Mammogram During a Power Outage

I actually kept my mammogram appointment. I was met with, "Hi! I'm Belinda!" This perky clipboard carrier smiled from ear to ear, tilted her head to one side and crooned, "All I need you to do is step into this room right hereee, strip to"the waist, thennnn slip on this gown. Everything clearrrr?"

I'm thinking, "Belinda. Try decaf. This ain't rocket science."

Belinda skipped away to prepare the chamber of horrors.

Call me crazy, but I suspect a man invented this machine. It
takes a perfectly healthy cup size of36-B to a size 38-LONG in less than 60 seconds. Also, girls aren't made of sugar and spice and everything nice ....it's Spandex. We can be stretched, pulled and twisted over a cold 4-inch piece of square glass and still pop back into shape.

With the right side finished, Belinda flipped me (literally) to the left and said, "Hmmmm. Can you stand on your tippy toes and lean in a tad so we can get everything?"

Fine, I answered. I was freezing, bruised, and out of air, so why not use the remaining circulation in my legs and neck and finish me off?

My body was in a holding pattern that defied gravity (with my other boob wedged betWeen those two 4" pieces of square glass) when we heard, then felt a zap! Complete darkness and the power went offl "What?" I yelled.

"Oh, maintenance is working. Bet they hit a snag." Belinda headed for the door.

"Excuse me! You're not leaving me in this vise alone, are you?" I shouted.

Belinda kept going and said, "Oh, you fussy puppy ... the door's wide open so you'll have the emergency hall lights. I'll be righttttt backkkk. "

Before I could shout "NOOOO!" she disappeared.



And that's exactly how Bubba and Earl, maintenance men extraordinaire, found me, half-naked and part of me dangling from the Jaws of Life and the other part smashed between glass! After exchanging polite "Hi, how's it going" type greetings, Bubba (or possibly Earl) asked, to my utter disbelief, if I·knew the power was off.

Trying to disguise my hysteria, I replied with as much calmness as possible. "Uh, yes, yes I did thanks." ..

"You bet, take care" Bubba replied and waved good-bye as though I'd been standing in the line at the grocery store.


Two hours later, Belinda breezes in wearing a sheepish grin and making no attempt to suppress her amusement, she said. "Oh I am soooo sorry! The power came back on and I totally forgot about you! And silly me, I went to lunch. Are we upset?"




And that, Your Honor, is exactly how her head ended up between the clamps .

Are all young people obnoxious know-it-alls?! I guess I'm getting old because this just grates on my nerves. I'm talking older teen to early twenties. I'm including my own son here, by the way, who happens to be 20. He actually is not a bad kid. He's very smart but tends to think he knows everything and I can't possibly teach him anything anymore. He at least listens to me, though (even if he does roll his eyes sometimes!).

I'm tired of meeting young people on here (and elsewhere) and seeing how selfish and self-centered they are. They don't seem to care about anybody else but themselves. I've seen a few who rant and rave about how things aren't going exactly their way and the whole world is supposed to revolve around them! Is this just a phase they all have to go through?! Ugh. It's just so ugly. If only they realized how they looked and sounded. I'm tired of hearing the whining and complaining about their parents, their boyfriends, their lives when they have it made! I'm not talking about the ones being abused, the ones who have the right to complain, etc. I'm talking about the ones who have so much and they don't appreciate it! They come on here looking for advice and then don't like it when you give advice that they don't want to hear! Whatever happened to respecting your elders! Lol, ok I really AM sounding old!
And no, I haven't always responded to these young people but have read their posts and journals and just shake my head.

You know what? I was an obnoxious know-it-all too when I was 19-21 until I left home. Even then I didn't appreciate my parents. I cringe when I remember how I treated them. Sure they weren't perfect but they loved me and did the best they could. But yeah, I was pretty self-centered for awhile there. Is that just normal for the age?! Yuck.

