Hi Everyone!

My blog has moved from Gaia to WordPress.  I can be found @ http://arandomlife.wordpress.com .  

Godspeed,

~K.

How to Reduce the Drama of Doctor's Office Visits

By Kanika A. Hodges, published Jul 18, 2008

Have you ever visited the doctor only to come out feeling sicker than you already were due to mishaps unrelated to your illness? For example, you arrive to the doctor's office in time for your appointment, only to end up waiting more than an hour before your name is called. And to add insult to injury, you have to pick up your kids from their school across town in 15 minutes? Perhaps you open your mailbox one day to get an unexpected medical bill with a balance that sends a cold chill down your spine. Or maybe you've waited weeks to see a specialist for that painful sinus infection, only for your appointment to be canceled because your family doctor did not pre-authorize the visit. I bet just reading those examples alone made you want to scream!

Trust me when I say you're not alone. In my years as a medical office manager, I've seen more than enough drama at the doctor's office that will make even the most stoic person ill. Such was the inspiration for my 11+ tips. So sit back, relax and find out how you can reduce the headache out of going to the doctor.

1- Confirm your doctor's address. If this is your first time to a new doctor, confirm the address with the receptionist upon making your appointment. Often times, a doctor's office can move to a new location before the address information is updated in the yellow pages or your insurance's provider directory, which can lead new patients to the wrong place. Making sure that you have the right address beforehand can eliminate the stress of feeling lost.

While you're at it, don't forget to ask if there is a suite number. Many businesses are located in office buildings and you could end up wandering around aimlessly trying to find your doctor. If you need directions, check out Google Maps, Mapquest or HopStop (a subway/mass transit direction site). Quite often, the office staff live out of the area or use public transportation to get around and are unable to give you proper directions.

Rest of article can be read here

This afternoon I was on the bus to Getty Square because I had to run a few errands.  The driver pulled up to one stop to pick up some passengers in Yonkers and a blind man got on the bus.  There are six seats at the front fo the bus reserved for disabled and elderly riders, and all but one of them were filled by young, able-bodied passengers.   Not one of these passengers gave up their seat for this man. 

Since I was sitting in the front as well (but not in the disabled section), I got up from my seat and led the gentleman to where I had been sitting and sat him down.  After that, I read everyone in the disabled section the riot act by yelling. "What is wrong with y'all?  You see a blind man coming and you don't give up your seat?  Y'all are just selfish!"

My rant was met with silence from the folks sitting in the disabled section.  However,  a woman who was sitting in the same section I was said "mm-mm-mm"...I don't know if she agreed with me or thought I was nuts. 

I was pretty surprised by my temper going off to be honest.  As long as I've ridden the bus, it's been pretty commonplace for able-bodied passengers not to give up their seat to a disabled/elderly rider, and if I'm in the front, I will give up my seat without a problem.  I never get into a confrontation because here in NY its never a good idea because you'll end up with high blood pressure or in the back of a police car. 

However, it really hit a nerve with me seeing the blind man struggle to find a seat and not one passenger in the disabled section willing to give up their place.  It seemed so selfish and heartless to me. 

I got off the bus and went on with my errands, however I felt really tender about that incident all day.  I just don't understand how people today can be so self-centred...

On Monday afternoon, more than a half-century after they became a couple, Lyon and Martin plan to become the first same-sex couples to legally exchange marriage vows in San Francisco and among the first in the state.

"It was something you wanted to know, 'Is it really going to happen?' And now it's happened, and maybe it can continue to happen," Lyon said.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom plans to officiate at the private ceremony in his City Hall office before 50 invited guests. He picked Martin, 87, and Lyon, 84, for the front of the line in recognition of their long relationship and their status as pioneers of the gay rights movement.

Along with six other women, they founded a San Francisco social club for lesbians in 1955 called the Daughters of Bilitis. Under their leadership, it evolved into the nation's first lesbian advocacy organization. They have the FBI files to prove it.

Read rest of article here...

Every Sunday around 2am, channel 11 shows re-runs of Soul Train from waaaay back in the day.   It can be quite a welcome treat to come home to after a hanging with the homegirls because the music is so pleasant and mellow to listen to...In addition, the Soul Train dancers look like they're having such a ball, you can't help but feel jovial while watching the show!   There's no better way to end a Saturday night!

Tonight's Soul Train episode featured the song above.  I remember Kool & The Gang's Celebration because it was a wildly popular song when I was a young girl.  But I never realised how awesome the lyrics were until now.  You can't help but get a case of happy feet while listening to it!

Enjoy!

~K.

So for the last two days, I've been sick w/some icky virus.  Between the nasty symptoms and being pumped full of antibiotics, I'm not up to blogging much.  However, I highly suggest that everyone takes a look @ this amazing blog entry by John Scalzi, in which he outlines the many ways Fox News has gone too far in disrespecting Michelle Obama.

