I decided to review this new rental because of the message it leaves behind. Aaron Eckhart ( Two Face / The Dark Knight, Bill ) plays a widowed self help grief author who comes to a Seattle Hotel to hold his latest seminar. There he meets Jennifer Aniston, ( needs no introductions) a lonely owner of a flower shop, disillusioned with love. Their hostile first encounter in the hotel as she is arranging her floral arrangements sets the typical and no surprise element on the way the story is suppose to go from there. Two hurting people start out in anger, and fall in love. But the story is much more deeper then that. It is about the power of secrets and the power of truth, and what each power can and will do to you once you allow both of them to have control.
The previews on this movie makes the viewer believe this story is more comedy then it actually is.
With the first opening scenes you surely see the title character has some issue's. He does not want to be in Seattle because this is where his tragedy started and he hasn't been back since. He clearly has a hard time practicing what he preaches in his book tilted " I'm OK". . There is much more to him then he shares and he is clearly tortured within. You know that this man is not ok. He lost his wife in a terrible car accident . He has written a best selling book that makes the reader believe he is the 'guru' of grief survival and takes his 'followers' through hands on counseling sessions, therapy shopping, and even walking on hot rocks to help them with their grief. He preaches to face and release your fears, communicate honesty, and use no substances to hide your sadness. Behind the scenes he cannot use an elevator, cannot open up and face his grief , drinks alcohol and has not talked with his family and in laws since the tragic death .
He is full of contradiction and suffering , and he slowly realizes this being in his hometown stricken with painful memories and feelings of new love. His phony world starts to cave in until that moment of Epiphany hits him and he is set free from the power of denial, fear and dishonesty.
I think many of us can relate to such times in our life. We hide behind an illusion. We have convinced ourselves that we are OK and in fact we are not. We hide behind drugs or alcohol or any other thing that dulls the pain of reality. We can write a great book on 'how to' and never actually live it. We can sing a song of freedom but never know how to be free. We can speak about being honest and live a life full of secrets.
It is a simple truth and message in this movie but a complex and difficult journey to actually get there. There is so much at stake with truth sometimes. Shame, guilt, responsibility and the big one~ forgiving yourself... Ultimately the power of it is a freedom that heals you from the inside out, and can set your future on a remarkable positive path.
The power of truth far out weighs the power of denial but they both have very strong pulls. The scene of the character's defining moment of reality is powerful, healing and emotional. As the saying goes "you're only as healthy as your secrets"...so true. Living a life of truth brings a power of great well being. Living a life of secrets and shame only brings pain and torment as you live in an emotional prison. The freedom to breathe honest air is so much better then choking on the air of a dishonest life.
I recommend this movie because of the deeper message. What starts out as a typical 'lifetime' chick flick turns into a simple yet powerful life lesson that is never to old to learn.
~We tell lies when we are afraid... afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger. ~Tad Williams~
Friday, March 5, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
"2012" I guess it wasn't a good year
When I first saw the trailer and the Adam Lambert video way back when I couldn't wait to see this movie. Then time went by and well, ya know how that goes. Most of you have seen it by now I'm sure.I decided not to really get into my views about the Mayan calender but instead just review it as a plain and simple disaster flick. Do I believe the world will end in 2012? nope..There ya go. It's like when I saw 'The Da Vinci Code", I watched it as a thriller, a fictional story. Do I believe Christ was married and had kids? auh, let me think...Nope again.. If watching a movie changes my views on my Biblical standards or my personal faith its time to examine that REAL closely. Ok, so saying all that I just want to talk about the movie itself..I really like disaster films. I love the special effects and WOW do you get them with this movie! this would be a perfect ride at Universal Studios. Strap ya into some kind of airplane seat and soar into , around , up, down and out of crashing cars, crumbling buildings, falling bridges, with the earth swallowing up cities, and spitting out tsunami's. I mean, its friggin crazy!
It was a long movie, to long I think. When I start to notice how long a movie is as I'm watching it, that means ummmm lets wrap it up people!
I suppose I should talk about the actors a bit right? well , what actors? they couldn't compete with the effects. I adore John Cusack, like Danny Glover and appreciate Amanda Peet but the producer's could have hired my neighbors and saved lots of money..This wasn't an actors movie, they were all there for the back drop. Unlike one of my favorites "Armageddon" the cast and characters of that film made it fun and it wasn't just the effects that grabbed me. Harry Stamper and his group of rough necks were a blast.
The story itself is weak and one could tell the writer didn't take his time in cultivating a detailed and interesting character study for the relationships involved or even the Mayan explanations. The world doesn't get to know they have 8 hours to live until the President (Danny Glover) has an epiphany that getting the chance to say goodbye to your loved ones might be a good thing instead of keeping us all in the dark for 2 years. Thanks. Had I known maaaaybe I would have kept mom out of the nursing home, not thrown my teenager out or divorced my husband. :) well that's all water over the earth now huh??
Bottom line, if you don't have enough money to buy yourself an E ticket on the Ark, you're toast and see ya on the other side.Did I like the movie? yes..but that isn't saying much, heck I liked "Benchwarmers" alot! lol.
There just isn't a lot to say about this movie. It had scary ass effects, unimpressive acting, animals dangling from helicopters, yep that's what I said, and modern day Arks. I guess Noah had the right idea all along!! I do recommend the movie just because ..Do I have to have a great reason? I am glad I waited for the rental and it saved me from watching another 2 hours of American Idol . Is there a message in this movie? of course there is... "we're going to need a bigger boat"
Grab your lifejacket, some popcorn and enjoy!!
