the pomegranate tiger

I'm going to tag Lenny at The Getaway with the 4 Meme because he seems to be having trouble posting regularly. Right Lenny? This is an easy one. Jane's done it already. - Four jobs you've had - Four movies you could watch over and over - Four places you've lived - Four places you've been on vacation - Four websites you visit daily - Four favourite foods - Four places you'd rather be

Things that made me laugh this weeK: My biggest laugh came when I looked at my Site Meter stats. I noticed a large number of visits coming from Google searches of a particular word. You may remember my blog a few days ago, Ladies' Man . In it, I used the "p" word. Well, it seems some men - I assume it's men, but I might be wrong - have done Google searches for enhancers and enlargers of said body part. Imagine their dismay when all they found was an old nursing story. Oh well. (I'll continue to say 'p', as I don't want to disappoint any more men mistakenly stumbling upon my humble site.) I kept envisioning the last scene in the movie, Boogie Nights, where Mark Wahlberg unzips his trousers and displays his rather freakishly large, um, appendage. Do men really think women like that?! I couldn't stop giggling about it for the rest of the day. -- Bless those Google spiders. Next came this phrase I saw in a local paper: ". . . the fourteen y...

This is a revision of something I posted elsewhere almost a year ago. You left and I can't ask About her favourite colour Abut her favourite anything. Didn't you think I'd want to know? I tried to ask But you couldn't-wouldn't answer. You had a chance and I had a right And if not a right, a need. A photograph is all that's left. Not enough to know her. You could have-should have answered. But now it's too damn late.

After my foray into the further reaches of blogland earlier today, it made me think about something my son said a while back. He was talking about the fact that he almost never reads print news anymore. He gets the bulk of his news and information off the internet. There are a vast array of news sources available from all over the world and he contends, and I agree, that it provides a much better balance and perspective of what's going on in the world than reading only local or national newspapers. I think blogs provide something similar. They allow people from disparate lives to connect with one another. They also help connect people of similar interests who would never have met face to face. This seems to be an ongoing theme with me - the exploration of why I like blogging. At some point, I suppose, I'll stop talking about it, but not yet. I would never find the same level of discussion and variety of perspective at my local coffee shop. Not that every blog or discussion is d...

After a leisurely stroll through my own links, I went back to look at other people's blogrolls. Since it's a recent addition, I started at The Bean Counter . She has quite a few links, but seeing how easily I get sidetracked (with links leading to other links to other links and all), I only got through maybe one-third of them. Along the road, I found a few gems that I've bookmarked to check out in more depth. I can foresee my blogroll growing in leaps and bounds. One of the things I came across at Mindful Things was the decades-old topic of stay-at-home moms. What struck me was the fact that so many women are still suffering anxiety and guilt over their decision to stay home with their children full-time. She has a link to an interesting article that links to some other articles on the same topic. They revolve around why women choose to stay at home or not; what the current trends are/were, etc. It's disheartening that we haven't moved beyond this. Many women d...

(My first submission to First Drafts and posted in January 2006. The prompt was "imagination") Nursing 101 In nursing school, a large number of my classmates, myself included, became closet-hypochondriacs. It's almost a prerequisite to graduating. As a nursing student, you're immersed in learning about the body and how it works. You're required to learn signs and symptoms; develop an inquiring, analytical mind; and most of all for a nurse, learn to be observant. Now, the body is a wonderful and complex thing. It's amazing how it goes about looking after itself - most of the time, with little thought on our part. The digestive system keeps digesting, the heart keeps beating, blood flows, the brain synapses keep firing (well, usually), and all is well. Except when things go WRONG. I went to nursing school quite a while ago, but certain things remain the same. You go through various rotations in different areas: medical, surgical, paediatrics, etc., and the inst...

