HNT ~ The View from the Recliner

AKA ~ The view from my command center and Happy Thanksgiving!

As many of you already know, I spent three nights last week at the USC University Hospital caring for my Mother while she was there having a stint put in her throat. The procedure was a grand success and she can swallow whole food once again. We are so grateful for all the wonderful, talented and caring people this experience has brought into our lives. There are too many of them to mention here so I decided to blog about a slightly different topic. The recliner that was my command center and sleeping accommodations while I was at the hospital.

We were very fortunate that Lilan's thoracic surgeon, Dr. John Lipham, requested a private room for her, and the hospital had just received new furnishings in several of the rooms on her floor. I had planned to stay at a nearby hotel, as the commute from OC to USC can be a bear (2 1/2 hours during the am & pm commutes), but alas when we arrived we found we had all we needed for a comfortable stay together at the USC "hotel". Throughout the past 3 weeks, and the ensuing 3 hospital visits, I have mistakenly interchanged the word hotel and hospital. Once we arrived at USC, it was actually true. The hospital was serving us as both a medical facility and a hospitality suite.

The chair that I sat and slept in was fabulously comfortable, and I was able to sleep like a baby between all of Mom's runs to the potty and the inevitable interruptions one experiences while staying in a hospital; vitals checks, medicine doses & therapy sessions. 3 consecutive nights of sleep that consists of a series of 1 1/2 to 2 hour naps is enough to make even the the healthy delirious. Can you imagine what it does to a patient?

BTW, I chose the high-contrast version of this photo to camouflage my double chin. Plus it really accentuates the checked pattern of the chair's fabric. Over my right shoulder you can see the built-in closet. Over the left is the oxygen supply and other doohickeys found in every hospital room.

This chair was a real lifesaver! It was luxuriously wide. Firm, but comfy. And oh so perfectly suited to my personal taste. I felt like Goldy Locks in the chair that was just right.

Perhaps you can share with me the view from your favorite chair. Please eMail me a photo or three.

To learn more about HNT click here.


Lilian napping while we wait for her discharge.




A remote control TV, and a mountain view.

A bathroom larger than the one Steve & I had in our balcony stateroom on our cruise to Alaska.
Did I mention that this hospital is immaculately clean? It looks brand spankin' new!

Happy HNT! Get your Cowgirl on!

Me & some of my fellow cowgirls at a recent round up ~ Yeehah!



Last night, I watched the Movie NORTH COUNTRY once again. There are many things that I like about this film. Three of them being the leading actresses; Charlize Theron, France McDormand and Sissy Spacek.

Based on an inspiring real-life event that took place in the late 80's, North Country stars Miss Theron in a low-glamour, but high-impact role as Josey Aimes, one of only a handful of women working in the Minnesota iron mines. Forced to labor under sexist conditions, she and her female colleagues decide to stand up against the unrelenting harassment from their male counterparts.

A fictionalized account of one of America's most groundbreaking sexual harassment lawsuits comes to the screen in this hard-hitting drama. Aimes returned to her hometown in Minnesota and followed the lead of her old friend Glory (Frances McDormand), who had bucked tradition and found a job in the iron mines that had long provided employment for much of the community. Aimes found herself the growing target of sexist jokes and abhorrent behavior from the male miners, she found that many of her female co-workers were reluctant to stand beside her, afraid of losing a good-paying job at a time when they were increasingly hard to find. The right for females to work in the mines had been mandated by law almost 15 years prior, but as a personal crisis became a public war of words, Aimes became the center of a nationwide controversy when she attempted to file a class action sexual harassment suit against the mine owners, and won setting groundbreaking precedence.

One of my favorite scenes in the film takes place when Glory is riding along in Josie’s truck on her first day working at the mine. Glory asks Josie, “So are you a cowboy, or a cowgirl?” Giggling, Josie answers, “A cowgirl.” Then Glory reminds her that they are working in a man’s world and she admonishes Josie to “Get your cowboy on!” I just love all that this phrase inspires. The female’s ability to embrace her Yang and get down & dirty with the best of the boys. The idea that becoming rugged, rough and ready for anything can be turned on, like a switch. After all, Attitude is everything!

Charlize & Francis were both nominated in 2005 for Academy Awards for their leading and supporting roles respectively. Does anybody know who won the Oscars for Best Actress, and Best Supporting Female Performances that year? For extra Bonus points name the male winning actors that year as well. You are all on your honor not to Google the results. The first one to name all four actors will win a prize! And I promise it will be a movie worthy treat.

For more information about HNT, North County and the class action lawsuit, please visit these links.

Happy HNT ! Ha! Ha! Ha!

A man walks into a bar with a newt on his shoulder. The barman looks at the creature and asks the man what he calls it.
"Tiny" replies the man.
"Why's that?" asks the bartender.
"Because he's my newt!"


This is my kind of funny. Share a joke with me that you like and we can both laugh together.

HHNT ~ Guilty or Innocent?

Next to the questions,
put your answers as either
guilty or innocent.
Guilty if you have. Innocent if you haven't.

1. Dated outside your race? guilty

2. Given a hickey? guilty

3. Dated your best friend? guilty

4. Sung in the shower? guilty

5. Spit in someone's drink? innocent

6. Dumped someone? guilty

7. Opened your Christmas presents early? guilty

9. Seen "The Goonies" more than 3 times? innocent

10. Had more than five bf/gf?
Consecutively? ~ innocent my top was 3 bfs
Serially? ~ guilty

11. Played a computer game for more than 5 hours? guilty

12. Ran through the sprinklers naked? guilty

13. Ate food that fell on the floor? guilty

14. Went outside naked? guilty

15. Made out with a friends bf/gf? innocent

16. Mooned somebody? innocent

17. Flashed somebody? guilty

18. Made someone cry? guilty

19. Been in a parade? guilty

20. Been in a school play? guilty

21. Drank alcohol? guilty

22. Gotten detention? innocent

23. Been on a plane? guilty

24. Been on a cruise? guilty ~ AK

25. Broken into a house? guilty

26. Gotten a tattoo? innocent

27. Gave money to a stripper? guilty

28. Cried so hard you threw up? guilty

29. Gotten into a shouting match? guilty

30. Played hide and go get it? guilty? ~ Is this the same as "hide & go seek"?

31. Spun yourself in circles to get dizzy on purpose? guilty

32. Laughed so hard it hurt? guilty

33. Tripped on your own feet? guilty

34. Cried yourself to sleep? guilty

35. Cried in public? guilty

36.Threw up in public? guilty

37. Lied to your parents? guilty

38. Skipped class? guilty

39. Slept in class? guilty

40. Made out with someone and didn't talk to them the next day?
guilty ~ nor ever again!

Want to play? I found this to be revealing. I'd love to hear your responses.