It was a long movie, to long I think. When I start to notice how long a movie is as I'm watching it, that means ummmm lets wrap it up people!
I suppose I should talk about the actors a bit right? well , what actors? they couldn't compete with the effects. I adore John Cusack, like Danny Glover and appreciate Amanda Peet but the producer's could have hired my neighbors and saved lots of money..This wasn't an actors movie, they were all there for the back drop. Unlike one of my favorites "Armageddon" the cast and characters of that film made it fun and it wasn't just the effects that grabbed me. Harry Stamper and his group of rough necks were a blast.
The story itself is weak and one could tell the writer didn't take his time in cultivating a detailed and interesting character study for the relationships involved or even the Mayan explanations. The world doesn't get to know they have 8 hours to live until the President (Danny Glover) has an epiphany that getting the chance to say goodbye to your loved ones might be a good thing instead of keeping us all in the dark for 2 years. Thanks. Had I known maaaaybe I would have kept mom out of the nursing home, not thrown my teenager out or divorced my husband. :) well that's all water over the earth now huh??
Bottom line, if you don't have enough money to buy yourself an E ticket on the Ark, you're toast and see ya on the other side.Did I like the movie? yes..but that isn't saying much, heck I liked "Benchwarmers" alot! lol.
There just isn't a lot to say about this movie. It had scary ass effects, unimpressive acting, animals dangling from helicopters, yep that's what I said, and modern day Arks. I guess Noah had the right idea all along!! I do recommend the movie just because ..Do I have to have a great reason? I am glad I waited for the rental and it saved me from watching another 2 hours of American Idol . Is there a message in this movie? of course there is... "we're going to need a bigger boat"
Grab your lifejacket, some popcorn and enjoy!!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
"People who snore always fall asleep first"
First of all let me say I love my husband. I met Matt in high school in 1972 and our personal story reads something like a romance novel with wild adventures, intrigue, drama, trauma and humor. Most of you know our story and rejoice with us. He knows I love him like no other and look forward in growing old together and someday ending our life on earth like the last scene in the movie "The Notebook".
Unless, of course I kill him first!.....................
You see, up until about 3-4 years ago Matt was a peaceful sleeper. We both were. Going to bed with him was a delightful time of cuddling and 'spooning' with soft whispers and sweet good nights. That was then, this is NOW............. Suddenly without much warning he has turned into a noisy, nervous, shaky, growling mess that has taken over our entire "once upon a time" nighttime bliss.
What happened? I don't friggin know. Age maybe, allergies? aliens? .Maybe the same evil that stole my hormones (see menopause blog) entered Matt and turned him into a night terror. Between his shake, rattle and rolls and my hot flashes and insomnia ,our bedroom has turned into a chamber of horror.
I started noticing that Matt's feet would shake at night. yea, shake, like a strange quiver..It wasn't bad but it was enough to keep me up. We figured it was some strange restless foot thing. It was so odd..Once asleep his feet would start dancing around the bed like Fred Astaire. Of course Matt never knew he was doing this and I would lay awake counting the seconds between the start and the finish. Normally it would be 3 seconds of dance every 20 seconds..yea, I wasn't counting sheep, I was counting foot action.. He tried certain medications, but nothing seemed to work..Eventually we had to buy a new bed, a king size so that he could shake way over on his own side. It made us laugh.. The day we went looking for a bed, we were laughing hysterically because Matt would try a bed out, lay on one end and then make me lay on the opposite side while he made his feet shake..He would say "so honey did you feel that over there?"...the look on the salesman's face was priceless!
Now, 4 years later, the days of laughter are OVER! what started out as a harmless nervous foot tick has turned into a full fledged dancing routine with grunts, groans, snoring, , death rattles, coughing, talking and Lamaze breathing. Yep, one would swear he is giving birth...I can watch him as his feet shaking travels up into his entire body and at times he will move his foot, then followed by a knee turn, then shoulder twist, and gentle head thrust. Maybe he is a frustrated gymnast or worse...ballerina........ That's the nights at the Stevens house.. Problem is, Matt doesn't know it, or didn't know it..He was in denial for quite sometime..You know how we all are " oh no honey I don't snore, I don't shake the bed, I don't talk in my sleep, I'm not demon possessed".........yea whatever! In the middle of one of his zombie death cries I might shove him a bit to make him aware to turn, he wakes for a moment to say" I wasn't sleeping, why did you do that?"...lol..OMG...my comment? "no human being makes those kinds of vile sounds if you're awake". Unless of course you're on crack...Total denial... one night after being kept up for hours I knew I had to get proof..Matt was deep into his active coma and I grabbed the camera and started taking movies..
In the morning I had the delight of showing him his evil twin that takes over his body during his REM sleep..He was shocked! I was of course.........RIGHT! it was like something out of Paranormal Activity..
Ok...so , was that the start of a happy ending? Did Matt's confrontation with ' psycho sleep man' give him the motivation to seek help??....what do YOU think??.......and why do you think that?? come on we ALL know why!! ..say it!!........because it doesn't effect HIM!!!!!!! he's friggin sleeping!!!!! One of the worse things he says to me now is "gee honey I slept like a rock last night" My bloodshot, sagging eyes just glare as they pierce his soul.."hey, how does this rock feel upside your head?"
