Wednesday, August 26, 2009

August = It's Mammogram time

Today was my every 6 month mammogram check. I wanted to share some methods I use to prepare for my mammograms. Then you can try them, too!

Exercise#1: Visit your garage at 3:00 a.m. when the temperature of the cement floor is just about 25 - 30 degrees. Take off all your warm clothes and lay comfortably on the floor with one breast under the rear tire of the car. Ask a friend to slowly back the car up until your breast is sufficiently flattened and chilled. Turn over and repeat for the other breast.

Exercise #2: Place in the freezer two metal bookends overnight. Strip to the waist. Invite a stranger into the room. Press the bookends against either side of your one breast. Smash the bookends together as hard as you can. Set an appointment with the stranger to meet next year and do it again.

Exercise #3: Open your refrigerator door and insert one breast between the door and the main box. Have one of your strongest friends slam the door shut as hard as possible and lean on the door for good measure. Hold that position for five seconds (while you hold your breath). Repeat again in case the first time wasn't effective enough.

Seriously ladies.
  • If you're over 39 you should be having yearly mammograms.
  • Every woman should be doing self breast exams, monthly.
  • Know the risk factors, and see how many of them you can include or exclude yourself from. Keep your doctor informed of any of these risk factors you do fall under.
  • If digital mammograms are available in your area get one. They cost no more than the regular imaging, are covered by insurances also and detect much smaller, much sooner.
This is very important for all women.

Also click here if you want to give free mammograms to women who would not get them otherwise:

Monday, July 13, 2009

Inspirations

When in a creative rut I look to the people whose art I admire. They inspire me and push me to try do better/more. There are soooo many, but here are just a few I picked at random:


This is NT Candy one of the fabulous mosaic artists on Flickr.

Another one of the people who inspire me:

Carol Shelkin, who also did the amazing mosaic portrait of my Mother for me.

Suzanne Steeves, Lynne - AKA Siriusmosaics , Karen Sasine , Irit Levy and last for the list today Crystal Thomas.

These are just a few of the people who do mosaics, and I can only dream of being in their league. But I love watching their projects! Hope you do, too!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Family Masks

The female members of my family have a tradition of taking our picture with facial mask on, while on vacation. Yes, we are wacky! But we are a fun crew.

Now I cannot confirm the use of margaritas before these shots are taken. ~;)

Here are some sample family masks shots:




Here's to summer and family vacations! Be safe and have fun!

Friday, May 22, 2009

My Hero


When you see this image of Spc. Zachery Boyd, 19 years old in his pink "I Love NY" boxers, and flip flops in a makeshift bunker what do you see?

When this image first appeared some reporters made fun of this young man. To me this soldier is my hero.

At 19 he is in another country fighting for our freedom, safety and rights. Spc. Boyd is awakened and has only seconds to get his gear, and head to the bunker to engage in a fire fight with Taliban militants. He grabs what he knows he needs: flack jacket, helmet and gun. For me that is what I would grab also. My last concern would be for how I am dressed.

Thank you Specialist Zachery Boyd from Fort Worth, Texas.Hoaah!!!!!!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Hate or Fear, What's the difference?


Anti-Semitism - noun: a person who discriminates against or is prejudiced or hostile toward Jews.

I've always been a believer in saying things like they are, and not mincing words. The definition above is just a nice way to say hate. Because isn't that what anti-Semitic behavior is after all?

Just read an article today on how Anti-Semitic hate crimes have risen sharply in the last 5 months, and most especially since Israel had Operation Cast Lead, to defend itself. This past Shabbos we experienced anti-semitism first hand in our community.

Racist and anti-Semitic stickers were placed on our Shul, other synagogues in our area and cars Friday night/Saturday morning sometime. Luckily some of the men from our community removed them before any of the children saw the on our shul.

Interesting how this act happened only a few days before the U.N. Racism Conference. Which has been boycotted by United States, Australia, Germany, Canada, Israel, Italy, Sweden, Poland and the Netherlands. There may be others, but this is the list I found. Note that England and France did NOT boycott. And they wonder why those countries are havens for terrorists.

The conference is a follow-up to the contentious 2001 conference in the South African city of Durban which was dominated by clashes over the Middle East and the legacy of slavery. The U.S. and Israel walked out midway through that eight-day meeting over a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and likened Zionism the movement to establish and maintain a Jewish state, to racism.

Today at the conference Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was allowed to give a speech. To which U.N. diplomats walked out. Surprise! Why did they allow this person to speak? Then he said somethings that were racist, anti-Israel and anti-U.S., so some of them walked out. Why did they not see this coming is beyond me.

Some European diplomats immediately walked out of the room when Ahmadinejad said Israel was created on the "pretext of Jewish suffering" from World War II.

Ahmadinejad has always contended that the Holocaust did not happen. It is not really some revelation that he would speak about it again, given a world forum.

Another excerpt of Ahmadinejad's speech:
In a rambling speech, Ahmadinejad on Monday pointed the finger at the United States, Europe and Israel and said they were destabilizing the entire world.


So not only does he hate Israel and the Jews, but now everyone else is on his list of people to hate. Except I guess for North Korea, who is helping him in his quest for nukes.

After all of this the glaring question is why? Why has this man been allowed to get where he is? Why do we tolerate him testing and building nuclear weapons? Why does our President even suggest the idea of having "talks" with him? Why is he given the platform at a multi-nation conference to say the very things we knew he would? Why?

In this time why do people still hate? What are they afraid of? Is there really a difference in the two? Given the condition of our world don't we as a people have more constructive things to do with our time than to waste it on something so non-productive.

You know what is even less productive than hating, is expecting a different result. We all know people who are that consumed with hate never get passed it. It consumes them like a fire burning a piece of paper. Nothing else matters to them, and nothing will stand in the way of accomplishing the goal of removing the object of their discontent. Nothing.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Great Video

This is from Aish.com, and it is a must see. So right for our times!

5 Ways to Misery