If I didn't love him enough for creating the infamous schadenfreude pie recipe, I certainly love him now.

See this here?  It's actually a CAKE!  The "crust" is made of a cake base, and the toppings are composed of sweet stuff such as icing, chocolate and fondant dyed w/food colouring.   However, it's pizza-like appearance is so realistic, I cannot fathom it tasting sweet. 

And the kicker- the cake comes delivered in a pizza box!  Admittedly, this innovative confection has disturbed and intrigued me!

This pizza cake and many more can be ordered @ mypizzacake.com .  But unlike real pizza, this cake is delivered to your doorstep in a few days.

I live in a quiet neighbourhood right near the aqueduct....A pain in the butt to get around in, w/o a car, but the beauty of it all makes up for the inconvenience.

The area is surrounded by woodsy areas and green vegetation.  Spring and summertime here is so pleasant, so peaceful...And everytime I come home, I get a warm fuzzy feeling.

I wake up to the melodic chirping of the birds in the morning, and view the Hudson River and New Jersey palisades from my bedroom window...In the backyard, there are butterflies fluttering about the colourful & fragrant florals that bloom among the property, see deer sitting peacefully underneath the trees...bees buzzing about collecting their pollen...Chipmunks running amok in the grass.   Whenever I head out for the day, I am greeted by the friendly neighbourhood cats who are quite content wandering about the neighbourhood and socialising with one another....And barked at by the dogs.  But it makes me laugh.  It's like the kind of scenery that you would see in the illustrations of fairy tale books, and yet it's all real...And I live here.

Today it was 81 degrees, sunny and breezy...A perfect day for a walk.  And walked I did...Through the wooden trail of the aqueduct, down one of the main streets and back home.  On the way back, I passed by an open stretch of land that is just amazing...Soft grass underneath your feet, a tall tree with violet flowers falling to the ground, and more importantly, a full view of the Hudson River, which glittered as the sun shone above it and New Jersey palisades....This area is the kind of place you can meditate, but I didn't as I believe the land was someone's property.  So I just stared at the view of the river. 

A few minutes later, I caught a rather large bird flying about.  For a minute, I tried to figure out what kind of a bird it was, then I finally realised what Eckhart Tolle meant by looking at something without trying to name it.  Because most of the time when I spend time trying to name an object, I lose focus on the awesomeness of it, and it gets lost behind a label.    So I let that go and stared in amazement as it gracefully flew into the air. 

I mean, not for nothing my apartment is not perfect...But I love this area.   I am grateful to have lived here.

South America- I'd go somewhere that is seaside and abundant in vegetation...Like Costa Rica or Honduras...Or maybe I'd check out the Andes mountains...Travel the villages, be with the people amongst a culture and lifestyle that is totally different from the world I come from...I think it would be fascinating for sure.

The last three months have been...Whoa...Mind blowing.

This past January,  I joined the Gotham Girls Jeerleaders ...And ended up on the Backseat Betties, who cheer for the roller derby team, the Bronx Gridlock.  Since then, my social life suddenly blew up! Every weekend has been filled with various social gatherings and roller-derby related events such as fundraisers, bouts and parties...I never thought I'd be overwhelmed with so many things to do, but I totally love it.  I met some really awesome girls who I hang out & chat with nearly all the time outside of jeerleading...

I get to utilise my skills and creativity towards making the Betties awesome...My captain loves most of my ideas and is very grateful for my ideas.  It makes me feel useful and efficient, and I don't ever remember ever feeling that way with anything I've done in life.  Jeerleading has brought out a lot of strengths and creativity that I never knew that I possessed and in a sense I feel that much more confident about myself..I am forever grateful for that.

I still have a major challenge to face though:  Our team's first bout is next Saturday (6/7) and I am nervous and excited because our squad has to perform @ the halftime show.  I suffer from a bit of performance anxiety and for me to be dancing at a halftime show in front of thousands of people is something I would consider to be last on my list.  However, I plan to go through with it.  Hopefully, after I get the first performance out of the way I will be less nervous.

Since I've been so busy these last few months with work, jeerleading and socialising, I haven't had much time to myself....My mind has been pretty cluttered as of late and my body feels icky, as if it needs detoxing...I probably need a spiritual cleansing.  I decided to take this weekend off to do some spring cleaning and spend some time alone...It was so beautiful out today and I walked all around town, it was peaceful and needed.  I am probably going to lay off the news and useless internet interactions for a spell so I can have peace of mind...I believe that reading all the insanity surrounding the election has left me with a cynical feeling...And perhaps I should lay off of that for a minute.

Life is kind of sweet right now...