Happy Halloween 2005!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

For your spooky, weird pleasure...


Vermont witch display sparks chest beating


Brattleboro, Vt., has been under a spell ever since residents David and Lauren Petrie decorated the lawn of their Guilford Street home with a breast-feeding witch Halloween display a couple of weeks ago.

The display features a scarecrow witch with a gourd breast and a green baby witch doll.

A photo of the Petrie witch in the Brattleboro Reformer sparked a spate of letters.

Kym Goodnow, a mother of four living in West Brattleboro, wrote that she was not ready to explain nursing to her 4-year-old grandson, who spotted the display while they were driving home.

``I figured eventually we would cross that bridge, but to have to do it now because someone felt they had to shove it in our faces, it's just rude,'' Goodnow told the Herald yesterday. ``Halloween is supposed to be for kids, it's not for you to impose your beliefs on everyone else.''

Sarah Glennon, 42, a mother of three and resident of Brattleboro, wrote to the Reformer in favor of the witch.

``I have a 5-year-old and he saw it and it seemed to me that it was an opportunity for education and awareness,'' Glennon said yesterday. ``If it's making people more aware of the issue, that's great. I thought it was a very clever and creative display.''

The Petries said they were not deterred by the outcry and have no plans to take down the display.

``We are having fun with it,'' David Petrie said. ``My four kids were breast-fed and we believe it is the best way to feed a child.''


A note for ZPT fans: a picture of the breastfeeding witch can be seen if you click the link above. Enjoy!

Also....a collection of weird & funny Halloween message board posts can be seen on my other blog, Message Board Hell: Weird Posts from Cyberspace!

Until then....enjoy the lyrics from this great tune, "Halloween" by Siouxsie & the Banshees!

The night is still
And the frost it bites my face
I wear my silence like a mask
And murmur like a ghost
"Trick or Treat"
"Trick or Treat"
The bitter and the sweet
The carefree days
Are distant now
I wear my memories like a shroud
I try but words collapse
Echoing"Trick or Treat"
"Trick or Treat"
The bitter and the sweet
I wander through your sadness
Gazing at you with scorpion eyes
Halloween ... Halloween
A sweet reminder
In the ice-blue nursery
Of a childish murder
Of hidden lustre
And she cries
"Trick or Treat"
"Trick or Treat"
The bitter and the sweet
I wander through your sadness
Gazing at you with scorpion eyes
Halloween ... Halloween

100 Best Movie Quotes by the Experts...and 100 More By Me

I was ordered to take some much-needed rest today, and while doing so, I happened to catch the AFI's 100 Best Movie Quotes special on tv. I enjoyed it thoroughly...but was somewhat mystified by the great quotes they omitted. Of course...they only had 100 spaces to fill...

And so, I decided to create a list...the 100 More Best Movie Quotes, According to Zen Angel.

I also played hard & fast with the rules: I stuck to AFI's obvious dislike of curse words (even though it meant leaving out some great quotes), stuck to American movies only (even though it meant no MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL) and I limited the "lines" to three...but where AFI's list left off in the year 2000, I allowed more recent film entries.

Feel free to disagree, or leave comments about quotes I left out. I am sure I have missed tons of great ones.

But first...


AFI's list:


