:02:29 -0500

Popcorn: Two huge bowls/day. I am so not doing South Beach.

Pogo.com: I've already owned up to this one in a previous post, and somehow the world didn't come to a sudden stop.

Pain medication: Non-narcotic (so far). Arthritis is a bitch. So is sciatica. So are lots of other things.

Pot: Not yet, but it looks like medical marijuana legislation is going to pass in New Jersey, so..........

Paperback books: I also read hardcover, but paperbacks are so much easier to read in bed.

Pepper/hot sauce: They're good on everything, including ice cream and corn flakes.

And that's just some of the "P's".

A bunch of wonderings

Wed, 7 Jan 2009 15:01:35 -0500

Why am I doing this?..... baring part of my soul to people outside the rooms of AA.

Will I ever get down to normal weight?

Is there any such thing as "normal", about anything?

Can I delete my first post, or at least edit it extensively?

Why are so many people uncomfortable with conversations about mental illness when they seem to be able to handle talk about cancer or diabetes?

Why do I seem to acquire more than my fair share of control freaks?

Is there a parental-type God? If so, will I be forgiven for doubting?

How can people believe that we're all God's children, then assume he's on their side in a war when they're killing His other kids?

Is there intelligent life out there? Maybe many different forms like on Star Trek?

Will Bush every truly grasp what he's done?

Has anybody read this far?

Why am I so fascinated by England at the time of Henry VIII and by feudal Japan? Was I there in a previous lifetime?

Will people still respect me if they find out how addicted to Pogo.com I am?

And what if they find out I spent a night in jail for assault? (Maybe that's a subsequent post.)

Do they respect me even if they don't know about Pogo or jail?

Do I have self esteem issues?

Why do I even bother asking myself that one?

Why do so many people think cats aren't affectionate?

Will we ever be truly "post-racial", as in not keeping track of how many black senators there are, or what city in the US has the most Moslems?

Do my childhood friends still remember me 50+ years later?

How will the self-avowed control freak who "suggested" I write 25 things about myself react when he sees I'm a few short?

Am I deliberately not doing 25 to show I'm in control?

And every single day I wonder what happened to Dora and will I ever find out, but that definitely a post for another day.

Why I believe in angels

Wed, 7 Jan 2009 10:01:34 -0500

During my Catholic childhood, I heard many stories about "guardian angels". At 14 I rejected Catholicism, and the angel thing somehow went with it. About 25 years later, I severely gouged my thumb and went to the ER for sutures; my BP was 270-190, so they "invited" me to stay for a few days for tests. During that time I briefly wondered if somebody or something was watching over me. There were other minor instances that only seem like "maybes" even in hindsight, then one day about 15 years ago, I had a number of errands to do after work, and was trying to decide the order in which to do them. To my surprise, instead of the supermarket, the video store or the library, I found myself at my own house. My son's car was in the drive, so I went in to find out why he was home from work so early; I found him on his bedroom floor unconscious with a dozen or so empty pill bottles scattered around him. He ended up in intensive care for a few days and recovered physically, but if I had run all my errands before going home............... I began to wonder who really drove my car home that day, and the openmindedness about angels took up permanent residence. More minor and not-quite minor instances after that , then about 4 years ago I had a teensy stroke. The symptoms were gone by the time the EMTs arrived and took me to the hospital over my weak protests. Tests there revealed that my carotid artery was 97% occluded, and "roto-rooter" surgery was needed. If not for the stroke, the problem would almost certainly gone undiscovered until I had a major stroke. Okay, you skeptics can chalk it up to coincidence or God or whatever you like, but I have no doubt that it was angels. I don't think much about whether or not they're messengers from God, I simply believe.