doodlebug

Why not ask your brother and his fiancee to let you attend the wedding via Zoom? That way, you can see the whole ceremony and get a chance to add your good wishes to those of the rest of the family. For that matter, you could also drop in on the reception or other family activities that way too. It's not hard to set it up. You have another commitment that prevents you from attending in person, but that doesn't mean you can't join in on the festivities. You've got young kids and they don't. Your priorities are simply not the same as theirs. I think, as things start to return to pre-pandemic ways, a lot of people are going to be experiencing anxiety and stress as they're faced with the decision as to when they are going to be ready to got back out there. You've got a lot of company.

A couple weeks back, I mentioned that Voddie Baucham, fundie preacher, was diagnosed with heart failure while preaching in Zambia. He apparently has no health insurance and a Go Fund Me was set up after he told his followers that he would need a heart transplant. The faithful donated $1.4 MILLION bucks to him. So, Voddie returned to the US and got treated at the Mayo Clinic in Florida. Guess what! Praise Jesus and Hallelujah! Turns out his heart failure was caused by a cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). This is caused by a malfunction in the nerves that trigger the heartbeat. It is treated with a procedure called a cardiac ablation which is often done as an outpatient. So, Voddie got the cardiac ablation and he is all healed, no heart transplant needed. So, if one was to pay out of pocket, a cardiac ablation is around $20,000. Now, he went to the Mayo Clinic, so maybe he got the deluxe 5 star ablation and it cost twice that. Voddie announced his need for a transplant on February 12 and he had the procedure 2 weeks later. He had it on a Thursday and was out of the hospital by Saturday. So, it appears that, even if he flew first class back to the US on Go Fund Me money and his wife stayed at the Ritz while he was in Mayo, that dear Voddie made a very nice profit, a 7 figure profit from his illness. No mention that he is donating the extra money to Samaritan's Purse or to care for other uninsured cardiac patients. Nice work if you can get it. Poor Voddie was even moved to tears at the generosity of his followers. https://www.christianpost.com/news/voddie-baucham-reveals-he-wont-need-heart-transplant.html

Truth in advertising.

We're soulmates! I'm also a Polack who appreciated that one of my fellow Poles was Pope but feel that the current Pope, a guy who is willing to admit that people out there are living real lives and who has a heart for the poor, is my kind of guy. Jesuits love to argue and are far more tolerant than a lot of provincial orders. They're also big believes in higher education and learning for learning's sake. Probably why fundies tend to hate them. In high school, we studied comparative religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and others. It was mainly from an historical perspective to understand how religious beliefs begin and then evolve over time, but I specifically remember the nun who taught the class talking about the best aspects of each faith and tying them into our own faith and using the core principles in one's own faith journey. Obviously, none of us became Mormons, but we really did get a sense of what each faith believed and how it started and where. Catholics generally believe that the Bible is an excellent source of metaphor and that it is not necessary to believe that every single Biblical story is factually correct to accept its overall message of faith and redemption. There are some conservative Catholics who do believe in young earth creationism, but they are a small minority. I learned the Biblical story of creation in religion class and the theory of evolution in science class in Catholic school and I don't recall any teacher, even nuns, who ever indicated that evolution was baloney and that the Bible was meant to be a scientific text.

Studies indicate that a single dose of one of the 2 dose vaccines is 90% effective in preventing severe COVID, starting a couple of weeks after it's given. I would personally have no problem going to an Easter service being held outdoors since it should be reasonably easy to distance and wear a mask. Of course, I've been attending Mass at my own church indoors and socially distanced for months. I've taken breaks when surges were happening locally, but I go otherwise, including this morning. My church took reservations for Palm Sunday and will do the same at Easter and will set up an overflow area in the church hall to accommodate as many as possible, but the they will lock the doors once they've reached COVID capacity which is about a quarter of the usual numbers. Our pastor has been a real stickler about the rules and precautions, reminding the congregation frequently of our Christian duty to help protect the vulnerable.