We did try some simple things at first to help. Since he is so loud we bought a noisy fan to put on my night table to block out his suffering animal calls. We would even take the fan with us on vacation, yep, I packed that sucker right in the suitcase, it was saving our marriage! We put a long pillow between us so that when he starts to dance he wouldn't grab a partner. I tried going to bed before him so I would be asleep before the 'change' but some how the evils of the night would prevail as I'm suddenly awakened by the dancing beast, snarling, moaning, and breathing IN MY FACE! The rattling sounds coming out of his face are surely alien of nature..I poke him with a little EXTRA aggression and he moves to the other side, only to start again...This has become a nightly disaster that has no end. Once Matt closes his eyes and drifts off to lala land, his body goes into full annoying mode. The other night as I was almost asleep he suddenly started talking..yep, now its talking!! as if dancing and snorting isn't enough! I laid there as he said " auh no, oh no..,oh shit"...I had to laugh!! I mean what the?? those should be my words!
Did I say I love my husband?? yes, I do..and because we love each other we might have to take drastic steps and do the unthinkable. Separate rooms! you have to pick your battles in life ya know..Do I sleep in another room or smother my husband with a pillow? its a simple question.
Being sleep deprived and menopausal is a dangerous combination. I wonder how he can feel fully refreshed in the morning from a night of endless movement, breathing horror's, talking, trips to the bathroom, and noises that come out of every orifice of his body..I mean I'm exhausted, and yet he pops out of bed like toast in a toaster.
So, here we are, getting ready to enter the 'empty nest' phase of our married life. The time when the kids are gone, the romance starts up again and you rekindle the honeymoon years..
Oh really?? The only thing I want to rekindle is a decent nights sleep without sleeping with the shrieking eel. Our ideas have been 1) Bunk beds, but their so unattractive and no doubt at this age, someone might break a hip just trying to get down. 2)Separate beds in the same room? Well I wish that would work, but unfortunately no matter how many noise makers one puts in the room with a howling cat, you still hear it! and want to kick it out into the freezing rain so that it stops its ridiculous howling and.......oh, you know I'm talking about the cat right? 3) Powerful sedating drugs...I personally like this one being a child from the 60's but the hangover is a bitch...a half bottle of NyQuil and you won't move for 2 days! 4) The Marriott Hotel, but then I have to come back..5) Open for suggestions..
Of course Matt's solution to this problem and every problem is the same. It is not a sleep study, drugs, changing rooms, changing beds, surgery, psycho therapy or diet...Most men, all men would say the same thing...The answer is sex. Sex will fix it, cure it, heal it, solve it.
Well my sleepy, irritated, sluggish response to that is " darlin ( with a sigh of loving compassion)...you have more action going on for the both us when your asleep , was it good for you?"
Now where's that friggin NyQuil?
Unless, of course I kill him first!.....................
You see, up until about 3-4 years ago Matt was a peaceful sleeper. We both were. Going to bed with him was a delightful time of cuddling and 'spooning' with soft whispers and sweet good nights. That was then, this is NOW............. Suddenly without much warning he has turned into a noisy, nervous, shaky, growling mess that has taken over our entire "once upon a time" nighttime bliss.
What happened? I don't friggin know. Age maybe, allergies? aliens? .Maybe the same evil that stole my hormones (see menopause blog) entered Matt and turned him into a night terror. Between his shake, rattle and rolls and my hot flashes and insomnia ,our bedroom has turned into a chamber of horror.
I started noticing that Matt's feet would shake at night. yea, shake, like a strange quiver..It wasn't bad but it was enough to keep me up. We figured it was some strange restless foot thing. It was so odd..Once asleep his feet would start dancing around the bed like Fred Astaire. Of course Matt never knew he was doing this and I would lay awake counting the seconds between the start and the finish. Normally it would be 3 seconds of dance every 20 seconds..yea, I wasn't counting sheep, I was counting foot action.. He tried certain medications, but nothing seemed to work..Eventually we had to buy a new bed, a king size so that he could shake way over on his own side. It made us laugh.. The day we went looking for a bed, we were laughing hysterically because Matt would try a bed out, lay on one end and then make me lay on the opposite side while he made his feet shake..He would say "so honey did you feel that over there?"...the look on the salesman's face was priceless!
Now, 4 years later, the days of laughter are OVER! what started out as a harmless nervous foot tick has turned into a full fledged dancing routine with grunts, groans, snoring, , death rattles, coughing, talking and Lamaze breathing. Yep, one would swear he is giving birth...I can watch him as his feet shaking travels up into his entire body and at times he will move his foot, then followed by a knee turn, then shoulder twist, and gentle head thrust. Maybe he is a frustrated gymnast or worse...ballerina........ That's the nights at the Stevens house.. Problem is, Matt doesn't know it, or didn't know it..He was in denial for quite sometime..You know how we all are " oh no honey I don't snore, I don't shake the bed, I don't talk in my sleep, I'm not demon possessed".........yea whatever! In the middle of one of his zombie death cries I might shove him a bit to make him aware to turn, he wakes for a moment to say" I wasn't sleeping, why did you do that?"...lol..OMG...my comment? "no human being makes those kinds of vile sounds if you're awake". Unless of course you're on crack...Total denial... one night after being kept up for hours I knew I had to get proof..Matt was deep into his active coma and I grabbed the camera and started taking movies..
