A Nurse's Journey

Oh heck no

Lillie — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:46:06 +0000

Now I must admit that I have been a big girl all my 60 plus years and most likely will stay that way. But when I read an article about a woman that was not hired by Weight Watcher because after losing 118 pounds and now only wearing a size 12, she was still too fat for their company made my blood was boil! Lynae Remondino’s other Qualifications included experience as a teacher both in class work and online.

Now I am five one and in no way would I be called fat if I was a size 12. This type of attitude is what got the young girls in America suffering from eating disorders and suffering from poor self esteem which sets up a whole other list of problems.

When going through the phone interview everything was going so well that her work schedule had even been discussed. The interviewer then asked about her body mass index and the you know what hit the fan. The interview was over.

What the heck are women to do? Are we to all turn into Stepford wives and become the perfect size two? No thanks. I think if a women is healthy and a size 12 and has lost 118 pounds she would be a perfect role model for someone trying to loose weight. As a three time drop out from Weight Watchers, I know it was hard for me to listen to people who touted their 20 or 30 pound loss to become the fine figure they were at, when I had so much more to loose.

Good luck Lynae you will find a job that will need all your fine qualifications. You are a hero to all us big girls.

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/08/31/weight-watchers-biased/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-w%7Cdl10%7Csec1_lnk1%7C167735

Wrong number rings up a long distance friendship

Lillie — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:51:11 +0000

Five years ago I suffered a stroke which has left me with some instability upon walking and a glitch in my memory hard drive.
My once excellent memory now infrequently has me transposing numbers thus I sometimes dial the wrong number when making a phone call. While trying to call my sister-in-law, I have reached a wonderful woman in Greensboro, and we are now talking like life long friends.

She is the mother of a large family with lots of grand kids. She has spent a lot of time singing in different venues and her love for music is confirmed because each time I call I hear the melodic sounds playing in the background. I have been regaled with stories about her family and her many travels connected with her music.

I wonder at how a wrong number has given me a look into such a rich, full life. This woman is 83 but sounds 45. Young but with life experiences. After telling my sister-in-law about my new friend she had to call her. And she has the same impression of this fine woman and hopes to meet her someday. I had wanted to write a more in-depth article about her but she is too modest to allow this.

I thank my lucky stars that we have connected and I have been allowed to share a look into her life. Mary thank you for impacting my life. I hope we will be able to continue our little chats. You are an inspiration to me. And that is how a wrong number turned into a blessing.

San Diego’s dirty little secret

Lillie — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:41:52 +0000

Transplanted beach bunny that I am, I love America’s Finest City. The beautiful weather and the friendly people of all shapes and hues. The city sports a coastline that is so picturesque that it makes your heart sing. But beneath it all, there is a dirty secret that most residents wouldn’t want you to know about. There is an army of terrorist waging their seasonal fight against the citizens of this fair city!

Personally I am putting on my imaginary pink hard hat, given to me by my cyber husband (that’s another story), arming myself with organic bug spray, and marching into battle against the hoard of ants that have had the nerve to invade my house!

Stop, before you say lock up the food. Everything will be alright. Wrong! These devils have bypassed my kitchen and marched into the sanctuary of MY bedroom. I do not eat in there or store treats in there so why are they there? I have been told they are looking for water. Well why bypass the bathroom and torture me?

I am putting them on alert. I will no longer stand for this and the fight is on. I have to be careful of the tools I use because of my allergies to chemicals. But its on and popping! This will be a fight to death.

I promise to use any and every organic weapon I can find. There may be million of you but the line is drawn. Lillie will not fail!

Charge! Let the best warrior win!!!!

Motherhood is not for the weak at heart

Lillie — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:49:55 +0000

A twenty-nine year old South Carolina women, mother of two young kids, killed them because she became frustrated with being a mother. Duh

This women who had two small children close in age and no job, was at her wits end. She had just had a fight with her mother who was trying for tough love and pushed her over the brink. She took a page from Susan Smith’s book and smothered her kids and drove them in the river.

As a mother of two kids I can remember and still feel sorry for scaring my kid. One day I had worked the night shift stayed up all day then took the kids to afternoon activities. After picking them up and driving home my kids asked what was for dinner. I was so tired and the thought of cooking drained all the strength from my body. I asked them “do you have to eat?” All of a sudden the car was very quiet and I turned to see two little frighten kids eyes wide with fright. Well that shocked me back into mammy mode and my kids were fed. How could you look into your kids eyes as the life fades from them without coming to your senses in time?