Back when I was a resident, I had an old beater of a car (a Dodge Aspen, terrible machine). Unbeknownst to me, the oil light didn't work, it needed a fuse or something. I had the oil changed just before Christmas when I was on call. The day after Christmas, we had a terrible cold snap, 13 below zero with wind warnings. I needed to drive from one hospital to another to work, about a 15 minute drive. Car stopped dead on the freeway, 7 AM, the day after Christmas, no traffic, 13 below. This was in the days before cell phones. Ended up walking on the freeway until a very nice older gentleman and his wife picked me up in their Rambler (!0 and dropped me off at a donut shop that was open so I could call for help. In addition to the man and his wife, their pet poodle, who was wearing a fur coat (not her fur) and hat was with them. It was surreal. Turned out, the garage that did the oil change hadn't tightened the cap well enough and the oil slowly leaked out and the engine locked. Bye, bye Dodge Aspen! I ended up having to run around and figure out how to get a down payment for a new car which I got before New Years'. The only good thing was that I bought a Toyota Tercel and it was a fantastic little car that I drove for years and gave to one of my sisters who drove it for many more.

Cookies, if you had COVID in 2019, you need to contact the CDC immediately. Based on their data, the very first case of COVID in the US was diagnosed January 20, 2020 near Seattle and the patient in question had recently returned from Wuhan, China. If you weren't in China in late 2019, someone needs to figure out how you caught an infection which wasn't seen in this country until 2020. Also, they need to investigate how you've managed to maintain such high antibody levels for so long. Since you weren't hospitalized, you didn't have severe COVID and current research seems to indicate that those with non-severe COVID frequently don't have detectable antibody levels just a few months later. https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2021/01/19/first-covid-case-us-year-anniversary-snohomish-county/4154942001/

Beezus and Ramona was one of my favorites as a kid.

Her name is Laura Caso and, I agree, she does resemble Lauren. Much smarter and with a better personality though. That cannot be a Notnurie creation though; it is too symmetrical.

Weirdly enough, I tried to bring a snowglobe in my carry-on when heading home from Las Vegas a few years back. It got picked up on the X ray and they pulled it out of the box and examined it, told me it had more than 3 ounces of fluid and my options were to either, leave it there in the trash or mail it from the airport. My checked bag was long gone at that point. So, I got out of line, walked to the post office that happened to be in the terminal and mailed it to myself, at my own expense. Nobody offered to pay for a thing. As a matter of fact, the TSA line was very long and, when I returned, I asked if, since I had already been through once, if I could move to the front. Nope, 'You broke the law' was the exact phrase used. I guess I should be grateful they didn't haul me off in handcuffs for my contraband snowglobe. The globe arrived at my home intact, BTW.

When the actual defibrillator is firing, there is an electrical spike seen on the EKG paper. Since Mark did fire the device, albeit not while in contact with the patient; I think the spike would still appear on the strip, it would just look like the shock didn't work as the arrhythmia didn't correct. However, I have never fired a defibrillator into the air, let alone checked the strip to see and I don't know anyone who has, either. I have no idea what Luka is talking about when it comes to Nicole, but that is kind of the basis of their entire relationship. She does awful things and he makes excuses for her. See also: Luka's relationship with Abby and Carter's relationship with Abby, Also, if you are a kleptomaniac, you're the one who cannot be trusted, not vice versa. In most states, a doctor is legally required to notify the BMV if a patient has a condition that might affect their ability to drive. Anything that might cause sudden loss of consciousness would qualify. Gamma had Shy Drager syndrome which would qualify, but Carter should not have been the attending physician on Gamma's case and it wouldn't be his responsibility.

And not only do they believe it, they believe that God wants their version of morality to be legislated by the state and everyone forced to comply or face criminal charges.

Your godmother was a champion, a hero. How wonderful to have had her in your life! When I read her quote about you, my first thought is, 'Boy, she really knows Scarlett down to her toes, inside and out'. Her quote sums up the woman those of us in the Prayer Closet have gotten to know. Your determination to help her get the send-off she wanted was proof of your steadfast character. And Cosmo is her boy, her love. It says a lot that she entrusted the care of her most prized possession to you. I think she also knew what a comfort he will be to you and your mom as your lives continue without her. Dogs are the best people I know. (Although one of mine is currently barking like a maniac at the guy who is repairing my side door and I am feeling a little less than enriched by her presence in my life right now).