In the morning I had the delight of showing him his evil twin that takes over his body during his REM sleep..He was shocked! I was of course.........RIGHT! it was like something out of Paranormal Activity..
Ok...so , was that the start of a happy ending? Did Matt's confrontation with ' psycho sleep man' give him the motivation to seek help??....what do YOU think??.......and why do you think that?? come on we ALL know why!! ..say it!!........because it doesn't effect HIM!!!!!!! he's friggin sleeping!!!!! One of the worse things he says to me now is "gee honey I slept like a rock last night" My bloodshot, sagging eyes just glare as they pierce his soul.."hey, how does this rock feel upside your head?"
We did try some simple things at first to help. Since he is so loud we bought a noisy fan to put on my night table to block out his suffering animal calls. We would even take the fan with us on vacation, yep, I packed that sucker right in the suitcase, it was saving our marriage! We put a long pillow between us so that when he starts to dance he wouldn't grab a partner. I tried going to bed before him so I would be asleep before the 'change' but some how the evils of the night would prevail as I'm suddenly awakened by the dancing beast, snarling, moaning, and breathing IN MY FACE! The rattling sounds coming out of his face are surely alien of nature..I poke him with a little EXTRA aggression and he moves to the other side, only to start again...This has become a nightly disaster that has no end. Once Matt closes his eyes and drifts off to lala land, his body goes into full annoying mode. The other night as I was almost asleep he suddenly started talking..yep, now its talking!! as if dancing and snorting isn't enough! I laid there as he said " auh no, oh no..,oh shit"...I had to laugh!! I mean what the?? those should be my words!
Did I say I love my husband?? yes, I do..and because we love each other we might have to take drastic steps and do the unthinkable. Separate rooms! you have to pick your battles in life ya know..Do I sleep in another room or smother my husband with a pillow? its a simple question.
Being sleep deprived and menopausal is a dangerous combination. I wonder how he can feel fully refreshed in the morning from a night of endless movement, breathing horror's, talking, trips to the bathroom, and noises that come out of every orifice of his body..I mean I'm exhausted, and yet he pops out of bed like toast in a toaster.
So, here we are, getting ready to enter the 'empty nest' phase of our married life. The time when the kids are gone, the romance starts up again and you rekindle the honeymoon years..
Oh really?? The only thing I want to rekindle is a decent nights sleep without sleeping with the shrieking eel. Our ideas have been 1) Bunk beds, but their so unattractive and no doubt at this age, someone might break a hip just trying to get down. 2)Separate beds in the same room? Well I wish that would work, but unfortunately no matter how many noise makers one puts in the room with a howling cat, you still hear it! and want to kick it out into the freezing rain so that it stops its ridiculous howling and.......oh, you know I'm talking about the cat right? 3) Powerful sedating drugs...I personally like this one being a child from the 60's but the hangover is a bitch...a half bottle of NyQuil and you won't move for 2 days! 4) The Marriott Hotel, but then I have to come back..5) Open for suggestions..
Of course Matt's solution to this problem and every problem is the same. It is not a sleep study, drugs, changing rooms, changing beds, surgery, psycho therapy or diet...Most men, all men would say the same thing...The answer is sex. Sex will fix it, cure it, heal it, solve it.
Well my sleepy, irritated, sluggish response to that is " darlin ( with a sigh of loving compassion)...you have more action going on for the both us when your asleep , was it good for you?"
Now where's that friggin NyQuil?
Friday, November 6, 2009
"Hellmart"
As most of you know I have a hate/hate relationship with Walmart. When my doctor told me yesterday that he was sending my scripts to Walmart I could feel that heaviness down in the pit of my stomach..Ooooooh Walmart I thought...But I was grateful for the service and convinced myself that maybe this time, this trip to Walmart would be a pleasant experience..One can only hope and pray right? I have had so many funny, frustrating and downright ridiculous stories about Walmart that many of my friends encourage me to write a book!!..lol..Actually I have written to the corporate offices and have spoken personally to store management but when your dealing with " that place" (its hard to say or write the word) I have found the best you will get is "I will let somebody know..........click"
I gave that place over 24 hours to get the rx's filled figuring that will make it an easy and fast in and out process..I mean once you step foot in there, you get sucked in and 4 hours later you emerge beaten down and depressed from employee abuse, cart abuse , customer horror's, and clean ups in aisle 1,2 and 3! As I approached the parking lot looking for a space to pull my car in I was already feeling the dread. I parked and proceeded to walk to the front door. Misfit carts were shoved in between the cars as I grabbed one to bring with me.."crap" why do I always get the one with the missing paint, rusted out handle and the three wheels! I left it there. It was either that or end up getting a tetanus..Entering that place you will come up to "the greeter" and as she welcomes you to Walmart she smiles and hands you another cart from hell..Why is she smiling when she must know that she is going to make the customer upset right off the bat by handing them a cart that doesn't work!! I pulled one out and it was the one with the wheel that doesn't move straight, it is the one that decides to rotate sideways and therefore makes the cart unable to move properly. Next I pulled out the cart we all know is surely demon possessed..We have all had that one! The one that for whatever reason will not follow directions. You turn it right, it wants to turn left and you struggle with it throughout the store, fighting and cursing it like a crazy person. By the time you are done shopping with that one you are physically exhausted and mentally drained! Next time I will throw holy water on it! After trying 4 carts I gave up and took the next one hoping it would at least move forward..It did , but after a few steps it started to bounce , shake and squeak and I walked around sounding like a friggin Clydesdale..Needless to say no one even notices the violent and loud cart because theirs