The Cat's Meow

Here's a story about a cat that can predict death in SNF patients.


He's supposedly accurate within 4 hours.

Do you think it's just a coincidence?

Perhaps this cat, Oscar, smells impending death and tries to comfort the dying?

Or maybe he's the Dr. Kevorikian of the feline world. Stalking the elderly with small little kitty syringes.

Heart Attack

A new study shows an increased risk of heart disease in people who drink even one soda a day. Just ONE. It doesn't matter if it's a regular or a diet.

Soda apparently increases the risk of something called "metabolic syndrome."

This is a group of symptoms that increase the risk of heart disease.

Those who know me know I drink more than one diet pepsi a day. We won't go into how many I drink. But, it's way more than just one.

I took a look at myself to see if I have any of these symptoms:

Large waistline: check

Higher levels of blood pressure: mine is slightly on the low side of high.

Higher levels of blood sugar: mine was high last time I checked on my mom's blood glucose meter.

High cholesterol level: yeppers

High triglycerides: uh-oh

I'm a dead woman walking...

Tammy Faye

Tammy Faye Messner died Friday after a long bout with colon cancer which had spead to her lungs.


I have no idea why I am sad about it.
But I am.

Maybe They'll Find the WMD's

President Bush is going to have a colonoscopy tomorrow. At that time, the 25th Amendment to the Constitution will be invoked in which the transfer of power shifts to VP Cheney.

Dick will yield (officially, that is) the power of the Presidency for 2-3 hours while King George is sedated for his exam.

Say a prayer for Bush tomorrow. There's only one thing worse than George W. Bush as a President. And that's Cheney acting like one for a couple of hours.

"Sing. Sing a Song"

Ever heard of an earworm? It's when a song or melody gets stuck in your head and you can't seem to get rid of it.

Our friend, Lydia, had one this week. This is the link to her earworm. She wanted to pass it along to the rest of us.

Earworms are more frequent among women than men. They are more likely to attack musicians and music lovers. And, slightly neurotic people (surprise!) are more prone to suffer from them.

What are the most common earworms today? The top ten:

1. Whatever one is caught in you head right now.
2. Chili's "Baby Back Ribs" jingle.
3. "Who Let the Dogs Out"
4. "We will Rock You"
5. Kit Kat Bar jingle ("Gimme a break, gimme a break...")
6. The theme from Mission Impossible.
7. "YMCA"
8. "Whoop, There it is" OK...I am old and had no idea what song this was. I had to look it up online to hear it.
9. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
10. "It's a Small World"

I managed to avoid Lydia's Axe commercial worm this week.
However, I did contract another one. I was at Briana and Ryan's on Tuesday. They were playing some music for their son as a way of calming him down. It was only on for a minute. But, that was long enough for this nasty worm to burrow it's way into my brain. And, it's been circulating in my head ever since.
Click here at your own risk.

The Beat Goes On

I went to Calabasas today with my sister, Cheryl, to watch my nephew in a drum corp competition. He is in a group called "Fever". Here is a picture of Jared marching. He plays the snare drum. He plays it rather well, I might add. All those years of constant drumming have really paid off. And, when I say constant, I mean constant. At the table during dinner, in the car behind the seat, in the living room watching TV. I don't even think he knows he's doing it. It's just in his blood.

This is after the performance. I know it's hard to see, but that's him between Snoop Dogg and Orlando Bloom from Lord of the Rings. If you click on the picture, you can see what I mean.

Jared and his favorite aunt.

He gets more handsome every year. Saying things like that is what makes me his favorite aunt.

Next month, the final competition of the season is in Pasadena. And, I will be there for (almost) every beat.

"She's Mod Assist for Toilet Transfers."

I often run across things on the Internet that I think might be of interest to people I know.

Two of my closest friends are Occupational Therapists. And when I saw this website of Adrian Rodriquez's "toilygraph" art, I naturally thought of Briana and Eva. Click here to see the art he creates in his commode. It's quite unique.

However, I'm sure the OT's I know could share a few stories about the things they have seen in toilet bowls. I'm just not sure it would pass for "art".

As I surfed around, I found some other sites that might be interesting to my OT friends.

Toilets of the world. A site devoted to..well, pictures of toilets of the world.

Random pictures of toilets. You can find pictures here of toilets around the country.

The Bathroom Diaries. Find reviews of bathrooms from around the world.