1 Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
GONE WITH THE WIND

2 I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.
THE GODFATHER

3 You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.
ON THE WATERFRONT

4 Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.
THE WIZARD OF OZ

5 Here's looking at you, kid.
CASABLANCA

6 Go ahead, make my day.
SUDDEN IMPACT

7 All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.
SUNSET BLVD.

8 May the Force be with you.
STAR WARS

9 Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night.
ALL ABOUT EVE

10 You talking to me?
TAXI DRIVER

11 What we've got here is failure to communicate.
COOL HAND LUKE

12 I love the smell of napalm in the morning.
APOCALYPSE NOW

13 Love means never having to say you're sorry.
LOVE STORY

14 The stuff that dreams are made of.
THE MALTESE FALCON

15 E.T. phone home.
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL

16 They call me Mister Tibbs!
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT

17 Rosebud.
CITIZEN KANE

18 Made it, Ma! Top of the world!
WHITE HEAT

19 I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!
NETWORK

20 Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
CASABLANCA

21 A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

22 Bond. James Bond.
DR. NO

23 There's no place like home.
THE WIZARD OF OZ

24 I am big! It's the pictures that got small.
SUNSET BLVD.

25 Show me the money!
JERRY MAGUIRE

26 Why don't you come up sometime and see me?
SHE DONE HIM WRONG

27 I'm walking here! I'm walking here!
MIDNIGHT COWBOY

28 Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'
CASABLANCA

29 You can't handle the truth!
A FEW GOOD MEN

30 I want to be alone.
GRAND HOTEL

31 After all, tomorrow is another day!
GONE WITH THE WIND

32 Round up the usual suspects.
CASABLANCA

33 I'll have what she's having.
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY

34 You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow.
TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT

35 You're gonna need a bigger boat.
JAWS

36 Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!
THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE

37 I'll be back.
THE TERMINATOR

38 Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES

39 If you build it, he will come.
FIELD OF DREAMS

40 Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.
FORREST GUMP

41 We rob banks.
BONNIE AND CLYDE

42 Plastics.
THE GRADUATE

43 We'll always have Paris.
CASABLANCA

44 I see dead people.
THE SIXTH SENSE

45 Stella! Hey, Stella!
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

46 Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars.
NOW, VOYAGER

47 Shane. Shane. Come back!
SHANE

48 Well, nobody's perfect.
SOME LIKE IT HOT

49 It's alive! It's alive!
FRANKENSTEIN

50 Houston, we have a problem.
APOLLO 13

51 You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?
DIRTY HARRY

52 You had me at "hello."
JERRY MAGUIRE

53 One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know.
ANIMAL CRACKERS

54 There's no crying in baseball!
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

55 La-dee-da, la-dee-da.
ANNIE HALL

56 A boy's best friend is his mother.
PSYCHO

57 Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.
WALL STREET

58 Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
THE GODFATHER II

59 As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again.
GONE WITH THE WIND

60 Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!
SONS OF THE DESERT

61 Say "hello" to my little friend!
SCARFACE

62 What a dump.
BEYOND THE FOREST

63 Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?
THE GRADUATE

64 Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!
DR. STRANGELOVE

65 Elementary, my dear Watson.
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

66 Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape.
PLANET OF THE APES

67 Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.
CASABLANCA

68 Here's Johnny!
THE SHINING

69 They're here!
POLTERGEIST

70 Is it safe?
MARATHON MAN

71 Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!
THE JAZZ SINGER

72 No wire hangers, ever!
MOMMIE DEAREST

73 Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?
LITTLE CAESAR

74 Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown.
CHINATOWN

75 I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

76 Hasta la vista, baby.
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY

77 Soylent Green is people!
SOYLENT GREEN

78 Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY

79 Striker: Surely you can't be serious.

Rumack: I am serious…and don't call me Shirley.
AIRPLANE!

80 Yo, Adrian!
ROCKY

81 Hello, gorgeous.
FUNNY GIRL

82 Toga! Toga!
NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE

83 Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make.
DRACULA

84 Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast.
KING KONG

85 My precious.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: TWO TOWERS

86 Attica! Attica!
DOG DAY AFTERNOON

87 Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!
42ND STREET

88 Listen to me, mister. You're my knight in shining armor. Don't you forget it. You're going to get back on that horse, and I'm going to be right behind you, holding on tight, and away we're gonna go, go, go!
ON GOLDEN POND

89 Tell 'em to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper.
KNUTE ROCKNE ALL AMERICAN

90 A martini. Shaken, not stirred.
GOLDFINGER

91 Who's on first.
THE NAUGHTY NINETIES

92 Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac...It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!
CADDYSHACK

93 Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!
AUNTIE MAME

94 I feel the need - the need for speed!
TOP GUN

95 Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.
DEAD POETS SOCIETY

96 Snap out of it!
MOONSTRUCK

97 My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you.
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY

98 Nobody puts Baby in a corner.
DIRTY DANCING

99 I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!
WIZARD OF OZ, THE

100 I'm king of the world!
TITANIC

----------------------------------------------


And now, on to the 100 More Best Movie Quotes, According to Zen Angel:


1) We're on a mission from God.
THE BLUES BROTHERS

2) Leave the gun, take the cannoli.
THE GODFATHER

3) Here's Johnny!
THE SHINING

4) You make me want to be a better man.
AS GOOD AS IT GETS

5) It's good to be the king!
HISTORY OF THE WORLD: PART ONE

6) Aye, fight and you may die, run, and you'll live...at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade all of that from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take away our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!
BRAVEHEART