A coworker has been in Denver this week visiting a friend. She called us on Friday to say that her flight home on Sunday (tomorrow) had already been canceled and she didn't know when she'd be able to find a flight home. I think initially, anyway, you've got to play your cards close to the vest. I would just tell her that it was not easy, that it took a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but you did what you had to do to build a better life. And that's what you've done. Remember, too, that even if she promises not to speak to your mother about you, there is a very real chance that she will tell your mother. She's her mother, too, and they've obviously been close enough to work together to find you; so I wouldn't tell her anything that you wouldn't want your mother to know. Even the bad stuff is very personal and, if it were me, I wouldn't feel safe possibly sharing it with your mother, who hasn't proven herself trustworthy. I also think there is absolutely nothing wrong with telling your sister that there is one piece of info you do want from your mother: the name of your father and any sort of identifying info she might know (his date of birth, old address, whatever). Your sister could be a good conduit to getting information that you want from your mother.

I'd do it from a phone that is not your primary phone. Someone suggested a cheap burner phone and that's the way to go, IMO. I don't think it is a great idea to give her any way to find you unless she is willing to respect your boundaries. Then, I agree with Cookies, you need to give her some parameters. If your mother is off limits for discussion; then she needs to know that and understand that you do not want to have any discussion about her and if you don't want your sister to even tell your mom you were in touch, she has to promise to do that (even knowing she might turn around and tell her anyway). I think it is not a bad idea to tell your sister how you loved her and still have her bear and how you just didn't have a choice; you had to leave her behind and save yourself. And, of course, let her know that, though things were tough initially, you've got a terrific job and a beautiful family and life is pretty darned good these days.

Catholic Churches have a tabernacle where the blessed sacrament is present at all times. That;s the consecrated host, the Eucharist, communion. It would be considered disrespectful to Christ's presence in the Eucharist in the church to bring in food and drink or otherwise behave as if the space was not sacred. I don't think the Independent Baptists feel that way about their churches. However, if I was a contributing member of a congregation and some idiot brought food and drink into the church and managed to spill it or otherwise damage the floors or pews with their mess; I would not be happy.

The chocolate doesn't melt if you eat them within minutes of receiving them like I do.

I am sitting at my desk, looking at patient charts and sneaking tagalongs (the peanut butter covered in chocolate cookies). I love me some Girl Scout cookies!

I am a doctor and I endorse this explanation. It was probably due to the change in position, particularly if it was an unusual position for you. I am better at 'below the waist' stuff, but women often get dizzy when they sit up after lying down for exams or procedures. Being anxious about what is happening, as is par for the course at the dentist, can exacerbate the symptoms.

I just looked it up. There is a form they can submit or they can simply file a tax return for the current tax year. Even if they had no income, they can get the stimulus check. I have a feeling the, even if they don't know what to do, JRod will figure it out and help them file and make sure the checks get deposited directly into her account. I don't think Jill would permit them to pass up free money as long as it ends up in her wallet. And all of those kids are just that brainwashed and will do it without a quibble.

All of the kids over 18 should get their own checks, presuming they have social security numbers and have filed tax returns. Nurie and NotNurie #1 should've filed a tax return for their Etsy store.

The money is only ebil and socialist when it is given to OTHER people. It is righteous and godly if the Rods get the check.

Joe Tait, longtime radio voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers has died at age 83. He was with the team from its inception until his retirement in 2011. He also called play by play for the Indians for several seasons before deciding to concentrate on basketball. WHAM with the right hand, Joe! https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/features/tait-farewell-210311

Stevehovah has a lot of 'unique' ideas when it comes to medical care, maybe it has rubbed off on Anne Marie and her headship. She got treatment for her breast cancer in Seattle, where she found a doctor who used homeopathic/naturopathic remedies in addition to traditional chemo. He may or may not have been their kind of strict fundy. I could see her choosing a surgeon who used 'natural' methods to repair hernias and thinking that mesh was somehow 'unnatural' and dangerous. In fact, while there are some complications unique to mesh, it is often used to prevent recurrence of the hernia which is the biggest risk with the non-mesh repair. The hernia was caused by weak tissue. Take the weak tissue, suture it back together and you've got a hernia repair that is inherently weak and more likely to fail.

Hospitals give parents the information to apply for an SS number and will send in the application for them once it is completed; but it is ultimately up to the parents. It is voluntary. Since most of us are law abiding citizens and want the number to get the tax deduction, it's kind of a no brainer. Jill, however, is already a no brainer and I could see her refusing the opportunity to apply for her kids.