I am sure there isn’t a mother alive that hasn’t felt she couldn’t take all the work for one minute more but didn’t kill her kids. I am sorry for this women but I can tell her that she won’t have to worry about the kid’s work or anything else because the state of South Carolina is going to provide you with all your needs for the rest of your life. That is unless they decide to give you the hot shot!

God bless those little kids. They are in a better place now.

Am I out of touch with reality?

Lillie — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:42:18 +0000

I am single and for the most part love it. I don’t have to answer to anyone. When the little brown truck comes to the door I don’t have to answer to anyone about how much I spent. Or when I go to look for socks in the drawer where they belong, I know they are there.

Except for six years since 1987 I have been alone. I would love to hear from some of you after you read this post. I have found all these old men in their sixties and seventies that think they are sex machines and can only talk sex which I click off. Am I wrong? Are there no men who want to be friends? I am not a prude but yikes can’t we talk sports, art, or something else? These men are acting like sixteen year old adolescents. Is it that little blue pill that has made them go crazy? No wonder you see such large groups of older women without men. At our age we don’t want to be pounced upon by sex crazed old farts!

Men get a grip! Spend a little time talking with a female get to know her. Yes we are on our last lap but trying to jump someone’s bones right out of the shoot isn’t going to get you what you want.

If there are other women with similar or opposing views, let me hear from you.

Some days just make you smile

Lillie — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:20:05 +0000

Living in this time of economic instability and shooting of innocent people, we need a day that puts a smile on our faces. I had such a day recently. It may not be important to anyone else but me but thought I would share it with you.

Being over sixty, most of the people I knew as a child that were in my parents age group have passed away. I was surprised when a friend told me the women who was our hair dresser when we were young is still alive! I thought she would be in a nursing home. Boy was I wrong! She is lucid, walking around, going to church, and to the senior citizen center, to which she drives! Now I want to be like her when I grow up.

I called this wonderful woman up and we had the most delightful conversation. She remembered me. We shared stories from some fifty years ago. I was able to thank her for treating me like a little grownup while she pressed my hair with those dreaded hot combs! She sometimes burned the tips of my ears but that was the price Black women of all ages paid to look good back then! What a joy it was to step back in time and talk to an ancestor who was a role model for the young Black women of my time.

To Mrs. Mae McCorkle, I thank you for being a wonderful inspiration and role model. Stay well we still need you!!!

Serena’s royal snub but revenge is sweet!

Lillie — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:35:34 +0000

Being a top winning tennis player doesn’t mean you will get respect. The powers that be moved Serena from the center court to the north forty. Serena had been practicing her curtsy in hopes that she would be presented to the queen. Little did she know that she would be snubbed and in her place would be put a young blond unranked player.

There are two theories on why this was done. Last year Serena had a center court melt down worthy of John McEnroe where she threaten the judges and let out a stream of expletives. Good sportsmanship? NO! But with adrenalin flowing this happened. Now the second theory is darker and more evil. Was this women of color denied her place in the sun because of her color? Whatever the reason Serena took her ire out on her opponent Ana Chakvetadze. She annihilated her!

Serena, congratulations! In the south we have a saying. The best revenge is doing well! Continue to win whether in center court or the north forty!

How much is love worth?

Lillie — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:12:21 +0000

Recently I read an article about a couple who spent over three thousand dollars for surgery for their six month old puppy who had made a meal out of some cds. I know that there are families with children that have no health insurance or some lacking meals. It may seem shallow to some. But if you are a true pet lover, they are family and I would personally spend what I could to save my fur child.

One of my golden retrievers had allergies. I did not have to fork over thousands of dollars at one time. But over her fourteen years I spent thousands for her special food, medications, and special weekly baths that the mobile groomer lovingly gave her. Since she was spoiled beyond belief, she and her sister got to drink beef flavored bottled water once a day.

How much is too much? Well when her sister was sixteen years old when she lost the use of her back legs. An operation might have helped but at her age she had a poor chance to survival. Being retired and now on a fixed income I did not have the money for the surgery. Three years later I still feel I failed her. But if I had been working I would have tried to save her.

Love has no price for a family friend. If you have the means and a way to save your friend. Do it! They give your more in return than money can buy.

Sugar and Spice

Stupid is as stupid does

Lillie — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:16:10 +0000

People in my age group have an excuse that we have not lived with computers all our lives. But a twenty-four year old should have known better. What might you ask am I talking about? Well friends, one of the mascots for the Pittsburgh Pirates in what I am sure was frustration because his team is playing so poorly. They have lost twelve straight games. He posted on his Facebook page remarks about the extension of general manger and manager Russell and Neal.

Now this young man was fired from his one hundred dollar a gig job for speaking his mind. If you don’t want to pay the piper keep your mouth shut. One lady in England even lost her life after her estranged husband read her post.

