Tag: current-events

Me and Angelina Jolie

In the news this morning I learned that Angelina Jolie and I seem to have a lot in common.  Her story is very similar to my own and to all of the women I have met along the way in my time writing this blog.  Chosing to have a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy, to remove a part of your body because it will one day quite probably declare war on the rest of your body.

The difference is her celebrity makes news.  I am glad that she wrote the article in the NY times.  It brings to light the struggle that so many woman have.  Having genetic testing and advanced medical abilities which have allowed so many of us to make a preventative decision to take control of our own medical destiny.  Maybe her sharing the story that so many of us have lived will cause a few more women to have a mammogram.  Maybe a few will open up to their doctors about their family history.  Maybe one day we can finally put breast cancer in the past.

Until then, Bravo to all who share their stories!

My new addiction

Every time I turn on the television I grow more disillusioned.  Being from the Philadelphia area, the local news has continual updates on the Kermit Gosnell abortion murder trial. Murder, late term and live abortions, fetus’s found in boxes, this case has it all.  There was a commercial break today during a non news show that started with “a woman who claims she was instructed to snip the spinal cords of fetus’s born alive…..” I changed the channel.

A few short weeks ago it seemed that we were being prepared for imminent war with North Korea.  A daily barrage of missile launch warnings and dictator rants. Now that seems to be replaced with the Syrian war drums.

Terrorist attacks in Boston, Swat teams searching private homes, a totally, broken, dysfunctional and honestly in my opinion corrupt Washington all adds to the weight we all already carry with our own personnel lives and issues.

SO what is one to do? Well of course turning off the TV is an option but for a lover of the boob tube like myself that is not a feasible option.  Instead I have discovered a loved for Netflix streaming.  Who knew all of the gems that were on the air in early 2000.  Alias and In Plain Sight or some still on the air that I had never seen like Numbers or Psych.  We  have seen many of the family movies available and Madison has fallen in love with HR Puff and Stuff. 

I am sure to some making the conscious decision to tune out for a while is not smart.  To others things that I have mentioned in this post are new to them which could explain why our system is so broken. To me it is a must, my brain can only handle so much bad news and lately that is all there has been.  In the greater scheme of addictions, well it could be far worse!

We could use a little magic

I like to consider myself a somewhat intelligent person.  I worry too much about things I can not control.  I get very passionate about things I find important. For many weeks I have attempted to totally avoid the news, political, national even local. All it does is get me annoyed, upset or just plain furious.

For as hard as I try, it is everywhere.  Some of the headlines I have seen today seem to vindicate at least my attempt to avoid:

-Women’s Unclean Breasts Cause Diarrhoea, Says Egypt Prime Minister Hisham Qandil

-Ahmadinejad: Iran already a nuclear state, but has no intention of launching attack on Israel

-Mexican girl gets pregnant at just eight years old

-Insight: Shrinking U.S. labor unions see relief in marijuana industry

-Carney: Drone Strikes ‘Legal,’ ‘Ethical,’ ‘Wise’

-Library Gives Free Pole Dancing Lessons To Help Boost Attendance

Each of these headlines at the same time scare the hell out of me, make me scratch my head and give me a bit of a chuckle.  All sum up the world right now, a real mess.

What does the future hold for my children? Is there anyway to keep them safe in this crazy world?

Our magical trip to Disney can not come soon enough!  Just 16 days away for the most important headline to be written, “The Bailey family begin a magical journey!”  Boy can we use it!

Walt Disney World Gallery Photo