Check Up

This afternoon I am going to the dermatologist for a body check. Some people go every year while some people have never heard of this type of visit. The doctor will take a look at my entire body to see if there are any moles, lumps, dry patches or odd spots. If there are, he will attend to them. The visit is called a body check. There are also body checks in hockey. I don't really care for either of them.

Truth

There is a commercial for an insurance company that has people telling the truth. A contractor is sitting with a prospective couple discussing a renovation. He says that he will take out a load bearing wall, it will cause problems, they will not be on schedule and it will cost more than expected. They know where they stand. That is all people want. Knowing where they stand. Don't lie. Don't fabricate. Tell it like it is. In the long run everyone is happier.

Holiday Spirit

Yesterday I went from store to store buying holiday gifts. The stores were not as crowded as I had expected. I had fun looking for the gifts for my grandchildren. Since I have sons I never shopped for "girly" things. This year I bought my older granddaughter dress up clothes. I was holding each outfit up and scrutinizing it like it was her prom dress. Once I found the dresses, I needed to find shoes to match, then a stately tiara. My little princess can now have a few outfit changes. I also went overboard with my office. I usually chip in with my receptionist and buy the older doctors a gift. Last year, without mentioning it to me, she bought a few of the younger ones something. She did this purposely to make herself look generous. I was annoyed at her because I would have chipped in for them. Instead I looked stupid when they came to thank her. It looked like she was the only one that thought of them. Once it is past the holiday you cannot back track, so I was left to look like I did not think about them. This year I bought gifts for everyone. Fourteen people in all. I will not tell her that I did that so she can be as embarrassed as I was. I am not a mean person. Just don't screw around with me.

Frister

I made up a new word this morning. Frister. It is a combination of the word friend and sister. Most of us have friends. Many of us have sisters. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a "Frister". I am. A frister relationship can be between two sisters or a brother and a sister. It is all inclusive. Every morning before work the first person I speak to is my frister. We discuss everything and nothing and can repeat the same story a million times without it ever getting old. We laugh at the good times and cry at the sad ones. There is a song from the 1940's that says "god help the mister that comes between me and my sister". If it is a bad idea to come between someone and their sister, imagine the repercussions of coming between someone and their frister!

Instructions

Yesterday the timer for my porch light blew out. My husband bought a new one and was installing it when he blew out the porch light. He loves to work with live wires. He went to the store and bought a new light. He was having trouble connecting the wires so I called my son to come over. He was in the middle of doing something, so he tried to help over the phone. The first question he asked was if my husband read the instructions. He said no because it was too complicated. My son said that he needed to read the instructions and follow them. Again my husband said it was too complicated. My son asked for me to get on the phone. He told me to get the instructions and read them to him. He then had me tell my husband what wires to connect. Viola.....it worked.

Leftovers

I love leftovers. I love Thanksgiving leftovers the most. The food yesterday was fantastic but I always feel like I am piling so much food on my plate that the dishes lose their individuality. There is always enough food on Thanksgiving for everyone to take home a goody bag. Tonight when I heat it up, I will be able to taste every dish as if it is the first time. I will eat it relaxing in my own kitchen. It is now breakfast time but I cannot wait until dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving is here. If feels like summer was yesterday but the chilling winds this week have made it official that winter is on its way. Families will gather around the table and gorge themselves on delicious food. I will be celebrating close to home this year so traffic will not be an issue. My stuffing is ready to bake in the oven and my dessert is marinating. Hopefully there will be enough leftovers for tomorrow's dinner. Today I feel more like eating than talking so I will just soak in the day as silently as I can. From now until January, I will have a party to attend every weekend. Thank goodness I am not watching my weight.

Diversity

Yesterday morning I found a note in my office mailbox. It was from my nighttime receptionists. It read, "From now until Christmas, we will be playing 106.7FM all Christmas music!". There was a big smiley face on the note. I answered the note by saying, "You cannot do that. Not everyone celebrates Christmas. We must play a channel that has diverse music". They probably were shocked to see that note. They did not realize that there are other holidays this season. I would not play an all Hanukkah channel or an all Kwanzaa channel. Tomorrow marks the beginning of the holiday season. Until December 26, I will be told to have a Merry Christmas. I will respond by saying, "Have a Happy Hanukkah". I love the holidays and love to see people excited about Christmas. I wholeheartedly celebrate with my grandchildren. I enjoy every moment of their wide eyed excitement. When the world assumes that there is only one holiday, I get annoyed. So, Happy Hanukkah will be my mantra.

