Letter to a daughter, or 2...

In the tradition of Dooce I am going to start writing letters to my kids. Although with a lot less eloquence and humor....

Dear Alexia,
You are 14 getting close to 15 and even though I believe you are purposely trying to drive me crazy right now, I know that it has nothing to do with me and you are trying to find yourself. I wish you could find you on your own without the help of your friends, and hope that one day you will you will realize how awesome you are. You make me proud the way you are with kids and animals and fashion and art. You have an instinct that I never had and a magnatism that draws these things to you. You are patient and kind and fair with others and I hope you can be kind and fair to yourself.
Since you have exhausted your grandparents, when your brother comes to visit us in the hospital he is bringing you along. Even though I know you will be kind of bored here and missing your friends, I am excited that you will be here with us. Faith loves you more than anything and she needs some more fun than I have to give her. Brush your teeth and be good for Grandma, Papa, and Brit.
Love,
mom

Faith,
It is day 21 in the hospital and you are the best little girl ever. You hardly complain and are such a good patient, even though you have no right to be as much as we have tortured you. Unfortunately I don't see much letting up of the torturing until your little body decides to cooperate!! I completely believe that your attitude is helping and will help you to heal. While waiting for your walks that you love or to be picked up, you have a patience your parents can't even begin to believe. You wait while I check your tube, move, unsuction, position, re-check, re-position, and arrange your tubing. Then wait some more while we try to pick you up without hurting you, or kinking your tube, and while we try to do it smoothly, which is nearly impossible. To pick you up under your bottom and support your back at the same time, with your low muscle tone, makes you feel 25 pounds heavier than normal. I am sorry for every time I hurt you when picking you up. The nurses and doctors all love you because you are cute and strong and happy and busy. I think the curly fro helps too.
You push us away when we try to cuddle because you are a big girl and don't need mom and dad all up in your business.
Hang in there and I hope we can take you home soon.
Love,
mama

UMT: Useless Movie Trivia

It turns out that Tarantino wasn't the first to give the "cool" names to the bad guys in Reservoir Dogs. These were originally used for the bad guys in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.

Lancey

This couple in Florida paid $155,000 to have their dog cloned. A Labrador. I understand them wanting to do this since they can afford it, but it seems so weird and risky with personality, genetics (the cancer returning), etc. I hope it doesn't turn out poorly for them like the couple with that bull on the This American Life episode where the bull was actually mean and kept goring the owner. I suppose the Lab won't gore anyone.

Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr.

A reason to like Michael Caine:
Recently asked what he is currently watching on TV he said "30Rock" and said something about Tina Fey being one of the funniest women or the funniest woman, on TV. True dat!

Medical dramas

Overheard today in one of the hospital corridors while carrying Faith and her chest juice around:
Female resident: You never see them doing rounds on those shows.
Male resident: I think they used to do it on ER.
Female resident: Really, they did?
Male resident: Yeah, I think so.

This made me think, uh, duh, hello, SCRUBS!!!!!

Green

It seems crazy or ironic or funny that everywhere, everyone, everything is going "green", reducing, reusing, recycling, EXCEPT at hospitals and medical facilities. And I am not even talking about items like syringes and medical waste, contaminated stuff, but the bottles her milk and sterile water come in. These items they throw away. In the trash. With the dirty paper towels and food items, etc. there is no attempt to recycle these items. Probably it is more expensive than just throwing them away. It isn't just plastic items either. Water, rubber gloves, paper towels, etc. they don't mess around here! Cleanliness and speed definitely more important. I am not suggesting that recycling is the answer or a better way for the medical community, just that it feels unnatural to see everything tossed as garbage when outside in the "real world" I feel guilty if I throw away a soda lid or use an entire paper towel instead of half of one.

Prescription

Everything I have seen in hospitals and this is my first viewing, or knowledge, of prescription butt cream...

Sexy

Before this visit I was less worried about the horribly uncomfortable furniture because I read how Rooms to Go had donated all new furniture to the Devonshire. Whoo Hoo!! The furniture is definitely a big upgrade, the rest not so much. They even donated sexy artwork! Although I did add my own personal touch..

Devonshire

There are no Ronald McDonald houses near Miami Children's Hospital so they have these crappy little apartments down the street they rent cheap to family members of patients. I don't mind that they are crappy, cheap apartments because who cares, you have a fridge and a bed and air conditioning. What I DO mind are that they are rodent, worm, bug, roach infested. Whether or not it bothers me on a personal level is a moot point, but the fact that IT IS DISGUSTING and brings gross, buggy, disgusting germs to the hospital seems to me an issue! The place bathed in sanitizer and freezing temperatures to keep germs at bay. Why wouldn't you make sure to spend a fraction of your budget on pest control!! Maybe infested is too harsh a word but here is what we walked into (I do have to say it does seem better than 4 years ago), dead HUGE roaches in the lights, and in the windows, rodent poop in the shower where I had to bathe Faith with her surgical scrub the night before her surgery, worms in the lights and on the floor, etc. I have to say it is better than last time as most of the roaches I have seen are dead or dying (I knew that little can of Lysol would come in handy!) but still. All those disgusting germs to take into the surgical wards? Really? I think it is wrong...

Pelosi

So while hearing about all this hoopla re: Nancy Pelosi and her knowledge of the torture techniques being implemented, one of the journalists was wondering why Pelosi didn't speak up and just say, hey it was right after the 9/11 attacks/safety of our country/mood at the time, etc. and I thought why is it okay if that was "our" mood at the time? Torture, interment camps, WAR, all fine as long as we are feeling that way on a particular day... Oh, we're very sorry but America has PMS today.