World Aids Day

December 1, 2008 is World Aids Day.







In Memoriam of those who died and are sick.

Want to know more? Click on the hyperlink, or read the fabulous "And the Band Played On", by the late Randy Shilts.

Praying for Mumbai

Healthwise, it's been a miserable weekend for me, and right now it's raining so hard and it's so cold outside, but it doesn't seem to go to snow or sleet, just small ice droplets of rain. Miserable. Good night for soup.

And to be grateful to be alive and safe and warm, when the events this weekend in Mumbai played out. I am especially sad, since I personally knew three wonderful men who perished on September 11, and this reminds me of that event.

One of the best descriptions of this aftermath came from the blog "Elms in the Yard", an Israeli blogger who is also a cat lover. Below is from her blog.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Friday Cats: Praying for Mumbai Edition
Three cats hang out on Agrippas Street in downtown Jerusalem.



I add my prayers for the victims of the terror attacks in Mumbai. May the wounded have a complete recovery, and may all those whom the terrorists are still holding hostage soon be released unharmed.

And may any surviving terrorists meet with swift justice.

Rabbis are asking that we recite Psalm 20 for the rabbi of Mumbai’s Chabad House—known locally as Nariman House—and his wife: Gavriel Noach ben Freida Bluma and Rivka bas Yehudis, together with all those still being held captive.

Lou Reed-Caroline Says Part 2

Been trying to write all day, will let one of my all time favorite songs from one of my all time favorite albums "Berlin" by Lou Reed speak for me.

Bit of trivia, it's the only album I own as a record, an 8 track tape, a cassette and a CD.



ETA: I am not suicidal. Just empty and hollow.

For Doxie

My friend in real life is going through a bad patch so I thought this would cheer him, seeing he loves Doxies.

One more reason I hate Black Friday-person killed @ Wal-Mart

Breaking news from the New York Daily News-

Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in Black Friday stampede

BY JOE GOULD
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Updated Friday, November 28th 2008, 10:19 AM

A worker died after being trampled and a woman miscarried when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors of a Long Island Wal-Mart Friday morning, witnesses said.

The unidentified worker, employed as an overnight stock clerk, tried to hold back the unruly crowds just after the Valley Stream store opened at 5 a.m.

Witnesses said the surging throngs of shoppers knocked the man down. He fell and was stepped on. As he gasped for air, shoppers ran over and around him.

"He was bum-rushed by 200 people," said Jimmy Overby, 43, a co-worker. "They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too...I literally had to fight people off my back."

Nassau County Police are still investigating and would not confirm the witness accounts. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. Police did say there were several injuries but weren't more specific.

Jessica Keyes was among the shoppers. She told the Daily News she saw a woman knocked down just a few feet from the dying worker.

"When the paramedics came, she said 'I'm pregnant,'" Keyes said.

Paramedics treated the woman inside the store and then, according to Keys, told the woman:

"There's nothing we can do. The baby is gone."

Before police shut down the store, eager shoppers streamed past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the store clerk's life.

"They were working on him, but you could see he was dead, said Halcyon Alexander, 29. "People were still coming through."

Only a few stopped.

"They're savages," said shopper Kimberly Cribbs, 27. "It's sad. It's terrible."

Buy Nothing Day-Not Black Friday

I got this from Gianna Kali at "Beyond Meds"- and it's brilliant. Today in America is "Black Friday". It's the first shopping day before Christmas, and people get up at 3 am to be in front of the major department stores at 4 am or 5 am to get good deals on things like cameras, DVD's, TV's, you name it. 

I cannot imagine getting up at 3 am for anything cept maybe a Beatles concert, with all 4 original Beatles playing. In other words- there is nothing short of a fire, that would make me leave my comfortable bed at 3 am. 

Something to think about as we Americans shop til we drop today. Lets just stay home, and watch some football, read a good book, or listen to this album Fiddy (Seroxat ((Paxil))  Sufferers, Stand up and be Counted), got me hooked on- "Black Ice" by AC/DC. 