Knowing More

One of our new doctors knows more than everyone. When she first started we all found it annoying. If you were sick she knew the symptoms, the medications to take and the best doctor to consult with. She is always right. So far we have not found a topic that she is not an expert on. Yesterday she surprised us again. My morning receptionist's mother was flying home from Florida. The flight was rerouted from La Guardia to JFK and then delayed on take off. The winds in New York were so strong that few flights were allowed to land at La Guardia. My friend was upset as her mother is 87 years old and had just lost her male companion of ten years. My friend just wanted her mother on the flight and back in New York. As each hour passed the delay was longer. Then Christine, the young doctor, walked in. She overheard the conversation and as usual said she could help. She asked what airline the mother was flying on. We said Jet Blue. She got out her phone and called a friend who is a pilot at Jet Blue. He went on to the internal system and told her that the incoming plane was delayed and would reach the gate at 11:11am. There would be debarking and plane clean up. The food would be restocked and on this flight there was a crew change. The passengers would board at 11:48am and take off would be at 12:19pm. If there was a change he would text Christine again. Things ran just as he said. Again, Christine knows everything. Now we love that quality.

The Good Side

"I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille". This is a famous line from the 1950's movie Sunset Boulevard. I have been to two parties since I had my nose bandaged. I am not a vain person but I do not want to ruin pictures that people will look at for years. I do not want to be the woman with the bandage on her face. Each time a picture was going to be snapped, I turned my head a bit to the left so the bandage would not be visible. I felt like an actress who has a "good side". I would rather be the person who was not looking at the camera than one who ruined the picture.

Who Asked You

As the week progresses and the country is settling down, I am reading some articles that I find amusing. The news shattering headline this morning is that a French fashion designer refuses to dress the new first lady. She is making her political stand by not outfitting Mrs. Trump. My first question was, "Who asked you in the first place"? Maybe she was making a proactive statement in case she was not asked. I will now make a few statements of my own. I refuse to accept the Noble Peace Prize. I will not attend the Oscars this spring. I will absolutely not be Kelly Ripa's co host. My point is that nobody asked me to do any of the above things. I am just refusing in case I am asked.

Attention Span

My attention span ebbs and flows with different situation. When I am at work every detail is attended to. I can remember codes and fees and diagnoses. I know patient's names from 2004. When I leave work the attention span stays in the office. I only focus on what is essential. Yesterday I went food shopping. I went to three different stores to get the best sale prices. I needed cake for dessert tonight. I bought a cake at the first store. I forgot that I did that and bought a cake at the second store. Again I forgot that I did that and bought a third cake at the third store. I also supplemented the cakes with fruit. All in all, I have three cakes and fruit for five people. Now that I think about it, that is a good ratio.

Kindness Counts

Yesterday I had a one week checkup for my nose procedure. The appointment was at 12:50pm. As I was driving there at 12:15 my cell phone rang. It was the doctor's office. The receptionist said that the doctor was running very late and that if I was not already on the road, I should come an hour later. I told her that I was driving and would be there in 5 minutes but that I would just sit and read a magazine until the doctor could see me. I ended the conversation by saying, "Thank you for being so considerate and calling me to let me know about the delay. I greatly appreciate it". When I got to the doctor his waiting room was full to capacity. I had been the last time slot booked for the day so I saw it was going to be a wait. I told the receptionist I was here and she said that she was the one who just spoke to me and smiled. I sat down in the last seat. Within one minute my name was called. It was 12:30. I went in and it took less than 5 minutes to be seen. I left the office at 12:45, ten minutes before my actual appointment time. As I checked out and made a three week recheck appointment, the receptionist said to me that no one ever thanks them for trying to be nice. I guess a few kind words put me to the head of the line.