7) These go to eleven.
THIS IS SPINAL TAP

8) I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way.
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT

9) I'm poor, black, I might even be ugly, but dear God, I'm here. I'm here.
THE COLOR PURPLE

10) Run, Forrest, run!
FORREST GUMP

11) Luke, I am your father.
STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

12) In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women.
SCARFACE

13) You shall not pass!
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS

14) Snakes...why did it have to be snakes?
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

15) That's classified. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.
TOP GUN

16) I'm an excellent driver.
RAIN MAN

17) Remember George, No man is a failure who has friends.
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

18) He slimed me.
GHOSTBUSTERS

19) That'll do, pig. That'll do.
BABE

20) You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question?
THE BREAKFAST CLUB

21) My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
THE PRINCESS BRIDE

22) Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.
FERRIS BEULLER'S DAY OFF

23) Ladies, you have to be strong and independent, and remember, don't get mad, get everything.
THE FIRST WIVES CLUB

24) I'm the ghost with the most, babe.
BEETLEJUICE

25) People hurt the ones they love. That's how it is all around the world.
THE GREEN MILE

26) KAHN!
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn

27) First rule of Fight Club, you do not talk about Fight Club. Second rule of Fight Club, you DO NOT talk about Fight Club.
FIGHT CLUB

28)Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

29) There can be only one.
THE HIGHLANDER

30) I'm NOT gonna be ignored, Dan.
FATAL ATTRACTION

31) Help me, help me!
THE FLY

32) The dingo's got my baby!
A CRY IN THE DARK

33) We gotta win that fight. I'm gonna get EVEN with those little Socs! Let's do it for Johnny, man. We're gonna do for Johnny!
THE OUTSIDERS

34) But enough about me, let's talk about you... what do YOU think of me?
BEACHES

35) Ditto.
GHOST

36) Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.
CASABLANCA

37) This isn't a hospital! It's an insane asylum! And it's your fault!
M*A*S*H

38) What if there isn't a tommorrow? There wasn't one today.
GROUNDHOG DAY

39) If a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man.
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

40) Real loss is only possible when you love something more than you love yourself.
GOOD WILL HUNTING

41) I don't know nothin' about birthin' babies.
GONE WITH THE WIND

42) Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?
BATMAN

43) I am not an animal!
THE ELEPHANT MAN

44) I never drink wine.
DRACULA

45) Now and then, for no good reason, life will haul off and knock a man flat.
OLD YELLER

46) Just as I thought. "Mary Poppins, pratically perfect in every way."
MARY POPPINS

47) And in case I don't see you: good afternoon, good evening and good night!
THE TRUMAN SHOW

48) Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARVES

49) They call it a "Royale" with cheese.
PULP FICTION

50) Hey, don't knock masturbation. It's sex with someone I love.
ANNIE HALL

51) Sanctuary! Sanctuary!
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

52) Back, and to the left...
JFK

53) You know the difference between you and me? I make this look good.
MEN IN BLACK

54) Some guys get all the breaks.
42ND STREET

55) I must be crazy to be in a loony bin like this.
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST

56) The horror...the horror.
APOCALYPSE NOW

57) You'll shoot your eye out, son.
A CHRISTMAS STORY

58) I was born a poor black child.
THE JERK

59) Would ya just watch the hair. Ya know, I spend a long time on my hair and he hit it; he hit my hair.
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

60) To infinity, and beyond!
TOY STORY

61) I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.
STEEL MAGNOLIAS

62) We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams.
WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

63) Strike first, strike hard, no mercy, sir!
THE KARATE KID

64) Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops.
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE

65) You're tearing me apart!
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE

66) That's why they call them crushes. If they were easy, they'd call them something else.
SIXTEEN CANDLES

67) I want the people to know that they still have 2 out of 3 branches of the government working for them, and that ain't bad.
MARS ATTACKS!