sounds the same way! I made my way to the pharmacy and to my delight there was no wait!! I hit the jackpot! I went up and gave her my name..She said "Yes Stacy we have your three prescriptions ready" oh no! I knew there was supposed to be 4..I could feel the gnawing again in my stomach..I mentioned there should be a 4th and she looked on the computer and said "oh, here it is, for the Zantac, says here there is trouble"...Trouble? what the hell kind of trouble could there be with Zantac?? I mean maybe they got the name wrong, its Zantac not Zanax!! she went over and talked to the pharmacist..It was very intriguing..she returned saying "well it is trouble because your Doctor wrote for capsules and for the $10.00 Zantac it must be written for the tablets" it was all very dramatic!..I wonder if she could see my eyes rolling?? I thought to myself "for the love of god people, who cares?? " as we in the medical field know if your doctor had written a script for 'toilet paper' they wouldn't fill it unless it is specifically written for 2 or 3 ply?? geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez! anyway, so there I was stuck at that place, waiting on Zantac..She told me "we called him (meaning my doctor) this morning and we haven't heard back, could you come back in the morning??" now this was close to 5pm. she had no idea what she just asked of me!! to return to Walmart AGAIN??? that's when panic started to get the best of me, I could feel the shaking, the rise of blood pressure, it was getting hard to breathe and I looked down at my phone and prayed I still had my doctors cell phone number!! I did!! and I desperately dialed the number as if I was dialing 911.. Once he spoke to the pharmacist I knew I was on my way out...NOT!! they were impressed that they had their answer but because it was in the 'trouble file ' it would be another 45 minutes to an hour to fill!! oh my gosh! ok...I thought, this will be ok, I will stay calm, this place isn't going to defeat me, "greater is He that is in me" and all the other scriptures I could muster up...I will roam around the store. (surely a Walmart conspiracy to make sure you buy more stuff) I walked away with my wobbly, Clydesdale cart and proceeded to waste an hour....When I returned with my full cart of candles, plants , scented pine cones and other nonsense I didn't need ,I was told that because they were so busy it would be awhile longer, so she suggested to go check out my purchases and come back..I did just that and once that was done I returned to the pharmacy and again stood in line anxiously waiting my turn.. Excited to finally pick up my last item I was then told that it would be another 2 hours and maybe it was best to come back in the morning! 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" I told her in desperation that the girl told me it would be ready in an hour!!! I think I was starting to sweat and hyperventilate..All she could say was "well I'm sorry, we are behind" I looked around for the girl that told me 45 minutes in the first place, maybe she could save me, where is she?? she was gone!! no doubt she had just quit !!.. I stood there realizing why I have this relationship with that place in the first place and told myself once again "never go back in there Stacy, they are trying to destroy you". with my head hanging down in defeat I started to walk towards the door when I suddenly heard my name!! "Stacy!" I turned to see the pharmacist wave me over!! "I have your prescription ready"...it was a miracle, I wanted to hug him!!.....today I walked in to purchase 4 prescriptions for $40.00 , no line, no customers, no problems, no fuss .......2 hours later , my cart filled with time wasting items , a bill of over 150.00, and a new tick. As I left the store and the greeter smiled and said " Thank you for shopping at Walmart and have a nice day" I ran her over with my Clydesdale! Life is good again!
I gave that place over 24 hours to get the rx's filled figuring that will make it an easy and fast in and out process..I mean once you step foot in there, you get sucked in and 4 hours later you emerge beaten down and depressed from employee abuse, cart abuse , customer horror's, and clean ups in aisle 1,2 and 3! As I approached the parking lot looking for a space to pull my car in I was already feeling the dread. I parked and proceeded to walk to the front door. Misfit carts were shoved in between the cars as I grabbed one to bring with me.."crap" why do I always get the one with the missing paint, rusted out handle and the three wheels! I left it there. It was either that or end up getting a tetanus..Entering that place you will come up to "the greeter" and as she welcomes you to Walmart she smiles and hands you another cart from hell..Why is she smiling when she must know that she is going to make the customer upset right off the bat by handing them a cart that doesn't work!! I pulled one out and it was the one with the wheel that doesn't move straight, it is the one that decides to rotate sideways and therefore makes the cart unable to move properly. Next I pulled out the cart we all know is surely demon possessed..We have all had that one! The one that for whatever reason will not follow directions. You turn it right, it wants to turn left and you struggle with it throughout the store, fighting and cursing it like a crazy person. By the time you are done shopping with that one you are physically exhausted and mentally drained! Next time I will throw holy water on it! After trying 4 carts I gave up and took the next one hoping it would at least move forward..It did , but after a few steps it started to bounce , shake and squeak and I walked around sounding like a friggin Clydesdale..Needless to say no one even notices the violent and loud cart because theirs sounds the same way! I made my way to the pharmacy and to my delight there was no wait!! I hit the jackpot! I went up and gave her my name..She said "Yes Stacy we have your three prescriptions ready" oh no! I knew there was supposed to be 4..I could feel the gnawing again in my stomach..I mentioned there should be a 4th and she looked on the computer and said "oh, here it is, for the Zantac, says here there is trouble"...Trouble? what the hell kind of trouble could there be with Zantac?? I mean maybe they got the name wrong, its Zantac not Zanax!! she went over and talked to the pharmacist..It was very intriguing..she returned saying "well it is trouble because your Doctor wrote for capsules and for the $10.00 Zantac it must be written for the tablets" it was all very dramatic!..I wonder if she could see my eyes rolling?? I thought to myself "for