B0ULDER'S BoxCars

A Woman's Worth

Why is it that I haven't seen anyone commenting on just how fucking frightening it is that women's health care in the US has taken a severe blow recently?

Is everyone aware that we are now considered so important in the landscape of our current administration that the nonsensical appointment of a VETERINARIAN as acting director of the Office of Women's Heath has occurred in 2005? 

By a veterinarian, Lester Crawford, who is now head of the FDA.  By a veterinarian who was not voted into the position earlier this year because the FDA, after 2 years, still had not voted on "Plan B." 

For the record, it should be noted that Michael O. Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services, promised that the FDA would act by Sept. 1, on the "Plan B" matter and as a result senators Murray and Clinton let Crawford's nomination go through.

Unfortunately, Micheal Leavitt must have had his fingers crossed when he made that promise, because the FDA has once again delayed their decision on the matter.

So, back to the appointee:  Norris E. Alderson, PhD (that PhD, it should make me feel all warm and fuzzy?), our new head of Women's Health, has according to several sources spent his career in the FDA within the Center for Veterinary Medicine. 

Well, of course, because there are so many similarities between women's health and veterinary medicine.

Fuck. 

If you feel as outraged by this as I do, please feel free to go here and take action.

Please remember that I love most animals more than humans, and my crushes have (mostly) been on veterinarians who have taken loving care of my animals over the years.  So this isn't a veterinarian bash, but rather a "what the fuck?" statement about how an animal specialist becomes an appointee for women's health. 

Besides, everyone knows how much more competitive most veterinary schools are than medical schools, right?

Somedays it Sucks

So, I'm alive.  I'm in a funk.  A big one.  My husband invited me to stay home 2 days this week because my funk is so big. Staying home is a big deal for me because I know the business needs another owner around to watch and help with sales.  The funk has been coming for a while.

The in-law thing is huge & I hate writing about it because I don't have a solution and it pisses me off and it disturbs me and I can't wrap any logic around it.  It looms large all the time.  I think I'm going to have to cut & paste from some emails to friends in order to finish it, because revisiting it makes me feel ill.  Even now, as I typed this paragraph I wanted to hurl. 

Know what else makes me want to hurl?

The first thing you should know about me, is that I find reading trashy magazines that keep paparazzi in business to be relaxing.  Mind numbing.  It is my panacea.  A guilty pleasure.

The second thing is that my husband, ever the practical one, would rather that I have a subscription to a magazine instead of compulsively buying a few at the drugstore every few weeks or so when I need a fix of mind numbingness.  He figures our bank account still comes out further ahead - even with multiple magazine subscriptions on my part - than it would if I bought only one of them semi-regularly.  So indulge this frugality of his & receive an inundation of the magazines each Friday or Saturday.

So, back to me wanting to hurl, imagine how great it felt to be an IF last Friday evening, on the way home after a long week, when in my mail box I discover the following:

 
   

<---- Notice "hot" chick, with two babies?
         (And me with none?)
 
   

or

 

<---- Notice Britney who is looking like TWINS?
        (And me having lost twins?)
<---- Notice Angelina with possibly a baby with Brad?
        (And me with no pregnancy?  With or w/out Brad.)

or

 
(oops - low resolution - I'll google for better copy)

<---- Notice happy (now with c.r.a.z.y. Tom) couple,
        where "Katie wants kids!"
        (And me wanting same, but not having it?)

 

Ok, so now you see the depth of my need for mind numbing material, and the fact that I, clearly, am single-handedly keeping above mentioned paparazzi in business.

And if that isn't enough, I also already know that this weekend's People will include this lovely picture of Britney and this snippet about Melissa Joan Heart.  Great. 

But, my friends, that wasn't all.  I also received this:

<---- Notice 10 Fun Family Resorts article included?
        (And that I don't have a "family" -
         unless you count dogs & cats....)

Did I mention that I didn't even subscribe to this magazine?  That American Express decided I needed it & began sending it to me? 

Did I mention I don't GOLF people?

Yeah, that kind of funk. 

So, dear readers, what is your guilty pleasure?