68) I wanted to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture, and kill them.
FULL METAL JACKET

69) There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them.
THE NAKED CITY

70) Don't torture yourself, Gomez. That's my job.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY

71) Wanna dance or would you rather just suck face?
ON GOLDEN POND

72) Pretend I blew up the school . . . all the schools. Now that you're dead, what are you gonna do with your life?
HEATHERS

73) Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories.
AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER

74) Funny like I'm a clown? I amuse you?
GOODFELLAS

75) I admire its purity, its sense of survival; unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.
ALIEN

76) The ending is only the beginning.
THE HUMAN COMEDY

77) Friar Tuck, it seems that I have an outlaw for an in-law!
ROBIN HOOD

78) A man is defined by his actions, not his memories.
TOTAL RECALL

79) Destiny is something we've invented because we can't stand the fact that everything that happens is accidental.
SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE

80) I know you are, but what am I?
PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE

81) I guess that's the way the whole durned human comedy keeps perpetuatin' itself.
THE BIG LEBOWSKI

82) If they move, kill 'em.
THE WILD BUNCH

83) Food fight!
NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE

84) We're not killing anybody on our wedding day.
NATURAL BORN KILLERS

85) I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen.
SAY ANYTHING

86) Goonies never say die.
THE GOONIES

87) I want the fairy tale.
PRETTY WOMAN

88) You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man.
BODY HEAT

89) The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS

90) His name will live as long as there is a ball, a bat, and a boy.
THE BABE RUTH STORY

91) I was a better man with you as a woman, then I ever was with a woman as a man.
TOOTSIE

92) This is the time for maintaining a cool head, and following the one simple rule: put the blame on somebody else.
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING

93) I'm alright. Fortunately, the ground broke my fall.
NIGHT SHIFT

94) We're alike, me and cat. A couple of poor nameless slobs.
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S

95) That'll be a dispute to the end of time, Mr. Brown: whether it's better to do the right thing for the wrong reason or the wrong thing for the right reason.
NATIONAL VELVET

96) They're called boobs, Ed.
ERIN BROCKOVICH

97) I'm here to fight for truth, justice, and the American way.
SUPERMAN

98) You can get further with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word.
THE UNTOUCHABLES

99) Face it, girls: I'm older and have more insurance.
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

100) Every problem has a solution.
PHILADELPHIA


***************************************************

So, those are my picks. And it was harder than I thought to compile them. And I know I've left out some great quotes (I could have easily made another 100 list)...but, hey...that's what comments are for....

Drowning in a Sea of Sneeze

I have a headcold.

I hate, hate, hate headcolds.

To make matters worse, the baby has it, too. So she's irritable and wants nothing more than to nurse constantly....from a mommie who doesn't want to be touched and wants only to sleep. Ah, well. Her cold is much milder than mine, and the nursing is probably responsible for that.

However....nursing means I can't really take anything for the cold, save Robo DM. And Robo does really nothing for me. I have only myself to blame for that, though. As a very young teenager, my friends and I used to slam Robo to get a buzz. We did so much Robo, in fact, that at one point my entire body felt saturated with it. The fluid in my eyeballs felt like it was made of Robo.

We even had a little "toast" we'd say before slamming it down: "Quit yer bitchin', quit yer fussin'', take a swig of Robitussin!"

It got old pretty damned quickly, as you can imagine.

In any event, I think my tolerance for Robo is probably up to a few gallons or more. So I'm stuck with cough drops, Breathe-Right strips and Vapo-Rub until this thing runs its course.

Run, headcold, run.....

Naturally, I have only a million or so things to do this week, and am now getting NONE of them accomplished. I still have to sort out the mess that is the new homeschool room, I have a new rug to lay down in Phoenix's room, I need to schedule my kids' annual physicals, and I have Campfire Girls with Wren tomorrow. Not to mention the fact that I was supposed to have another dental surgery that is now postponed thanks to this assault on my cranium. Why, oh, why do these things never happen when there's little or nothing to do?

I do have a two things of a happier nature to report: remember my post not too long ago, when I first spoke of the renovations in my house that gave me my dining room back? Well, we now have lots of free space in the kitchen. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what to put there when it came to me last night in one of those "D'oh! Why didn't I think of this sooner?" moments: I now have room for a dishwasher. Oh, happy day! I am so sick to death of washing dishes...in that one-sink deal we have in the kitchen. Ah, technology...save me from dishpan hands! Whirlpool, take me away!!!!