Color

I was laying in bed last night having trouble falling asleep. I began to reminisce about my youth and the world of the 1960's. Televisions only played in black and white but the world was so colorful. Telephones were pink or blue or yellow. Draperies were bold floral prints. Every kitchen was wallpapered with greens and yellows and had intricate patterns of flowers, vines or fruits. Carpets were hot pink and orange. It was a kaleidoscope of color. Now we have color televisions that make the world look 3D but our homes are monotone. Telephones are black, white or silver. Walls are painted one color. Drapes are not really used and we cover our windows in plain blinds. The imagination and visual beauty of the past is gone.

Eat-A-Thon

We are entering the season of eating. From this week on, food will be on the horizon everywhere I look. I love to eat, but at this time of year it gets to be too much. Holiday parties, family get togethers and food from patients. I try to limit the intake. I eat just enough to be almost full and then walk away. I take a taste of the desserts. As long as I get the flavor, that is all I need. People say they will diet after the holidays are over. I never say that because I know I will never do that. I try to use the theory of moderation.

My Generation

My generation is one of a kind. There will never be one like us again. We are a cross of old school and new wave. Our parent's generation did things the old fashioned way. Men went to work and women tended to the house. Things were done by hand. If problems occurred, the man fixed it. While women went to work in the latter part of their generation, the mindset was that it was still a man's world. The next generation is one of technology. They use concrete thinking less and computers more. They are virtual. Minimal live contact with world. My generation knows how to think on their feet and use modern technology when needed. We do not rely on it. We morph in and out of both worlds. When my generation is gone, there will never be one so well versed.

Unfriended

I am not on Facebook. I never was. I see no need to have "virtual" relationships or see pictures of people I am not close to. In yesterday's Newsday, there was an article about people unfriending other people after the election. If common political views were not shared between friends, the "Unfriend" button was used to sever relationships. America is a Democracy. If we were all forced to vote for the same person or afforded no vote at all, we would be living in Communism. If you feel that you and you alone are allowed to have an opinion, you are living in the wrong country. If a one man, no discussion government is what you want, move to North Korea. Now that Cuba is open to travel, a mere 90 miles from the US coastline can bring you to a place where there are no political debates or discussions. The issue is, that when people unfriend others, it is a cut that goes deep. It is saying that "If you do not agree with me, you are not worth having in my life". Maybe you never really were friends at all. One line in the Newsday article said that the person who unfriended her Facebook friend would reevaluate at a later date. That made me laugh. Does she really think that anyone who she unfriended would ever want to forge a friendship again? Once the unfriend button was hit, you relinquished the privilege of reevaluation.

Comply

The word "comply" is defined as "to act or be in accordance with wishes, requests, demands, requirements and conditions". Cut and dry, simply said. When I see the political rallies that claim discrimination, the word "comply" pops into my mind. Every life on earth matters equally. Every single ones does. Some professions put theirs on the line for yours and get vilified for it. Life has rules. Imagine playing a board game without rules. Even better, imagine playing with two other people and breaking the rules. If the dice says move one space and you think that you are entitled to move three, the other players will not be happy. The game is ruined because you did not comply. There are some cases where things go astray and that is unconscionable. I am talking about the ones that are manipulated into problems. Ask yourself these questions:
1) If a police officer says stop, what do you do?
2) If a police office says to show your hands so he can see them and know that you have no weapon, so his life is not in jeopardy, what do you do? 
3) If others are burning and looting a town, what do you do?
My answers would be: 1) Stop, 2) Raise my hands as high as I can, 3) Not join the crowd and get to safety.
Other people's answers have been: 1) Run away, 2) Put my hands into my pockets and come at the officer so he has no idea if I am armed and this might be his last moments alive 3) Break store windows, take out televisions, then burn down the town that I live in. I know I sound harsh, but life is made of rules and the rules are there to keep us safe and alive. Now that the election is done, people need to evaluate their behavior and see that rules, if followed, make a nation safe.

Happy Trees

The trees are rejoicing. They are no longer in danger of losing their lives to politics. The mailmen are rejoicing along with them. No more pounds of large postcards slicing their skin as they reach into their mailbags. As much as we hated receiving the cardboard cards, the mailmen hated it more. It added weight to their bags and every day they would end their shift with paper cuts. We can all settle back into our simple lives. Less conversation. Less stress. Less mail. Less is more.

