Don’t Keep This Secret

Image courtesy of [Phaitoon] / FreeDigitalPhotos.ne

I’m moving through my January book club book – All Decent Animals – by Oonya Kempadoo. I still haven’t figured out where it’s going, as there are several story lines, but one interesting issue it’s raised is the ethics involved in deciding whether to tell your sexual partners that you have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease. One of the characters in the book is HIV positive – it is now showing symptoms of having become AIDS – and he is refusing the advice of friends that he needs to inform his partners.

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Burt’s Bees and My Overactive Imagination

image from http://www.burtsbees.com

Tonight, my cousin told me that she thought something was wrong with her two-year-old son’s bedroom.  He seems to have fits of coughing when he sleeps in there, but seems much better when he’s in other rooms.  She’s having her air ducts cleaned again and will be turning his room inside out – also again – all in hopes of eliminating whatever it is that may be causing him to cough.  The poor little man has already spent a couple of days in the hospital due to respiratory problems, and we’re all praying that he doesn’t have asthma.  Of course, asthma is completely controllable, but it’s not something you want to deal with if you don’t have to.

My cousin is dealing with a real health issue with her son.  This morning, I manufactured a health problem for mine.  I was eating breakfast with my youngest, Johsua the three-year-old, and he asked for a piece of my English muffin.

Lars and the Real Girl

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lars_and_the_Real_Girl

The other day I watched a Ryan Gosling movie – Lars and the Real Girl. It was unexpectedly good. If you haven’t seen it and have plans to, then stop reading as I’m about to share basically  the entire plot.   **SPOILER ALERT***

Lars is a kinda weird, quirky guy who shocks the entire town by purchasing a life-sized female doll and telling everyone that she’s his girlfriend. He acts as though she’s a real human and expects the others to do so as well. He explains away her inability to walk by placing her in a wheelchair.

Dentists and Text Messages

This morning, I got a text message from my children’s dentist reminding me about their upcoming appointment.  I was really happy about this because for some reason I’d not put it on my calendar.  So the reminder was great.  The dentist’s office wouldn’t know this, but by sending me a text, they ensured that I got the reminder.  I am awful, horrible, ridiculously bad, <insert adjective here> about checking snail mail.  Somehow, it all piles up, and then gets dumped into bags and put in the study for me to go through “later”.  So I most likely would have missed a reminder postcard.

I also was able, recently, to schedule an appointment with a new doctor using an online app the doctor was signed up with called ZocDoc.  It was the easiest thing – I got to see when the doctor was available (all available slots), and pick the time that worked for me.  I was even told that the doctor I initially wanted to see didn’t accept my insurance, and they helpfully provided a list of doctors in the area that did (with ratings).  About 10 minutes after I scheduled the appointment, the office called to verify my information – confirming for me that the appointment actually went there and wasn’t floating in ether-land somewhere.

I am developing an appreciation for vendors who connect with me by making use of technology that I’m already using (and addicted to). 🙂

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