The second thing I have to look forward to is the annual Friends of the Library book sale in four short days! I go every year, and I freaking love it. Especially the 75% off day. I am a sucker for sales, and an even bigger sucker for books...so this is event is like the closest I get to having an orgasm with my clothes on.

Now, if only I could stop the river of snot, I'd be on cloud nine. Pass the Kleenex...

Breast Milk to the Rescue! Mom's Quick Thinking Saves Vet

I am just finding the WEIRDEST news stories lately:



Mother's milk saves vet set ablaze on bus



A real-life supermom used a bottle of breast milk to douse an amputee yesterday after his wheelchair was set ablaze by punks on a Staten Island bus, cops said.
The nursing mother's fast actions helped save Vietnam vet Francis Abrams, 57, from becoming a human torch, and stopped the fire from engulfing the S-54 bus, police and the victim said.

Abrams, who lost his left leg in Vietnam, said he was minding his own business as he rode the city bus to the Staten Island Mall to buy a video of "The Exorcist."

Just after he boarded the bus, three teens playing hooky from Tottenville High School pulled a cruel prank, cops said. The teens used a cigarette lighter to ignite a plastic bag hanging from the back of Abrams' motorized wheelchair.

The flames quickly engulfed the bag, containing the Greek classics "Odyssey" and "Iliad." As the fire spread to Abrams' jacket, he screamed: "Water!"

As her baby looked on, the new mom and a friend sprang into the action, dousing the fire with a freshly pumped bottle of breast milk and another bottle of water, authorities said.

The back of Abrams' wheelchair was slightly melted by the fire, but he was not harmed thanks to the nursing mother.

The names of the suspects were not released because of their ages. All of them are 15. They were charged with arson, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment, authorities said.

Asked about the fire being extinguished with breast milk, Abrams bristled, "I don't care. It doesn't bother me."

*********************************




Of all the reasons to breastfeed that I have been aware of these many years...."to save a veteran from fire" is one I haven't heard before. Kudos to the quick-thinking mom...and shame on the boys who set this man on fire. I hope they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, the sick little fuckers.

Creepy: Tattoo Foretells Death

This is one of the creepiest news stories I've read in a long, long time:



Eerie inking foretold fate




A Brooklyn father getting a tattoo called "Last Rites" inked into his flesh passed out and crashed headfirst into a glass counter yesterday, killing himself, police and witnesses said.

Joaquin Laguer, 27, nearly was decapitated during the horrific accident inside Buzz Tattoo, an unlicensed parlor in East Williamsburg.

"There was nothing I could do," said shaken tattoo artist Julio Ramos, 36. "I was kneeling next to him, praying to God. My assistant said, 'He's gone.'"

Laguer, an aspiring model and rapper, felt faint soon after Ramos finished inking the outline of an abstract, wizardlike tattoo onto his right forearm.

Saying he was hungry, Laguer walked over to a glass counter where he'd placed a Spanish takeout meal of half a chicken, fried plantains and rice.

But before he could reach the food, he passed out and slammed into the front of the counter at 2 p.m. The shattering glass sliced deeply into his neck, Ramos said.

"There was no saving him," said Ramos' assistant, Wilson Fernandez, 24.

Laguer, who had a 2-year-old daughter, was rushed to Woodhull Hospital, where he was declared dead at 2:22 p.m.

His grieving girlfriend, Shanequa Neal, said Laguer had eight tattoos and wanted another featuring a picture of their daughter, J'lynn. When he couldn't afford it, he chose another tattoo out of a catalog.

Neal was stunned by the irony of the name of the "Last Rites" image he had selected. "It was like it was his time," she said.

Breast Cancer Awareness

I thought I'd take this time to remind everyone that this month is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Please, take some time to click the link below...and then click the big pink button. It costs nothing, takes only a moment of your time, and helps fund mammograms. You could even save a life.

My mother, Cecelia Seibel, died of breast cancer in 1998. She knew she had a lump in her breast, but put off seeing the doctor for fear of pain (she also had a near-crippling phobia of needles). Had she sought treatment right away...my kids would not have to know their grandmother from photos and stories alone.

I urge all women to check your breasts every month, and report any changes to your doctor. And if you're over 35 or at high risk...get a mammogram, as often as recommended by your physician. My mother was only 44 when she died, and had been fighting cancer for nearly five years. She died only two days after her 44th birthday. 44 is too young to die, ladies. Don't let it happen to you.