the love of god people, who cares?? " as we in the medical field know if your doctor had written a script for 'toilet paper' they wouldn't fill it unless it is specifically written for 2 or 3 ply?? geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez! anyway, so there I was stuck at that place, waiting on Zantac..She told me "we called him (meaning my doctor) this morning and we haven't heard back, could you come back in the morning??" now this was close to 5pm. she had no idea what she just asked of me!! to return to Walmart AGAIN??? that's when panic started to get the best of me, I could feel the shaking, the rise of blood pressure, it was getting hard to breathe and I looked down at my phone and prayed I still had my doctors cell phone number!! I did!! and I desperately dialed the number as if I was dialing 911.. Once he spoke to the pharmacist I knew I was on my way out...NOT!! they were impressed that they had their answer but because it was in the 'trouble file ' it would be another 45 minutes to an hour to fill!! oh my gosh! ok...I thought, this will be ok, I will stay calm, this place isn't going to defeat me, "greater is He that is in me" and all the other scriptures I could muster up...I will roam around the store. (surely a Walmart conspiracy to make sure you buy more stuff) I walked away with my wobbly, Clydesdale cart and proceeded to waste an hour....When I returned with my full cart of candles, plants , scented pine cones and other nonsense I didn't need ,I was told that because they were so busy it would be awhile longer, so she suggested to go check out my purchases and come back..I did just that and once that was done I returned to the pharmacy and again stood in line anxiously waiting my turn.. Excited to finally pick up my last item I was then told that it would be another 2 hours and maybe it was best to come back in the morning! 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" I told her in desperation that the girl told me it would be ready in an hour!!! I think I was starting to sweat and hyperventilate..All she could say was "well I'm sorry, we are behind" I looked around for the girl that told me 45 minutes in the first place, maybe she could save me, where is she?? she was gone!! no doubt she had just quit !!.. I stood there realizing why I have this relationship with that place in the first place and told myself once again "never go back in there Stacy, they are trying to destroy you". with my head hanging down in defeat I started to walk towards the door when I suddenly heard my name!! "Stacy!" I turned to see the pharmacist wave me over!! "I have your prescription ready"...it was a miracle, I wanted to hug him!!.....today I walked in to purchase 4 prescriptions for $40.00 , no line, no customers, no problems, no fuss .......2 hours later , my cart filled with time wasting items , a bill of over 150.00, and a new tick. As I left the store and the greeter smiled and said " Thank you for shopping at Walmart and have a nice day" I ran her over with my Clydesdale! Life is good again!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
My mass following! :)
Because I am such a novice with the blogging business I have no idea on how to tell my friends "how to" become a follower! I have many friends that enjoy my writings but where do you go from there? I have noticed one very lonely follower and I am hoping she will enlighten me !! thanks!
Skip the wait at the doctor's office!
I read this article online today and thought it was good enough to post..Most of this makes sense and is good advise BUT being in the field for close to 20 years , there is always that 'gray area' with my comments in red!
Skip the Wait at the Doctor’s Office.
Get better care and faster service with these tips:
You made an appointment to see your doctor weeks ago and arrived at her office on time. So why are you stuck sitting in the waiting room for more than an hour? "We have a broken system, and many doctors are packing their schedules to make ends meet," says L. Gordon Moore, MD, a family care practitioner and faculty member for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. and that is true. Seeing 30 plus patients a day will almost surely create the schedule to fail from the moment the doors open. Be aware that person before you with the "simple' cough could turn to an admission to the hospital and that 10 minute appointment just sent the doctor's schedule behind 30 minutes.
Even the most punctual among us are late on occasion, so waiting 15 to 20 minutes to see your doctor isn't a big deal. But waiting longer than that isn't just annoying; it could actually hurt your health. "Research shows that patients who spend too long in waiting rooms are less likely to seek the follow-up care that they need," Dr. Moore explains. yes, very true you find yourself not wanting to come back and deal with it and not only that, the patient is so annoyed and upset his pressure rises and he becomes angered and one of those 'problem patients', not quite fair is it?. While the key to solving the problem of long waits primarily lies in the hands of doctors, there are some things patients can do. Try these tips for speedier service:
1. Ask for the first appointment of the day. You will almost always be seen promptly if there's no one in line in front of you. very true!
2. Get your checkups in the off-season. When scheduling a routine appointment, ask the doctor or her office staff if there's a time of year that tends to be slow, says Martha V. White, MD, research director for the Institute for Asthma and Allergy in Wheaton, Maryland. "For some practices, summer is relatively quiet, but ‘seasonality' varies by location and specialty," she says. summer IS better
3. Call ahead. Before you head out, call the doctor's office and ask if he's running on time, suggests Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD, an internist in Atlanta. If you find out he's currently 30 minutes behind schedule, you can leave your home or office a little later instead of spending that time flipping through expired magazines in the waiting room. which can work for you or against you! Most large practices don't like to commit to that in case the doctor suddenly gets back on track then he wonder's where his patients are.Plus there are patients that complain about the schedule, decide to come in later because they assume the doctor is 'always ' late, then the patient gets a late fee because he was 15 minutes late or worse yet, a 'no show' fee because he didn't show up for 30 minutes and was dropped from the schedule! and of course the pressure rises again, the anger, you get the picture.