For Stephany

I know it's not even Black Friday yet- and I was saving this til Christmas- but cannot resist. Something for my friends not in the US. It's the Trans Siberian Orchestra, "Wizards in Winter", and the ultimate Clark Griswold house.

Happy Thanksgiving

Off tomorrow for the holiday. Wishing everyone a happy one. For those readers not in the US, here are some nice food links, since one of the great things about Thanksgiving is not only giving thanks, but eating way too much food .


So without further ado- a couple of food sites I like.


Hulu.com

It has both seasons of Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares and season 4 of Hell's Kitchen. I love Gordon Ramsay.

Top Chef on itunes. i don't watch reality TV anymore, but this is a guilty pleasure.

Things I am grateful for this year.

1. I am alive.

2. My writing is taking off and my blog is a success.

3. The cat is in good health.

4. My friends and family.

5. My readers.

6. Chocolate.

How about a little NYC Thanksgiving fun?

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.. It is also the 82nd Annual Macy's day parade.

From today's Gothamist-

Tomorrow is the day before Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade which means it's the day to see the parade balloons get inflated! The parade blow-up action is along 77th Street and 81st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, around the American of Natural History, starting at around 3PM and ending at 10PM. The crowds can be very intense, so be patient.

New giant balloons this year are Horton, Smurf, and Buzz Lightyear; returning giant balloons are Abby Cadabby, Beethoven, Dora the Explorer, Flying Ace Snoopy, Kermit the Frog, Pikachu, Ronald McDonald, Shrek, SpongeBob SquarePants™and Supercute Hello Kitty. There are also "35 novelty/ornament balloons and balloonicles" (like Cloe the Holiday Clown( and a special giant balloon created from Keith Haring's Figure with Heart.

And of course, the finale is Santa Claus!






Here is where you can go today to see the balloons being inflated. It's quite fun for the kiddies and adults too.

3 am again, another dark night of the soul

Well, the suicidal ideation passed. I was white knuckling it. doing every trick I knew to stop it. A long bath. Playing with DA BIRD with the cat. Surfing the web to figure out what to bring to my mom's house for Thanksgiving. But having spent the day alternating between copious amount of vomiting and diarrhea and then going to the ER to get hydrated and a shot so I could actually eat something, I was just feeling miserable. And lonely. There is a difference between being alone and lonely. I don't mind being alone, I really don't. But the loneliness crept over me so badly I felt it was like cancer on an open sore. And for the first time in a long time I felt alive- down there. In other words, I was horny as hell.

Add loneliness, sadness, being horny, the need to talk to a human being and not a cat- and the desire to eat something other than tea and toast- I was more depressed than I had been in a very long time. The other day i went grocery shopping, and it seemed to me the entire store were mothers with infants buying turkeys, and all the trimmings. I looked at the babies, nestled in their carriers on the shopping carts, their little feet ensconced in blue or pink booties, and the maternal instinct hit hard. And the damn clock. Yelling at me "Your eggs are getting old! Save us".

The holidays- the holidays. We long for Norman Rockwell, we get instead Clark Griswold in the Christmas movie. They can be so depressing. They don't mean to be.


So right now I cannot sleep, I still have the shakes and the sweats from the med change, and am on my 3rd shower this evening. I treated myself to a real nice bath skin moisturizer, and new bath puff, so that is nice. I also washed my hair and put it up in rag curls so it will look great in the morning.

It's also the 2nd anniversary of the break up of my relationship. I think that was a trigger too. I am over him, he has moved on from me and has a new girl friend. I am making hesitant steps back into the dating world. I have a great therapist who is helping me with this. But there is something about anniversaries, that are toxic and hurt.

So that is where I stand. i cannot fall back to sleep, so I am just going to catch up on blogs and wait for the sun rise.

And feel blessed that someone, actually sombodies, care about me.

-The picture of the rainbow was taken by me at my parent's old house back in 05.