Click here to help fund mammograms for free.

Click here to learn how to do breast self-exams.

And click here to buy pink items to benefit breast cancer research.

More Tattoo Humor

I'm Famous

This blog has been mentioned on an absolutely wonderful site, Topher's Castle. Hooray!

Topher's Castle Awards - Page Twenty Five

Supreme Court to Hear Assisted Suicide Case

Well, finally, the Bush administration's hypocrisy has led Oregon to the Supreme Court. How he could stand there, with a straight face, so many times and insisted that he agreed with the GOP platform on state's rights and then, as soon as he took office, wage a war with the voters of the state of Oregon?


Supreme Court Clashes Over Assisted Suicide Case



WASHINGTON (Oct. 5) - New Chief Justice John Roberts stepped forward Wednesday as an aggressive defender of federal authority to block doctor-assisted suicide, as the Supreme Court clashed over an Oregon law that lets doctors help terminally ill patients end their lives.

The justices will decide if the federal government, not states, has the final say on the life-or-death issue.

It was a wrenching debate for a court touched personally by illness. Roberts replaced William H. Rehnquist, who died a month ago after battling cancer for nearly a year. Three justices have had cancer and a fourth has a spouse who counsels children with untreatable cancer.

The outcome is hard to predict, in part because of the uncertain status of retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor who seemed ready to support Oregon's law. Her replacement may be confirmed before the ruling is handed down, possibly months from now.

Roberts repeatedly raised concerns that a single exception for Oregon would allow other states to create a patchwork of rules.

"If one state can say it's legal for doctors to prescribe morphine to make people feel better, or to prescribe steroids for bodybuilding, doesn't that undermine the uniformity of the federal law and make enforcement impossible?" he asked.

The Supreme Court eight years ago concluded that the dying have no constitutional right to doctor-assisted suicide. O'Connor provided a key fifth vote in that decision, which left room for state-by-state experimentation.

The new case is a turf battle of sorts, started by former Attorney General John Ashcroft, a favorite among the president's conservative religious supporters. Hastening someone's death is an improper use of medication and violates federal drug laws, Ashcroft reasoned in 2001, an opposite conclusion from the one reached by Attorney General Janet Reno in the Clinton administration.

Oregon won a lawsuit in a lower court over its voter-approved law, which took effect in 1997 and has been used by 208 people.

The Supreme Court appeared sharply divided in hearing the Bush administration's appeal.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has had colon cancer, talked about medicines that make a sick person's final moments more comfortable. David Souter, in an emotional moment, said that it's one thing for the government to ban date rape drugs and harmful products but "that seems to me worlds away from what we're talking about here."

On the other side, Roberts and Antonin Scalia appeared skeptical of Oregon's claims that states have the sole authority to regulate the practice of medicine.

Roberts, 50, was presiding over his first major oral argument and thrust himself in the middle of the debate. Over and over he raised concerns that states could undermine federal regulation of addictive drugs. He interrupted Oregon Senior Assistant Attorney General Robert Atkinson in his first minute, then asked more than a dozen more tough questions.

Roberts said the federal government has the authority to determine what is a legitimate medical purpose and "it suggests that the attorney general has the authority to interpret that phrase" to declare that assisted suicide is not legitimate. Roberts asked three questions of the Bush administration lawyer, noting that Congress passed one drug law only after "lax state treatment of opium."

"I was wondering if the new chief would hold back and wouldn't ruffle other people's feathers. It appears clear he's not waiting for anything or anyone," said Neil Siegel, a law professor at Duke University and a former Supreme Court clerk.

The two justices who seemed most conflicted were Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer. Breyer's wife counsels young cancer patients. Besides Ginsburg, the justices who have had cancer are O'Connor and John Paul Stevens.

"For me, the case turns on the statute. And it's a hard case," Kennedy told the Bush administration's lawyer, and later he asked about the "serious consequences" of curbing federal government authority in regulating drugs.

Solicitor General Paul Clement said, "If this court makes clear that state law can overtake the federal regime, I think it at least creates the potential for there to be a lot of holes in the regime."

Justice Clarence Thomas, as is his usual practice, asked no questions. He could be sympathetic to Oregon. He was one of three justices who said in a summer decision that the federal government should not interfere with state medical marijuana laws. The other two were O'Connor and Rehnquist.