4. Always make an appointment. Some patients who feel sick just show up at their doctor's office, and many places will try to accommodate patients even if they haven't made an appointment. But without an appointment, the wait will be longer because the doctor won't be expecting you and will have to squeeze you in between other patients, says Robert Carr, MD, a family physician in Southbury, Connecticut. If it's really urgent, go to the ER. yes, chest pain, acute pain go immediately, but waiting in the ER for flu symptoms, and other primary care aliments you will find you will wait hours upon hours for an over tired doctor that doesn't know any of your history, and the charges are through the roof!. If its not life threatening, stick it out and wait for your personal doctor.
5. Find a new doctor. If your doc is perpetually late and you don't have time to wait-and really, who does?--it's probably time for a change. When shopping for a new doctor, remember to ask whether the doctor usually runs on time (in addition to all those important questions about credentials and bedside manner). One quick way to find this out, says Dr. Moore, is to ask the receptionist how essential it is that you snag the first appointment of the day. "If she highly recommends it, that's a bad sign. If she says it doesn't make a difference, that's good because it means the doctor is generally prompt all day long." good advise, but most receptionist's won't honestly know how to answer that question without feeling they will be giving a negative light to their practice. Word of mouth is usually the way to an honest answer!
And finally, be reasonable. While your time is valuable and an organized doctor should allow ample time in her schedule to deal with sick patients who need same-day care, emergencies do happen.all the time! "I'll never forget the man who, while I was on my knees working on a woman who had collapsed in the hall, walked to within 10 feet of me and asked when I was going to see him," says Dr. White. "Even if you don't feel well or you have pressing business, there may be somebody else who is even more ill or has more pressing needs." One of the most common statements I heard from patients was " My time is just as valuable" and in the big picture that IS true, but leave room for margins of error and you will be more peaceful. If you can't and life is just to hurried for you that day then schedule your appointments on a day off. Remember , you could be the one that collapsed and that urgent care could be saving your life..The golden rule!
Skip the Wait at the Doctor’s Office.
Get better care and faster service with these tips:
You made an appointment to see your doctor weeks ago and arrived at her office on time. So why are you stuck sitting in the waiting room for more than an hour? "We have a broken system, and many doctors are packing their schedules to make ends meet," says L. Gordon Moore, MD, a family care practitioner and faculty member for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. and that is true. Seeing 30 plus patients a day will almost surely create the schedule to fail from the moment the doors open. Be aware that person before you with the "simple' cough could turn to an admission to the hospital and that 10 minute appointment just sent the doctor's schedule behind 30 minutes.
Even the most punctual among us are late on occasion, so waiting 15 to 20 minutes to see your doctor isn't a big deal. But waiting longer than that isn't just annoying; it could actually hurt your health. "Research shows that patients who spend too long in waiting rooms are less likely to seek the follow-up care that they need," Dr. Moore explains. yes, very true you find yourself not wanting to come back and deal with it and not only that, the patient is so annoyed and upset his pressure rises and he becomes angered and one of those 'problem patients', not quite fair is it?. While the key to solving the problem of long waits primarily lies in the hands of doctors, there are some things patients can do. Try these tips for speedier service:
1. Ask for the first appointment of the day. You will almost always be seen promptly if there's no one in line in front of you. very true!
2. Get your checkups in the off-season. When scheduling a routine appointment, ask the doctor or her office staff if there's a time of year that tends to be slow, says Martha V. White, MD, research director for the Institute for Asthma and Allergy in Wheaton, Maryland. "For some practices, summer is relatively quiet, but ‘seasonality' varies by location and specialty," she says. summer IS better
3. Call ahead. Before you head out, call the doctor's office and ask if he's running on time, suggests Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD, an internist in Atlanta. If you find out he's currently 30 minutes behind schedule, you can leave your home or office a little later instead of spending that time flipping through expired magazines in the waiting room. which can work for you or against you! Most large practices don't like to commit to that in case the doctor suddenly gets back on track then he wonder's where his patients are.Plus there are patients that complain about the schedule, decide to come in later because they assume the doctor is 'always ' late, then the patient gets a late fee because he was 15 minutes late or worse yet, a 'no show' fee because he didn't show up for 30 minutes and was dropped from the schedule! and of course the pressure rises again, the anger, you get the picture.
4. Always make an appointment. Some patients who feel sick just show up at their doctor's office, and many places will try to accommodate patients even if they haven't made an appointment. But without an appointment, the wait will be longer because the doctor won't be expecting you and will have to squeeze you in between other patients, says Robert Carr, MD, a family physician in Southbury, Connecticut. If it's really urgent, go to the ER. yes, chest pain, acute pain go immediately, but waiting in the ER for flu symptoms, and other primary care aliments you will find you will wait hours upon hours for an over tired doctor that doesn't know any of your history, and the charges are through the roof!. If its not life threatening, stick it out and wait for your personal doctor.