To all who don’t know this, what you post on your Facebook page is not private unless you make it private. It is for the world to see. So again people it may be fun to speak your mind on Facebook, but be ready to answer for what you say. So be advised. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

What really makes a father?

Lillie — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:40:48 +0000

On this day when we celebrate Father’s day, some may wonder what makes a good dad. At different times of our lives the answer may be varied as our own life experiences shape us. At this late stage of my life when I have raised my own kids, I have a deep feeling of love and admiration for my dad.

My dad was a large man with a big personality and presentation. He was quiet but when he spoke everyone listened. When I was young there were three of us. Another one came along twenty five years later. This was during a time where if you weren’t a teacher or a business man, jobs were menial. My dad worked these jobs but found his way to ones with the best pay and benefits, so we grew up with a roof over our heads and good food to nourish us. There was even a little extra for the Saturday movies.

We started out in a rented small apartment and we moved several times. Each time it was to a better place until we got our own home. As we moved up in our dwellings, my dad was moving up in his careers.

Mr B as my dad was called around town, managed a bowling alley. He was hired as the first Black deputy sheriff in our hometown. Then came his job as sports director at the Job Corp whose sports field now has his name. No one was more suited for this job than my dad.

My dad was a sports man. Tennis, football, baseball, and basketball. He played them all but most of all he shared his knowledge with the boys in the community. In a way he fathered them as well he was a father figure for many of them that didn’t have a man in their lives. He has been gone since 1997, but in the last few months I met a classmate that told me a story about how my dad help him when he was young.

Did I know that this man who I call daddy was such a community figure or that he helped others? No! I only knew that he was there to protect and care for us. As an adult I now know what he did for us and others. One thing that sticks out in my mind was of my father saving me in the middle of the night at great risk to himself.

Folks this was in the early sixties. I was coming home on holiday from nursing school. I usually flew home but this time I talked my parents in to letting me take the bus. To cut this short I got left in a small segregated town during a rest stop. My father got out of bed and drove several hours to pick me up. Why was this big deal? Well back then a Black man in a Cadillac, in the middle of the night, was a magnet for trouble from the guys dressed in sheets.

Do you want to know what this day is to celebrate? Its men who give their all in the thankless job of raising kids who will not understand their sacrifice until they have grown up and raised their own kids.

So dad, Mr B, I salute you and love you because you were a father who gave us his all.

Fein knows the way to San Jose

Lillie — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 18:43:28 +0000

Unlike the cry of Dionne Warwick, Fein the eight week old puppy, does know the way to San Jose. Just get on the flight for Portland Maine and Delta will send you to San Jose California!

Fein’s human parent bought him from a breeder in South Carolina. The breeder put him on a flight to Atlanta. All went well until he got to Atlanta. Then the bottom fell out. Fein was then shipped out to San Jose. When his mom went to pick him up no one was able to tell her where he was until the next morning. Delta then put him on the red eye and got him home.

Folks this is the same airline that botched two kids flying on their airlines this past week. Sending one child meant to be in Cleveland to Boston and one meant for Boston to Cleveland. To make this right Delta refunded their fare.

But with Fein, someones fur kid, they have not uttered a word of apology or explanation. The person that took the complaint even got huffy with Fein’s parents!

As a dog lover I would be throat ripping out mad. We dog lovers are as passionate about our dogs as our kids. Why pay all the money that you shell out for airlines to take care of your kids whether they have fur or not if they can’t provide the service that they were paid for?

No good deed goes unpunished

Lillie — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:15:03 +0000

I am sure that when Dan Coyne donated his kidney to Myra de la Vega, a single parent he hardly knew, he never expected the fall out he has gotten.

Coyne is a teacher in Evanston Ill. and the people there have declared him a hero. The school there even had a day specially for him and made the idea of his gift part of the school curriculum. With many people waiting for a kidney and so few available, it was truly a gift of love and life. As a mother of a son who needs a kidney, I understand what a great gift this was.

But apparently now the god of the bureaucracy has decided to make this kind man’s life a living hell. He will have to move from Evanston to Chicago or lose his job! This is after telling him earlier that would not be necessary.

For some reason it is being said that he has shown conduct unbecoming an employee. This was not explained in the article that I read. But this makes no sense whatsoever. Coyne now has to move to Chicago and leave his family, community and the church he loves.

I would like to be able to wrap this up without emotion but I can’t. Has the world gone mad? What is the reason for this? Does no good deed go unpunished?

Lavish gift does not a good father make

Lillie — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 17:29:58 +0000

Martin Bashsir while interviewing P Diddy on his $350,000 automobile gift to his sixteen year old son, was met with the answer that he could give his kid what ever he wanted to. Now that was not the question. The question was how appropriate was this gift?