If O'Connor is the deciding vote in the case, the court would probably delay the decision and schedule a new argument session after the arrival of the new justice. On Monday Bush named White House lawyer Harriet Miers to replace O'Connor.

Dozens of spectators gathered outside the court, waving signs supporting and opposing the Oregon law. "My Life, My Death, My Choice," read one sign. "Oregon Law Protects Doctors -- Not Patients," said another.

Oregon is the only state with an assisted suicide law, but other states may pass their own if the court rules in the state's favor.

The case is Gonzales v. Oregon, 04-623.

*******************************************************

Well, you know what I think? I think we here in Oregon have already voted on this...TWICE. I think Dubya and his band of Merry Nincompoops should leave Oregonians ALONE. This is a states' rights issue, and the state of Oregon has spoken.

This is not, as the new Chief Justice would have you believe, an issue of regulating addictive drugs. It's not, as Asscroft would have you believe, an issue of Christian morals. It's an issue of medicine, an issue of quality of life and an issue of quality of death. It's an issue best addressed between a patient, his/her doctor, and his/her family. Not the patient, doctor, family...and the attorney general.

This shouldn't be about politics. It should be about human beings having the same basic rights that we afford cats and dogs in this country: to die, without pain, and with some dignity.

I don't know what I am going to do when it's my time. Let's face it, I suffer from some disorders that are often quite brutal in the end. But regardless, I want the CHOICE. And it sickens me that some politician would make it for me, based on how many Conservative Christian votes he needs in the next election.

I beg of you, Justices, to keep the federal government out of Oregon's law. Let the people of Oregon have the choice to die with dignity. We clearly want it that way....

Zen Angel: MIA Due to Household Overhaul

My apologies for being MIA lately. It's been hectic here at the ol' homestead.

During our vacation, Eden had to bunk down with Wren a few times and had a blast. When we returned from Ohio, and Eden was back to her own room...she began having night terrors and screaming fits at bedtime. I put her, for one night, in Wren's room to see if she'd sleep better...and she slept (if you'll excuse the pun) like a baby. The next night, she utterly refused to go back to "her" room and would only sleep in Wren's room.

Taking the hint, Jonathan and I went about turning two little girls' rooms into one.

At first, I was somewhat bothered by the whole thing. I had to share a room with my sister for years, and when I was a kid I would dream of having my own room. But space was limited, and it remained just a dream. I always told myself that my kids would never, ever have to share a room. Nope, not my kids. Naturally, I had forgotten the fact that when I was very young, I shared my room with Miss Hell (my younger sister) not for want of space but because I, like Eden, had nightmares when I slept alone. So maybe there's a genetic predisposition to a need for room-sharing. Who knows. In any event, I was sad to see the nursery gone, and a joint girls' room appear.

Sad, that is, until I realized that we now had an empty room in the house. HOORAY! This meant I could move the homeschool stuff into Eden's old room and finally, finally, finally have my dining room back!

And so, the past week has been spent moving, rearranging, packing, decorating. And we're STILL not done. But I am glad to report that my dining room table is now where it belongs: in the dining room. Mealtimes are much smoother and less messy, and the breakers no longer flip off if I have the computer and the microwave going at the same time. And (joy of all joys) I now have room in the kitchen for the vegetable bin I've wanted for years. I'd do the Jig of Joy, if I weren't so tired from the renovations and pain-induced insomnia.

Ah, fuck it. I'll do the Jig anyway.

;-)

A Letter to People without Chronic Pain

I found this recently on a message board, and thought I would share it with y'all:




Letter to people without Chronic Pain:






Having chronic pain means many things change, and a lot of them are invisable. Unlike having cancer or being hurt in an accident, most people do not understand even a little about chronic pain and its effects, and of those that think they know, many are actually misinformed.

In the spirit of informing those who wish to understand:


...These are the things that I would like you to understand about me before you judge me..

Please understand that being sick dosen't mean I'm not still a human being. I have to spend most of my day in considerable pain and exhaustion, and if you visit, sometimes I probably don't seem like much fun to be with, but I'm still me-- stuck inside this body. I still worry about school, my family, my friends, and most of the time - I'd still like to hear you talk about yours too.

