Friday, March 25, 2011

Free Verse Friday

It's the return of Free Verse Friday, with a side of diabetes!  Ginger posted this slam poem for her 12th diabetes diagnosis anniversary.  I couldn't avoid reposting--it's not often I find a performed poem that's about diabetes.  Ginger kicks ass, and this funny and empowering poem does too.



Yikes, sorry about the photographic hugeness there! Speaking of free verse, Matt and I are the featured poets at our favorite slam in Philly tonight. I am so excited, but I have no idea what to wear. Time to raid my closet. Have an awesome weekend!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Diabetes Alert Day 2011

It's well-known that I do not have Type 2 diabetes, but there is a risk of it in my family history.  I will probably  not also be the first person to tell you that you don't have to be obese or inactive to develop the disease.

I often think of my dad, whom I felt was always on the fence between pre-diabetes and Type 2.  My dad wasn't always a string bean of a guy, but I wouldn't have called him obese.  Maybe he had a little bit of a gut, but he had skinny arms and even skinnier legs.  For him, I think it was just bad genetics, maybe partnered with smoking.  Of course, my dad passed away from a far more awful pancreatic condition--pancreatic cancer.  Yet this is not my point.

My point is you can't really tell who has diabetes just by looking at them.  You can't make a judgment over whether you'll get diabetes by looking in a mirror.  If you think you may be at risk for Type 2, click on the banner below and do the risk test.  Heck, try it even if you don't think you're at risk.  Diabetes is awful enough as it is, so if you are fortunate enough to have the kind you can prevent or delay, work on preventing it or delaying it as soon as possible!

Join the Millions in the fight to Stop Diabetes

It may be nice if next year the ADA would consider making Type 1 a part of Diabetes Alert Day and start a campaign for parents, children, teenagers and adults to alert them of the signs and symptoms of Type 1. But as I said before--if you have the misfortune to be predisposed to a preventable condition, by all means--be proactive and work hard to prevent it!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Almost Famous Monday

If anyone ever asks you if you know a published poet, and you are a regular reader of this here blog, you can now freely say, "Yes!"  I have been published in the awesome online literary magazine The Legendary's Slam Issue!  If you want to check it out, all you have to do is visit the Poetry Page here and click on my name.  There you will find my poem "Valentine to Myself, 2011".  I only wish I had some audio to go along with it. 

Found at flickr.com - not sure who to credit, sorry! :(
A duet slam piece that I wrote with my dear hubby Matt has also been published, however the link from the Poetry Page seems to be broken.  You can click here if you want to go directly to the poem.

I will warn you now that both poems contain some language and a bit of sex and/or sexual innuendo in their subject matter.  However, the poetry pages themselves are totally safe for work. 

The only thing I regret is not having audio clips (at least not at the moment) to go along with this stuff. 

I am so very excited and honored to be featured in this awesome lit mag alongside so many other talented people.  I'm also delighted to say that I am also friends with a few of the other poets who have been published. 

The other great news is that soon I will also be published in the upcoming online issue of The Apiary, which is from right here in the Philadelphia area.  I am so giddy over both publications!  It feels so amazingly good to accomplish something like this!  (Even if I didn't get paid, hey, I'm published.  Woo hoooo!)

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

New Leaves

Spring has sprung!  Well, maybe not quite yet, but it seems to be on the verge of springing up every other day or so around here.  Temperatures in the Philly suburbs are hanging around 40 or 50-some degrees.  I've seen the sun for the past few days.  Stores have stopped selling really awesome boots, or they are on clearance and all picked over.  (Has anyone wondered why there seems to be no transition from boot to sandal season anymore?)

Today, I picked up the phone and took a big step.  I called a new endocrinologist.  Now, I have no hard feelings against Dr. B, my old endocrinologist.  She is a very nice, knowledgeable woman who always listened to what I had to say, even though I was not the most vigilant about paying her visits.  Dr. B is excellent, and if you live anywhere near Plymouth Meeting, PA, hit me up if you'd like her number. 