As some of you may have noticed, I've started doing little writing exercises the last few days using prompts. This has led some of you to wonder "what the heck is she writing about?" and where did THAT come from? I've decided to separate some of those writings from this blog. I'm not sure if I'll keep it that way or blend them together again. But for those interested, here's a link to my writing for today's prompt: Imagination - a real pain BTW, I can thank Diana at Seeking Clarity for leading me to these - because sometimes I need something to kick start me. :D

In the late seventies, I was a part-time home care nurse. I often got called in to work at the last minute when one of the other nurses called in sick. I'd get my visits for the day over the phone: Patient, address, phone number, diagnosis, brief history and treatment or procedure for the visit. Mr. 'Smith' was an eighty-five year-old man assigned to me in this way. I was to check his vital signs and help with bathing. He had heart problems and high blood pressure. But mainly, he was just old and needed assistance getting safely in and out of the shower. His frail wife was unable to help and there were no other family members willing to take on the task. This was the only basic information given to me. It's always a challenge walking into a patient's home for the first time. You never know what to expect. Will they be nervous having a stranger in their house? Will they be relieved to have help? Will they be resentful that they need help? Will they be frie...

Sometimes I drive people around me nuts with my enthusiasm. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a rah-rah, jumping up and down kind of person. I am, however, someone who gets interested in things easily (some may say I'm easily distracted). I find the world around me infinitely fascinating. I'm curious. I Google things; I go to the library; I pick up obscure magazines at the bookstore; I even read old encyclopedias. When I learn something new, I have a compulsion to share it with others. I like to delve into things. And when I'm doing the delving, I'm sure to unearth something else even more interesting. That would be the end of it for most people - just the thought, 'hmmm, very interesting' then moving on. Not me. I MUST find out more. If I'm being very efficient, I'll make a note and come back to it later. If not, I'll get sidetracked looking up all kinds of minutiae and following every trail where it leads me. Wikipedia is my worst en...

Crisp Clean White Buff Beige Linen Scented Textured Smooth Crumpled Clean Smudged Stained Flat Folded Paper sheets or Cotton sheets?

You know who you are. I must admit I didn't know what would happen when I started blogging. I entered the blogosphere with a bit of trepidation. (See my original blog in November '05). Is it just a place for angst-ridden, navel-gazing? Maybe a place to promote ideology, to advertise a new product or gimmick, a quasi chat room for friends and family? You'll find all these, and more in the Land of Blog. You'll also find well-written, thoughtful articles on all manner of subjects . . . and you'll find poorly-written, spelling-challenged juvenile drivel (but these you'd find anywhere online). It's the good stuff that has me intrigued. And there's a lot more of the good than I had expected. There seem to be a lot of writers in blogland. Yes, I know everyone 'writes' in a blog. I don't mean people who just put up their daily schedule or hockey team stats. By 'writer' I mean those whose purpose is to present ideas, inner questi...

I think this is a rant, but I'm not quite sure how it's going to turn out. So if you'll bear with me as I explore: (the names and details may or may not have been changed to protect the innocent, or some such disclaimer) Recently, someone (I'll call him Ray) who's opinion I hold in high regard read a book written by an author I adore. It was a book I listed as one of my favourite reads of 2005. I knew he was reading it. He knew I knew he was reading it. I even asked him to give me his opinion after he'd finished. I know this can be problematic from the outset. I've been in similar situations. If you enjoy the recommended book there isn't a problem. You can get all gushy, gushy and compare notes about what you liked. However, if you hate it, you're left with how to explain your reaction without hurting the other person's feelings. Because, let's face it, we all get a bit emotionally invested in books that are important to us. But differing o...

The Scene: A busy airport departure gate: The Characters: Missy: 20 something female Guy: 20 something male Me: Sitting with back to Missy and Guy in next row of seats. Internal dialogue only. Missy: . . . So I was telling him the name of the company I work for? Well, you know how they have these drug companies? And you know, they make drugs, so like after a few years, generic companies can make the drugs? Well, the company is called PMS, and I thought, oh my god, he thinks I have PMS. But I don't? It was so embarrassing. Guy: (incoherent mumblings of a soothing nature) ( Me: Wondering why she makes almost every sentence into a question? It's something I've noticed with a lot of young people. They make statements sound like questions by using a weird upturn of inflection at the end of each sentence.) Missy: So this whole thing about a few months ago? I stopped wearing make-up and wearing more comfortable clothes and stuff? It's so, like more nat...