...Please understand the difference between "happy" and "healthy". When you've got the flu, you probably feel miserable with it, but, I've been sick for years. I can't be miserable all the time. In fact, I work hard not being miserable. So, if your talking to me and I sound happy, it means I'm happy. That's all. It dosen't mean that I'm not in a lot of pain, or extremely tired, or that I'm getting better, or, any of those things. Please don't say, "Oh, you're sounding better!" or "But, you look so healthy!" I am merely coping. I am sounding happy and trying to look "normal." If you want to comment on that, you're welcome.

...Please understand that being able to stand up for ten minutes dosen't necessarily mean that I can stand up for twenty minutes, or an hour. Just because I managed to stand up for thirty minutes yesterday dosen't mean that I can do the same today. With a lot of diseases you're paralysed, or can't move. With this one, it gets more confusing everyday. It can be like a yo yo. I never know from day to day, how I am going to feel when I wake up. In most cases, I never know from minute to minute. This is one of the hardest and most frustrating components of chronic pain.

Thats What Chronic Pain Does To You.

Please understand that chronic pain is variable. It's quite possible (for many, it's common) that one day I am able to walk to the park and back, while the next day I'll have trouble getting to the next room. Please don't attack me when I'm ill by saying " You did it before" or "oh I know you can do this!" If you want me to do something, then ask if I can. In a similar vein, I may need to cancel a previous commitment at the last minute. If this happens, please do not take it personally. If you are able, please try to always remember how very lucky you are to be physically able to do all of the things that you can do. Please understand that the "getting out and doing things" does not make me feel better, and can often make me seriously worse. You don't know what I go through or how I suffer in my own private time. Telling me that I need exercise, or do some things to "get my mind off of it" may frustrate me to tears and is not correct. If I was capable of doing some things any or all of the time, don't you think I would?

I am working with my doctor and I am doing what I am supposed to do.

Another statement that hurts is: "You just need to push yourself more, try harder.." Obviously, chronic pain can deal with the whole body, or be localized to specific areas. Sometimes participating in a single activity for a short or a long period of time can cause more damage and physical pain than you could ever imagine. Not to mention the recovery time, which can be intense. You can't always read it on my face or in my body langauge. Also, Chronic Pain may cause secondary depression (wouldn't you get depressed and down if you were hurting constantly for months or years?), but it is not created by depression.

Please understand that if I have to sit down/lie down/stay in bed/ or take these pills now, that probably means that I do have to do it right now. it can't be put off of forgotten just because I'm somewhere, or I am right in the middle of doing something.

Chronic pain does not forgive, nor does it wait for anyone.

If you want to suggest a cure to me, please don't. It's not because I don't appriciate the thought, and it's not because I don't want to get well. Lord knows that isn't true. In all likelihood if you've heard of it or tried it, so have I. In some cases, I have been made sicker, not better. This can involve side effects or allergic reactions. It also has includes failure, which in and of itself can make me feel even lower. If there was something that cured, or even helped people with my form of chronic pain, then we'd know about it. There is worldwide networking (both on and off the Internet) between people with chronic pain. If something worked, we would KNOW. Its definately not for lack of trying. If, after reading this, you still feel the need to suggest a cure, then so be it. I may take what you said and discuss it with my doctor.

If I seem touchy, its probably because I am. It's not how I try to be. As a matter of fact, I try very hard to be "normal." I hope you will try to understand my situation unless you have been in my shoes, but as much as possible, I am asking you to try to be understanding in general.

In many ways I depend on you - people who are not sick. I need you to visit me when I am too sick to go out. Sometimes I need you to help me with the shopping, cooking or cleaning. I may need you to take me to the doctor, or to the store. You are my link to normalcy of life. You can help me to keep in touch with the parts of my life that I miss and fully intend to undertake again, just as soon as I am able.

I know that I ask a lot from you, and I thank you for listening. It really does mean a lot....





(Author unknown)

Birthday Week

Last Saturday, my baby, Eden, turned two years old. Today, my husband, Jonathan, turned 31. In our house, this is now called "Birthday Week." It reminds me of my own childhood: my mother's birthday was exactly seven days before my own, just as Eden's is exactly seven days before her father's. When Eden was born, Jonathan said she was the best early-birthday present he's ever gotten.

Happy birthday to my first love, and to my newest.