It's just that Plymouth Meeting is a bit of a jog from my house these days, and I am not that impressed with the rest of Dr. B's practice.  They never made reminder calls for my appointments, which would have been nice considering they were all scheduled about 4 months out.  They always seemed to be running behind schedule.  Then today, I recalled another problem I've had frequently--I can call their office and get a busy signal!  All the other doctors I see will give you a voicemail, or have you remain on the line until someone can take the call.  If Dr. B could move into a different, more friendly practice near where I live, I would gladly go back, but the group she practices with as a whole just is not meeting my needs.

Enter Dr. M.  I have not yet met Dr. M, but my awesome family doc, Kate, recommended her to me.  Of course, I hemmed and hawed over whether I should call and make an appointment.  This would also mean owning up to the less-than-stellar lab results that will surely come in.  Sure, I know the whole point is to improve, but don't you feel guilty of bad A1C's regardless?  I certainly do.  I waited to call, and waited and waited.

Two weeks ago, my colleague at work, who has Type 2 stopped by my desk for a chat.  We have diabetes chats sometimes--pancreatically challenged buddies have to stick together, right?  He told me about this new endo his doctor sent him to, and how awesome she was.  "She's right down the road," he said, "and she's almost fresh out of medical school.  She and I sat together for an hour and talked about my history, my goals, everything.  She's really great!"  Of course, I ask her name, and he answers that it is Dr. M, the same woman I've been considering for almost two months now.

That sold me.  Today, I finally managed to call the office and make an appointment.  April 5th will be my triumphant return to the endocrinologist.  I am so overdue.  Do you ever put off doctor's visits?  I certainly can't be alone in this.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Because it's Saturday...

I have nothing to do at this very moment, and I'm not sure what to blog about, but the pages here are looking lonely.  Let's have fun with an alphabet meme!

Age: 29

Bed size: Full. It's really comfy, and Matt and I got a hell of a bargain on it when we moved in together in Delaware.  One day I want a bigger one, though, for sure.

Chore you dislike: Doing dishes.  I'd much rather clean the bathroom.

Dogs: They're okay.  I'm not a huge fan, but I like little dogs.  I'm mostly a cat person.

Essential start to your day:  Two snoozes on the alarm, some stretching, a glass of water and maybe a good morning text message or two.

Favorite color:  Purple!
Gold or silver: Silver.  Gold is okay, I have always preferred silver for some reason.

Height: 5’6", approximately.

Instruments you play(ed): Clarinet and a few chords on the guitar

Job title:  Operations Support Coordinator

Kids: Feeling a strong "maybe someday" on this one.  In the meantime, I sometimes enjoy the company of my friends' three-year-olds.

Live:  Outside of Philadelphia in the western suburbs

Mom’s name: Judy

Nicknames:Some that are too cute to repeat here.  Occasionally Hannah Banana.  My coworker calls me Hanns, my former co-worker called me Hannah Bo-banna.  My mom usually calls me Hannie Ellen.

Overnight hospital stays: Oh, there are three now?  Once when I was like 4 I believe I was in overnight for dehydration.  Then there was DKA and my diagnosis with diabetes in 1990.  And then, of course, there was the Great Appendectomy of 2009.

Pet peeve: "Unnecessary" quotation marks around "words" when they are clearly "not" needed; saying "I've never been!" as in "I've never been there."

Quote from a movie:"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."  -- Ferris, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"

Righty or Lefty: Righty

Siblings: Only child!

Time you wake up: Usually at least ten minutes after when I should have gotten up.

Underwear: Purple.

Vegetables you don’t like: Peas

What makes you run late: The universe. Procrastinatory genetics.  Usually just a bad sense of time, or extreme sleepiness.

X-Rays you’ve had: One for a broken pinky toe, another for my chest when I had pneumonia back in high school?

Yummy food you make: Baked ziti

Zoo animal favorite:  The snow leopards at the Philly Zoo


Everybody have a happy weekend!