The Japanese Apricot Washer and The Electric Raised Toilet Seat. The OT's in Japan have it easy with these two ingenious inventions. Why all patients would be Modified Independent or Supervised, at the very least.

Isn't the Internet a wonderful place?

I had better stop now, before this post really goes down the crapper.

Ugly Man

He's an ugly man
He always was an ugly man
He grew up to be like his father
An ugly man
And he'll tell you lies
He'll look at you and tell you lies
He grew up to be like his father
Ugly inside
Hey - ugly man
What's the plan?
If people knew
What would they do
To the ugly man?
Having fun?
But will we be here
When you're done With me....?
Revolution
Now it's finally going to come
Everywhere that you're not looking
Revolution
And we'll take it back
Now we take the country back
Everywhere that you're not looking
Ugly man
Ugly man
Ugly man

"Ugly Man" Lyrics and Music by Rickie Lee Jones from "The Evening of my Best Day".

RLJ is my favorite singer/songwriter. Go here and take a listen to her latest, "Falling up".

SHHH

There is a program in a Bronx hospital that is emphasizing a "quiet" environment. The program is called "Silent Hospitals Help Healing" or "SHHH".

The hospital believes that maintaining quiet helps with the healing process.

So, they have initiated a program which attempts to cut down on all the noise that occurs in a typical hospital.

They repaired and WD40'd all the carts. Lowered the volume on monitors and call lights. The televisions were equipped with headphones. They installed noise reducing ceiling tiles and curtains. Employees were asked to wear soft soled shoes.

Then they asked the unthinkable.

They asked the employees to keep conversations in the hallway to a minimum. Minimal talking in the hallways?? That's where I get all the gossip, er...I mean information to perform my job duties to the best of my ability.

SHHHeez.

I'm going to need help if they ever start this program where I work.

Oh Suzie Q

This is Suzie. She is Tom and Lisa's dog. She is my adopted dog, since I can't have one here in the apt. Not to mention Godfrey would not hear of having a canine in the house. So, tonight I got my dog fix when I went to their place to watch Big Brother. Yes. I watch Big Brother. But, that's another post.

"The Third"

There are a lot of Democrats running for the nomination in 2008. I have been leaning toward Barak Obama.

Secretly, I have also been hopeful that Al Gore would throw his hat into the ring.

But, early Wednesday morning, Al's son was arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana and prescription drugs. Apparently, Al Gore III, 24, was speeding 100 mph down the Santa Ana freeway at 2:00am when he was arrested. He is being held in a Santa Ana jail on $20,000 bail.

Unfortunately, this kind of media exposure does not bode well for a would-be Presidential candidate.

On the upside? "The Third" was driving a Prius.

Liar, Liar

Today, Fuhrer Bush commuted the 2 1/2 year sentence of Vice Fuhrer's former Chief of Staff, I. Lewis Libby.

"I respect the jury's verdict," Bush said in a statement. "But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison."

The President thinks a 2 1/2 year prison sentence for perjury and obstructing justice in the case of the leak of a CIA operative's name was "too harsh."

The CIA operative, Valerie Plame, contends the administration conspired to leak her name to reporters in 2003. This was done in retribution for her husband, Joe Wilson's, criticism of the Iraq War. Mr. Wilson, a former U.S diplomat, wrote a controversial op-ed piece in the New York Times charging that the Bush Administration exaggerated the Iraqi threat as a way to justify the war.

A jury decided that is exactly what happened and Libby lied about it.

Now, don't get the idea that "Scooter" Libby is off the hook. After all, King George did not pardon him. He just had his sentence commuted.

Libby still has to pay the $250,000 fine and serve two years probation for lying and obstructing justice.

Understand this: The President and his cronies live by a different set of laws than you or I or Paris Hilton, for that matter, are expected to live by.

In their world, you just say to hell with the judicial system. Do whatever you want. There is absolutely no accountability.

And America sleeps on....

It's a Small World After All

I was floating around the Internet tonight and came across this story about the Hamas version of "Mickey Mouse". He is a character on a Palestinian children's show called "Pioneers of Tomorrow". This Mickey's name is Falfour. Falfour was martyred on the final episode in this TV series.

Click on this to see what some children in other parts of the world are being exposed to.

And, because I try to be fair and balanced: Click here to see what some American children are being fed.

I know both of these clips are long, but I encourage you to watch them.
And then pray for the children of this world.
Before we screw them ALL up.