Because it's Saturday morning and I can't bring myself to do the chores: JABBERWOCKY `Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe -- Lewis Carroll (from Through the Looking-Glass) One of the first bits of poetry I memorized as a child - not because I had to - but because I loved the way it sounds. And this one: TIGER Tiger, tiger, burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skies Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand dare seize the fire? And what shoulder and what art Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand and what dread feet? What the hammer? what the chain? In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? What dread grasp Dare its deadly terrors clasp? When the stars threw down their spears, And water'd heaven with their ...

"To think is easy. To act is hard. But the hardest thing in the world is to act in accordance with your thinking." ~ Goethe. I borrowed the above quote from one of Wenda's blogs at Daring to Write . These statements bonked me upside the head. They felt so true. I particularly like the second part of Goethe's quotation. Matching the inner you -- your belief system, what you know is right, your moral and ethical core -- to the outward you and how you behave IS hard. Achieving a convergence of thought and action is tough and even tougher to sustain. Each of us has an ideal about how we'd like to behave; a set of moral dos and don'ts; a means to judge ourselves and others. As much as we may say we're not judgmental, at some level, we all are. It's when we allow our behaviour to veer too far from that inner core, that we get in trouble. More often than not, we end up miserable. How we behave should be a reflection of who we really are. But life seems to ...

I sit and ponder. Whatever happened to the brilliant ideas that woke me in the middle of the night? I know I had them. I distinctly remember one had to do with curiosity and Wenda's blog at Daring to Write; and something about a screenplay made from snippets of conversation by passers-by; and something really insightful about, about . . . . Ack, I can't remember. It's driving me crazy. I know it would have made the best post ever! Maybe, if I sit here long enough, it'll come back to me: . . . . waiting . . . . cleaning off smudge from monitor . . . . waiting . . . . off to make some coffee . . . . waiting . . . . drinking coffee . . . . still waiting . . . . finishing coffee . . . . Well, it doesn't appear to be working. Why is it that we think we're so brilliant in the middle of the night.

I had an experience online today that started me thinking about my online persona. It's one of my "Hmmm?" moments. I mentioned to someone in a PM that I occasionally lurk on a discussion board that he and some other online acquaintances frequent. The recipient of the message responded with, "I find that funny. (Big Grin) " . My response was, "why?" - - as in -- why did he find it funny? He hasn't replied yet, but I couldn't get it out of my head. My initial reaction is that there's an obvious disconnect between his perception of me and the thought of me reading that site. He doesn't know me very well. One of the reasons I choose to lurk there, rather than participate is that, while I appreciate the humour and the personalities, I wouldn't be able to join in on the same level of banter. It's not me. (You may recall my earlier post about my lurking habits.) BUT, it doesn't mean I don't like to check in from ti...

In my short two-month bloglife, I'm learning there's a whole new language associated with the 'blogosphere'. I kept coming across the word "meme" and "getting tagged" with a meme. I thought I figured it out in a vague way, but being the inquisitive soul I am, had to look up the official definition. First stop, Wikipedia . Not exactly what I was looking for, but I got the derivation of the word and a nice article about memetics, genes, biological and philosophical analogies, propogation of ideas, language, viruses, etc., etc. None of it applied directly to what I was observing on blogs. Not only that, but I got side-tracked clicking on all the interesting related articles -- something I always end up doing with encyclopedias and dictionaries. Next, a Google search. The first returned item was the Wikipedia article, but a little further down, I found this site that says, "Christianity is a 'meme', a mind virus that infects people a...