MacGyver

Years age there was a television show called "MacGyver". He was a government agent that was so resourceful he could solve complex problems by making things out of ordinary objects. My father was the original MacGyver. My younger son and I are the second and third generation. Yesterday I had Mohs surgery on my nose. When I took off the massive bandage this morning, I was shocked to see how much of my nose was no longer there. I had to put petroleum jelly and a bandage over the wound. It looks terrible. I have a party tomorrow night, work next week and a wedding after that. I do not want to look like a freak for any of those. Here comes the MacGyver part. In my mind I can vision a bandage that will cover the wound, contour my nose and look fairly normal. No one makes it. Since it is not made, I will kick into MacGyver mode and make it myself. I will go to the pharmacy and buy the components to "build a bandage". I am 100% certain that when I am done it will be great.

The Button

Yesterday there was a recurring theme from the people that had voted for Hillary. They kept talking about the "Button". Television ads put subliminal messages into our minds and then they become reality. Hillary had a commercial that showed a lonely man walking into what looked like a 1950's command center. Somehow the command center was empty. That in itself is ridiculous. We no longer have barren steel command centers manned with one lonely man. We never did. There is then a close up of a "button". This old lonely man has the sole responsibility of "pushing the button" to blow up the world. He alone, with one finger, can obliterate the earth. People saw that commercial and internalized the vision and now people think there is a "button". This is ludicrous. America is comprised of checks and balances. We have state of the art command centers manned with hundreds of people. Nothing gets done unless the Congress and the Senate vote and approve it. Remember, we voted in the members of these offices. Hillary's commercials did a disservice to America. She placed more fear into people's hearts than Trumps ranting and ravings. There is no button. Trump cannot blow up the world. He is not a one man show. No president ever was or ever will be. We must break the mindset of fear and move on to rebuild what Obama destroyed. America as one nation, united.

President Trump

America saw red. Literally and figuratively. Red for anger against what we had turned into. Red for the color of the election states as the Republicans overtook the map. Enough was enough and I am glad that I was not the only one to see it. It was a surprise but not a shock. America was losing itself and needed to be resurrected. We needed to be strong not kind. Kind gets you walked all over. Strong keeps you on top. Finally the tides have turned. We will slowly rebuild our nation to greatness. While both candidates were controversial in different ways, Mr. Trump loved us more, even with all of his quirky and unprofessional ways. He is not self serving. He is brash but real. I can finally get off of my soapbox and know that politics as we have known it will change.

46%

By tomorrow morning 46% of Americans will be unhappy. We will not know until then if it will be Democrats or Republicans. The sixteen months of slurs and nastiness will be over. The winner will be left to show what he/she can really do. As most of you who know me know, I am for Trump. While he is not perfect he is better than the Democratic party that has put America into the situation we are all in now. We all have reasons for why we feel like we do. They are formed by our life experiences. If you were adversely effected by Obamacare, you want a new regime. If you are in law enforcement you want a party that stands behind you and does not turn against you. I have lived through 8 years of governmental disrespect to law enforcement. It was disheartening and sickening. If you were not in my shoes you can never feel the visceral disgust that I did, every time Obama made a speech vilifying law enforcement. I work in healthcare and more times than I care to remember, patients cried to me about their healthcare plans that were touted as affordable but were anything but that. Wherever the chips may fall, it will be a done deal for the next four years. I will have to live with the majority vote.

Pricing

I spent the day in Brooklyn yesterday. It was a beautiful day to take a walk on the avenue and shop. As I went from one small store to another, I focused in on the price differences from Brooklyn to Long Island. I love persimmons and at my local grocery they are $1.99 each. On the fruit stands in Brooklyn they are 3 for $1.00. They were the same quality as the ones in my neighborhood. Fillets of swai fish are $2.99 lb opposed to $7.99 lb where I live. I have bought them before so I know the quality is fresh. Shelled walnuts were $2.49 lb. The one price that surprised me the most was Mascarpone cheese. It is a creamy cheese that is used to make tiramisu but can also be used as a spread on bread. I pay $3.99 for 8oz. In Brooklyn it was $5.99 for a 5lb tub. How are the stores in Brooklyn able to buy their products that much lower than on Long Island? Does a thirty mile difference matter that much? I guess it does.