The older I get the more I realize how precious life is and how so many don't appreciate it. I've had enough deaths in my family to really appreciate life. It's not worth it to stop talking to your loved ones! You don't know how long they have on this earth. Stop the stupid fighting. Stop playing games. Start appreciating what you have. None of us knows how long we have in this life.
And you know what? The older you get, the more you realize how smart you parents and elders really were! Start thinking about someone other than yourselves!
Ok, that's my rant for tonight, lol. And just for the record, no, I don't think all young people are obnoxious but I do think most are. Again, I'm including myself when I was that age!
I'm showing my age, aren't I? Next thing you know I'll be calling them young wippersnappers, lol.

Today was a really bad day at the dentist for my four year old. Poor little guy was doing great with the initial exam but then they discovered some cavities! After reeling from the shock of that news they informed me they could go ahead and fill a couple of them right then and there. I agreed thinking it was best to get it over with. I had to sign a consent form to allow them to use the papoose board. Anybody ever hear of those? It's a board with soft cloth they strap the little kids in to keep them still. They were very nice explaining it all to me and said it was to keep his hands down away from his face and still so the dentist could do his work. This is a pediatric dentist so they only see children. They also recommended that I go outside or out to my car in case he cried. I went outside and made a phone call to my husband and came back in and heard this hysterical screaming and crying. I looked at the receptionist and asked in shock if that was my son and she nodded sympathetically. I told her I've NEVER heard him sound like that. I went out to my car and cried and cried. They came out to get me an hour later. His face was flushed and had little red pinpricks on the sides of his face that I had never seen before. He was slightly damp as if he sweated a little. He was a little clingy and I picked him up. The dentist said he recommended I use a different dentist this time who does sedation. He doesn't want him to go through that again. He said he barely got both teeth done but he had already prepped them and had to continue. But since he fought him so much he thinks he should be sedated next time. I'm scared of the thought of sedation but I don't want my poor little guy to go through that again.
I feel like a horrible mother. How could this have happened? He's so little! I brush his teeth twice a day. He doesn't eat a lot of sweets. Then I started beating myself up over how he took a bottle to bed when he was younger and how hard it was for me to take away. I wish I had never started that!
He's too little to have to go through something like this. I'm worried that because he was so traumatized today that this could affect how he views dentists from now on. I'm dreading taking him to this other dentist to finish the job. I just don't know how he'll react. And how do you reason with a four year old? He doesn't understand. This must have frightened him so much, not to mention the pain. He's just a baby.
I pray he will be able to forget this and won't be afraid of the dentist from now on. I'm still shaking over all of this. This was so upsetting to me.
I don't blame the dentist. He was a very kind man and everyone in the office was so nice. I'm wondering if this papoose board is such a great thing though. I guess they need them to be still but I would think it would frighten them.
I'm seeing the other dentist tomorrow, just to talk and have him look at him. I'm a nervous wreck. Please pray my little guy will do ok and won't be afraid of the dentist anymore!
What a horrible day!

Well, I lost my night job. I found out today. I felt a cross between panic and relief. Panic because we needed the extra income, but relief because I really wasn't getting much sleep with this job and it was taking a toll on me. I was tired all the time, stressed, crabby and more emotional, all because I think I was just so exhausted.
The funny thing is I was really praying about this lately. I was asking God for direction and guidance and to show me what to do. I had just told my husband and a friend just this week that I needed a break. Well, God answered my prayers, just not in the way I expected! Still, I believe He knows what's best for me so I will trust that He knows what He's doing. I trust that He must have something better for me down the road. Right now I'm going to rest up and catch up on my sleep.
I actually am starting to feel peace about this now. I believe God is going to take care of us and our finances, somehow, someway. I may not have all the answers but I'm just going to trust in Him.

I have also cut way back on my time here and online in general and feel better about that too. I didn't want to let anything to take first place in my life except God. I think I just need to spend more quiet time with God right now.

Thanks everyone for your prayers. Please continue to pray for my family. Thank you, my friends and God bless!
April