This is a general call for help from a newbie! I need help and advice about how to keep track of my blogroll and other bookmarked links. Actually, Donny (ds) pm'ed me and asked if I use an RSS feed to keep track of my blogroll. I pm'ed him back saying I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. Since he didn't (hasn't) gotten back to me about it, I did some Googling and turned up all kinds of things. - - But, I'm still confused. I figured out an RSS feed helps you keep track of news sources, blogs, websites, etc. Now I've got to figure out how it works. All I want to do is find an easy way to follow blogs I'm interested in as well as a few news sources without having to click on each and every link to find new posts and articles. Nothing elaborate. I've seen various blogs using Technorati, Bloglines and Blogrolling. What is Technorati? Is it the similar to Bloglines or Blogrolling? What are the pros and cons? Are there other things out there t...

Hello, my name is ell. [Hello, ell] I’m a bookaholic. It’s been two months, three weeks and one day since I bought a book. [Applause] I didn’t think I had a problem, but now I know I was out of control. They tried to tell me - my family, that is. They told me I needed help. But I wouldn’t listen. I kept telling them it’s not a problem. Funny thing is, I really believed it – that I didn’t have a problem. How can you have a problem with books? Thing is, normal people don’t. But I guess I’m not your normal person. I’m sick. I should start at the beginning. When I was little, before I even started school, I liked books. I figured out how to decipher simple words in Disney picture books that I got from an aunt. By the time I was in grade one, I was zipping through the easy Dick and Jane stories. If I finished my work early, Mrs. Mitchell would let me look at extra books she had on her Special Shelf. I liked how they smelled and felt. Sometimes, she’d have brand new ones. I was from a po...

I was reading this post about terrible customer service at Ronni Bennet's blog, Time Goes By , and couldn't help but see myself in her shoes more times than I care to remember. In general, I'd have to agree that customer service just isn't what it used to be. In my darker moments, I think the world really is going to hell in a handbasket and service and civility have gone the way of the dodo. Well, yesterday, proved me wrong. To counterbalance all the bad and lack-of-service tales of woe out there, here's my story: We've had trouble with our house alarm in the past week or so. I received a message from the alarm company telling me that there might be a low battery problem with our system. That evening, I checked the panel and everything seemed fine. I didn't think any more of it. A few days later, the dreaded yellow "trouble" light came on and the silly thing started beeping every ten seconds. So, I called the alarm company back and a very nice wo...

I've been buying Fair Trade labelled coffee (NOT to be confused with free trade) for at least the last three years. Yes, it's more expensive. Yes, it's not always easy to find. There are lots of excuses why NOT to buy it, but my family is fortunate. We live in a nice neighbourhood in an affluent country. We're well-educated and we make a good living. We are in a position to do what's right. It's about ethical purchasing. What is Fair Trade? Some information and links to help you decide if it's right for you: From Level Ground About Fair Trade Fair Trade is an alternative approach to conventional international trade which promotes social equity, economic security and sound environmental practices. Its goal is to contribute to sustainable development by improving market access for disadvantaged producers, by raising awareness and campaigning. It works to a set of values and objectives that seek to improve living standards and achieve a fairer distribu...

Funniest oxymoron I've heard in a while: Microsoft Works Word of the day: quotidian - Adjective. Found in the ordinary course of events. Synonyms - everyday, mundane, routine, unremarkable, workaday. A Quick and Dirty IQ Test Your IQ Is 140 Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius Your General Knowledge is Genius - See, guys? I always told you your mom was a genius! (Well, 3 out of 4 ain't bad.) Song stuck in my head: Beyond the Sea (I hear Bobby Darin singing) Somewhere beyond the sea, Somewhere, waiting for me, My lover stands on golden sands And watches the ships that go sailing; Somewhere beyond the sea, She's there watching for me. If I could fly like birds on high, Then straight to her arms I'd go sailing. It's far beyond a star, It's near beyond the moon, I know beyond a doubt My heart will lead me there soon. We'll meet beyond the shore, We'll kiss just as bef...