Annie Hall

There is a scene from the movie "Annie Hall" that is true in many phases of life. The scene takes place in Woody Allen's kitchen when he and Diane Keaton are cooking lobsters. The lobsters are escaping from the pot and on the floor, and he and Diane are laughing and screaming and having a great time. It is the kind of time that is so much fun that it is memorable. When they break up, he starts to date another woman. He tries to relive that fun with her. They buy  the lobsters and start to cook them. When the lobsters escape, instead of laughing, the woman quietly gathers them and puts them into the pot. No matter how hard Woody tries to recreate the scene to the funny one he had with Diane, it just doesn't work. The woman is not amused by it. That happened to me last night. During the summer, my sister and I found a new store in the Galleria Mall named Flying Tiger. It is a Copenhagen based company and has fun knick knacks like Ikea. We roamed through the store laughing and playing with the items. We had so much fun. Since I was in the area after dinner last night, I went there with my husband. I told him how great the store was. We went in and I started to pick up some fun items and show him. I could see his eyes rolling in his head. He schlepped his feet around the store mumbling about the "colorful crap", as he put it. Half way through the store, I just gave up and told him we should leave. Like Woody Allen, I realized that you cannot recreate a spontaneously good time.

Turn the Other Cheek

You can't let everything bother you. You need to pick and choose carefully what is important enough to get upset about. As I get older, the act of choosing has become easier. Things that do not directly effect me are on the bottom of the list of importance. My family is on the top of the list. To use a few cliches, I have learned to, "Turn the other cheek, take it with a grain of salt and let it roll off my back". In general, it is easier on your soul if you take things in perspective.

Upside Down

There is a commercial on television that annoys me each time I see it. It is a Domino's pizza commercial. A man and a boy walk into the store to buy a pizza but the man says he forgot his wallet at home. He then proceeds to bend down, take the boy by his ankles, turn him upside down and shake him until money comes out of his pants. He shakes him quite a few times. I see the boy's head bouncing up and down. I find this very disturbing. A child should not be upside down by his ankles with his head being shaken up. Who approved this stupidity? If a parent did this to their child in a real Domino's store, the police would be called and they would become part of the Child Protective Services System.

Filing System

We all have our own ways of filing things. You can use any system you want at home, but you need to use a "normal" one at work. Yesterday my bookkeeper had to leave early to go to a doctor's appointment. About one hour later, our boss called and said that she needed a certain receipt on her desk asap. I started to look for it to no avail. The bookkeeper's  files went from a-v-l-t-s, etc. Last time I checked, the alphabet was a-z. I had to call the bookkeeper at her doctor's appointment to find out where the receipt was hiding. This morning we will both figure out a way to file her records correctly.

Un-Fare Pricing

Last night I went online to make my airline reservations for Florida. I like flying Jet Blue. I got online and entered the dates I was looking for. The prices seemed a bit high. I went back and forth from date to date trying to find a better price. I noticed that after ten date changes, the prices also changed. I think that the website is designed to see how many choices you enter and then lower prices so you do not leave their site and book elsewhere. I wound up paying $69 a flight. It started off at $104. Even though I was thrilled at $69, I was annoyed that I had to be online for over an hour until these prices appeared.

Luncheon

Today we are having a luncheon at work. A guest speaker will be coming to inform us of a new medical test. I was asked to sit in on the lecture in case I have any questions. The only question I will have is if I need more sauce passed down to me. The lecturer is catering in from a local Mediterranean restaurant that has wonderful food. My boss picked out the food. All I will be hearing from the lecture will be "blah, blah, blah" as I eat grilled vegetables and marinated meats.  I am sure most of the doctors will feel the same way I do. We told the lecturer that what he is selling is not really appropriate for our office but he wanted to come anyway. The luncheon was only to entice us to listen. He gets points for presenting his product and we get full bellies.