As a single parent who often bought her kids lots of things because I felt bad that I had not picked a better father for them, and I had to work a lot. But unlike P. Diddy my kids came from a marriage and they both had the same father. He just was not father material.

Not speaking for Bashir, I think what he was asking is what will this kid have to look forward to and strive for? Next what happens when someone tries to take away this pricey gift from a child? This is a magnet for the bad guys. Children of the rich have such a hard time any way why handicap them with this sort of gift? Should you not give your child a nice car if you can afford it? Yes. But one of this magnitude is asking for trouble. Besides the lure of this high ticket item, I bet it has the engine of a jet. Young boys and high speed cars are asking for trouble!

Give gifts. But time with them is better and will be remembered when you are long gone.

Bad luck my freaking #$%!

Lillie — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:23:40 +0000

Sorry for the expletives but this article has put color in my pale face which is now red with anger. An eighty-three year old man went into the hospital for a gallbladder surgery and ended up having his kidney removed! I will admit that my many years as a nurse wasn’t spent in the operating room. But I did a rotation on a surgical unit where I learned about the safeguards used to prevent this type of thing from happening. And with my recent surgeries in 2004, I observed the new safeguards in place. I do believe, if I remember correctly, that a wrist band was placed on me that had what surgery was to be performed. Also when the doctor enters the surgical suite there is a list of the day’s surgeries with what is to be done. I have a problem with doctors doing so many surgeries on the elderly. Could this patient’s symptoms not been handled with medication?

The investigation stated the reason this happened was because the patient had an unusual anatomy and scares from other operations. This is so much hogwash. A gallbladder is balloon shaped and a kidney is bean shaped. What is the punishment for this kind of malpractice?

Five thousand dollars and fifty hours of public service. Where is the justice in this? And to top it off, the man died three weeks later. Was this old age or complications from this botched surgery?

Wake up America! Our health care system has been compromised by the lack of enough good professionals. If a slap on the wrist is the only thing that will happen to a doctor when he botches a surgery god help us all!

Enough is enough

Lillie — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 23:50:06 +0000

In my sixty plus years the absurdity of life has struck me in the worse way. Because people choose to champion the most ridiculous causes. I know they think they have a stalwart cause, but enough is a enough! It is again the time of the year when young people around the country head off to Washington DC to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

I have watched in awe as these pint size people spell words that make me shake my head. If it wasn’t for the advent of spell checker, and my daughter, this spelling challenged girl would not be writing this blog. I so wanted to be a doctor but my mom advised me that I would kill my patients with my spelling. So off I went to nursing school where it worked out well for me and my family!

Back to the spelling bee. This year four people decided that we need to revamp the English spelling of words and spell them as they are pronounced. Such as enough to enof and fruit to froot. So in their bee costumes they picketed the National Spelling Bee. Well this sounds sensible but what a mess this would cause the reading and spelling world as we now know it. It would cause turmoil the world over!

To these people I have this to say. Get a grip! Go out and feed the hungry! Help save the whales or injured pets or help the elderly. Leave the spelling bee alone. Make a real difference! Enough is Enough!!

Kudos to Pete Carroll

Lillie — Sun, 30 May 2010 18:24:06 +0000

I am not trying to be a sportswriter but my readers know that I try to write about whatever subject that is along in my thoughts. Sports have always been a big part of my life. From a young girl listening to my father the coach, referee, and umpire, to my daughter the softball player and fantastic basketball guard. Then there was my son the bowler carrying a 240 average as a teen. Sports are important to me. But I have long wondered how someone who could be blessed with talent and the chance to get to the big time could mess it up. Well another football player has bit the dust. LenDale White was traded from the Tennessee Titans for the fourth and fifth round draft picks of the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks just cut him.

Some may cry foul because the coach (Pete Carroll) is the same man that LenDale helped put on the map when they were at USC. Times have changed and LenDale is no longer hungry or needs to prove himself so his work ethics have slacked off. He has also gotten in trouble with the leagues drug policies and was due for a suspension.

To be kicked to the curb by an old friend and mentor could be a wake up call for this young man. I am sure some team will pick his butt up and he will have to work harder and stay out of trouble. If more coaches would do this maybe we would see less of these sports figures on the front page of the crime section and view then on the sports pages where they belong.