5. Find a new doctor. If your doc is perpetually late and you don't have time to wait-and really, who does?--it's probably time for a change. When shopping for a new doctor, remember to ask whether the doctor usually runs on time (in addition to all those important questions about credentials and bedside manner). One quick way to find this out, says Dr. Moore, is to ask the receptionist how essential it is that you snag the first appointment of the day. "If she highly recommends it, that's a bad sign. If she says it doesn't make a difference, that's good because it means the doctor is generally prompt all day long." good advise, but most receptionist's won't honestly know how to answer that question without feeling they will be giving a negative light to their practice. Word of mouth is usually the way to an honest answer!
And finally, be reasonable. While your time is valuable and an organized doctor should allow ample time in her schedule to deal with sick patients who need same-day care, emergencies do happen.all the time! "I'll never forget the man who, while I was on my knees working on a woman who had collapsed in the hall, walked to within 10 feet of me and asked when I was going to see him," says Dr. White. "Even if you don't feel well or you have pressing business, there may be somebody else who is even more ill or has more pressing needs." One of the most common statements I heard from patients was " My time is just as valuable" and in the big picture that IS true, but leave room for margins of error and you will be more peaceful. If you can't and life is just to hurried for you that day then schedule your appointments on a day off. Remember , you could be the one that collapsed and that urgent care could be saving your life..The golden rule!
Monday, November 2, 2009
"This is it"
Well I saw Michael Jackson's "This is it" over the weekend. Wow, He never knew what a profound title that was. I sat mesmerized for close to 2 hours watching this master of talent. I thought "if this was just a rehearsal, I can just imagine what the real concert would have been like or should have been like"!
I wasn't a huge MJ fan but I certainly did appreciate his style. This movie captured his incredible showmanship and excellence. I never thought for one moment he was frail or sick. He danced around like a man in his 20's! There were a few times you could tell he was being helped through some 'lipsyncing' but he did say he was trying to 'save his voice' for the concert.
The thing that struck me the most was all the preparations going on for this elaborate show. The artists, dancers, musicians, decorators, fashion designers, producers and builders ..I sat there thinking the cost of all this and the way each and everyone had put their heart and soul into this man's talent. After one of these rehearsals Michael Jackson went home, couldn't sleep, took some pills, still couldn't sleep and then asked his doctor for his routine IV and went into a sleep to never wake up again. How very very sad. The whole thing kinda just made me mad ..I wasn't mad at anyone but MJ..Oh many have their opinions and rants about the doctor, and the 'yes men' surrounding Michael, and all the other reasons why he is dead, but plain and simple he was reckless with his life and the ultimate responsible person in his life that caused his death was himself. He had a great life to finish, many counted on him including his 3 young children and you can't just do whatever you want with your life and think that nothing will touch you..Cause and effect can be negative and positive and we make that choice for ourselves. We can blame everyone from his father to the doctor and everyone in between but Michael Jackson died because of the 'man in the mirror'.
The movie was great to watch to see his talent in action again, but very sad to know that behind the scenes, in his private world , he was suffering and it was his choice to shut out the people that could have helped him.
In a practical point, I hope the movie makes a boat load of money because watching that production take place I would imagine he left a huge debt and many out of work and out of income. I honestly don't blame the producers for making this movie to both honor the King of Pop and to recoup their money, it makes sense.
All in all, Michael Jackson was an incredible talent with a sad life and a tragic end and the movie honors his talents. The private side of MJ will most likely continue to be 'dishonored' by the tabloids , investigators and lawyers for years to come, and certainly not an honor fit for a King.
I wasn't a huge MJ fan but I certainly did appreciate his style. This movie captured his incredible showmanship and excellence. I never thought for one moment he was frail or sick. He danced around like a man in his 20's! There were a few times you could tell he was being helped through some 'lipsyncing' but he did say he was trying to 'save his voice' for the concert.
The thing that struck me the most was all the preparations going on for this elaborate show. The artists, dancers, musicians, decorators, fashion designers, producers and builders ..I sat there thinking the cost of all this and the way each and everyone had put their heart and soul into this man's talent. After one of these rehearsals Michael Jackson went home, couldn't sleep, took some pills, still couldn't sleep and then asked his doctor for his routine IV and went into a sleep to never wake up again. How very very sad. The whole thing kinda just made me mad ..I wasn't mad at anyone but MJ..Oh many have their opinions and rants about the doctor, and the 'yes men' surrounding Michael, and all the other reasons why he is dead, but plain and simple he was reckless with his life and the ultimate responsible person in his life that caused his death was himself. He had a great life to finish, many counted on him including his 3 young children and you can't just do whatever you want with your life and think that nothing will touch you..Cause and effect can be negative and positive and we make that choice for ourselves. We can blame everyone from his father to the doctor and everyone in between but Michael Jackson died because of the 'man in the mirror'.
The movie was great to watch to see his talent in action again, but very sad to know that behind the scenes, in his private world , he was suffering and it was his choice to shut out the people that could have helped him.
In a practical point, I hope the movie makes a boat load of money because watching that production take place I would imagine he left a huge debt and many out of work and out of income. I honestly don't blame the producers for making this movie to both honor the King of Pop and to recoup their money, it makes sense.
All in all, Michael Jackson was an incredible talent with a sad life and a tragic end and the movie honors his talents. The private side of MJ will most likely continue to be 'dishonored' by the tabloids , investigators and lawyers for years to come, and certainly not an honor fit for a King.
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