This is the best part of my day. No one else is up, I've got a cup of coffee and a chance to get at the computer with no interruptions. I started off by making my way through a few favourite blogs and - what has now become a habit when I have time - a hopscotch through other people's blogrolls. I came up with another six blogs that I've bookmarked, one that was pure, nasty crap and definitely won't return to, left a comment in another, and learned a new word (quotidian). Not a bad start to my day. My little jaunt also got me thinking about the kinds of blogs I like and don't like: I like blogs that seem heartfelt and sincere; make me laugh and don't take themselves too seriously; talk about something I'm also passionate about; make me think; give me a 'Yes - thumbs-up' response; are sharp with a satiric touch, and overall, make me feel like returning to find out more. It helps if they're well-written, but it's not a necessity. Good ideas ...

Okay, I admit it. I lurk. I can't help myself. On my travels through cyberspace, I've found certain forums and discussion boards that I'm drawn to, but for some reason can't bring myself to join. I return again and again to the point of knowing the regulars, their tone, likes and dislikes. It all becomes a bit addictive. I'm drawn to these sites like bees to honey, ants to a honey-covered body, vampires to blood, Canadians to hockey, . . . well you get my drift. So why don't I just join in? Possible reasons: I'm a chicken. I won't fit in. I'm not smart enough. They'll hate me. I have nothing to say. I'm too lazy. The real reason: some or all the above. Strange how the list reads like an adolescent's highschool whine. It only goes to show that certain insecurities never die. For as much as I think I'm self-assured and confident in who I am, there's still a bit of me that wants to be liked and to make a good first impressi...

I lose patience when people turn discussions about concrete issues, like healthcare and homosexuality and gay rights into philosophical debates. We live in the here and now with real people living real lives with real problems. When I read articles or discussions by people who want to make positive change by actually getting off their arses and encouraging others to do the same, it gives me hope. When I see those same articles and discussions turned into circular, semantic debates, I grow weary. It's not that I don't like a good philosophical debate (I can't get around it, really, with sons in the political and social sciences), it's just that there comes a time to be pragmatic and deal with the real world. What got me started on this line of thinking was an interesting series of articles by Ronni Bennett about universal healthcare in the US and some discussions I had with others about gay rights. I realized that there is a time for intellectualizing and a time fo...

Wherever you are: Things are never as bad as they seem. Well, no, maybe they are - but you'd be surprised at how much hurt, personal folly and abuse you can take and still and come out okay. You might be bloody and bruised, but still alive and kicking. I don't pretend to know what you're dealing with right now. What I do know is that you're going through a difficult time and you've cut yourself off from people who care about you. Hang on. Touch base with someone. ell

I don't make new year's resolutions. I used to, but not anymore. January 1 is just a date chosen centuries ago as the beginning of the year. So in reality, I figure every day is the beginning of a new year. That being the case, it makes more sense if I look at every day as a chance to resolve to be a better person and not just make promises for the year. So, my new year's wishes for everyone, every day: Live. Love. Be good to yourself and others. Peace, and Happy New Year!

I had a quiet New Year's Eve. Gone are the days of attending big hotel dinner-dances or even big house parties with over-boisterous, manic, not-quite-real cheeriness. Nothing wrong with them, but they're just not for me anymore. I started off the day having brunch with my favourite people followed by a trip to the cemetery and time for introspection. On the way home, I picked up some goodies for our own mini-celebration. In the last few years, we've developed our own year-end party for two. We either have dinner out at a quiet local place or an easy to make dinner at home. We watch a favourite movie or two. Just before midnight, we put out a nice cognac pâté with crackers, smoked oysters and mussels and break open a bottled of chilled champagne. We turn on Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve just in time to watch the ball drop at Times Square and we toast in the new year with a sip of champagne and a new year's kiss. That's it. Not very exciting, but a w...