At what age can you expect respect

Lillie — Sat, 29 May 2010 18:19:47 +0000

CNN reported on a Pennsylvania lady who at 103, is still driving. To make it even better it’s a Cadillac and it’s one of those old land yachts we remember as kids. But boy is it well kept. This distinguished, well dressed, Black woman was shown getting in her car, dressed to the nines in her white suit, every hair in place, tooling around town. What music did CNN decide to play in the background for this story? None other than a Coolio song with the N word in it!

Why should this fine woman be subjected to this kind of treatment? If they wanted to be cute they could have used Natalie Cole’s Pink Cadillac! Its lively and appropriate. But NO they had to us the gangsta type music for this woman! A woman who went through all the civil rights fights and I am sure she can tell tales from her family about slavery. What was CNN thinking!

The sound of spring

Lillie — Fri, 28 May 2010 04:40:18 +0000

As I suffer through May gloom, the San Diego Padres are heating up the city by holding onto first place in their division. Now this is somewhat of a surprise since they can’t hit their way out of a wet paper bag. Or as well as I could if I used my cane to take a swing!

We had a hitting machine in Adrian Gonzales but the big guy went into a slump that dropped his batting average from the low 300’s to 256. Well he has started to come back. In fact the other day, to the Mariner’s dismay, he had 6 hits in one game! Welcome back Adrian. Now let’s look at Little Tony. He seems to be as nice as his father and has a good eye. He can get walks by being patient but he does not have his father hitting skills. The one person we can count on is Eckstein. He is the team’s leading hitter and his defensive plays are what we San Diegians yell “hang a star on that baby!”

You may ask with all these problems how can we be in first place? Well it’s called great pitching! Like Latos who almost had a no hitter, Correia, and Garland. But the trios of Gregerson, Adam, and oh my god, big Heath Bell, who have ruled the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, and are unbelievable. I must mention our new catcher, Yorvit Torrealba. He is well versed in the game. He will visit the mound when the game is tight so that he and the pitcher are in sync.

This southern girl could not be happier if she was sitting on the front porch swing drinking mint juleps. As long as those maple bats keep creaking and the guys keep winning, I am a happy camper.

Go Padres!!!

Set up to fail

Lillie — Thu, 20 May 2010 01:13:52 +0000

Like most of the country and maybe the world, with the advent of computers, I watched a teacher mince, beat, and kicked a student. I was first outraged and felt that nothing could justify her actions. While I still feel that way, I now have a better understanding of what made her snap and snap she did. I had read the account of the beating and then watched her apology. But this morning I saw her on Good Morning America and got a better view of what was going on,

First this was not a regular school. This school housed students with mental, emotional, and in some cases, problems with the law. I have some what a first hand knowledge of this type of school as two of my sisters, and my daughter, worked in the same type of schools. And to say its not easy, is not even close to what really is the truth.

Second this two time Teacher of the Year stated that she and others had little or no training on how to handle these types of hard case students. Next there was no security in place to protect students or staff when students gets out of hand. She also stated that the school was expecting a review type board that day. I have been in hospitals when staff is under pressure to meet standards under these difficult conditions. The pressure to perform is beyond belief.

Now here is what is sticking in my throat. The mother is now going to sue. But it seems like she was not a hands on mother and this child was moved around with little guidance, stability, or support, from her. The smell of money is bringing her out crying foul.

Then there is the school itself. Yes they fired the teacher. But what part did they have in this? No training for the staff. No protection for anyone in what can be a very volatile situation. They set this teaches up to fail and fail she did. I hope the public will bring pressure on the school to change their policies so both staff and students will never have to go through this again.

Wow, Book me a ticket on Virgin Airline

Lillie — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:49:42 +0000

Recently the passengers on a Virgin Airline flight from Los Angeles to New York’s JFK airport were treated to sixteen hours of hell. The flight had to be detoured to another city where they spent long hours on the tarmac. The travelers sat for hours and were told if they left the plane they would not be allowed back on the flight. Food was running low, the staff at one point rationed out four potato chips and a cup of water. One person had a panic attack. Even the staff were reaching their limits. A flight attendants even became verbally abusive.

Airlines have gotten so high and mighty they feel the can treat the people who pay them with this kind of service. How can you justify leaving people stuffed in the plane when they could at least go into the terminal and stretch their legs to get food or something to drink. As an older diabetic with high blood pressure I feel my life would be at risk if I was on such a flight.

Jet Blue, who has the worse record of any airline, came to the rescue of the flyers and they were bussed into New York’s JFK to make further connections for their flight.

There is now a bill that will soon go into effect that will fine the airline which seems to me to be a crazy sum of $27,500 per person if a flight is not cancelled after three hours. This bill is sponsored by California’s Barbara Boxer. I think this is excessive and could run an airline out of business. There has to be a happy medium. Airline should no longer be allowed to mistreat their patrons.