TBT Reprints from CJ's Whine and Cheeze

   In 2003, Ma had a stroke. Dad was her full time caregiver until he he had a car accident that totaled the car. So in 2006, I became their chauffeur among other jobs.

At the time, to deal with the stress of running two households and working, I kept a blog entitled CJ's Whine and Cheeze. Egged on by some friends who enjoyed the first read through, you'll see your part when it comes by.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

The Perfect Gift

From the F.N. Toothfairy Co. (a division of the International Organization of Smartasses [INOSA]) comes the perfect gift for your holiday giving.

Introducing The Mahta-Cro ® at the amazing low price of $14.95 plus shipping and handling. Help your favorite martyr express their woes in perfect posture and pathos without the discomfort of keeping their arm raised to their forehead.

The ingenious Mahta-Cro ® is comprised of two small squares of Velcro with an adhesive backing. Simply attach one square to the forehead (adhesive side to the forehead) and the other square to the back of the wrist of the dominant hand (adhesive side to the back of the wrist). Bring the wrist to the forehead and the Velcro loops will engage. You’ll be able to strike that perfect martyred pose for hours on end without your arm becoming tired!

The Mahta-Cro ® is the perfect solution to your holiday gift giving. Perfect for Martyrs, Harried Bosses, Drama Queens, and especially Teen Girls. It's the gift that keeps on giving!

Call 1-800-MHT-ACRO

Call now, and we’ll include a special letter with a Jamaican telephone number for you to call to see if you’ve won a chance at $2M.

Hurry! Act now! Supplies are limited!

Adventures of the Poor, Little Boob

  This journal is about my journey with DCIS which began in January 2024. Ductal Carcinoma in Situ. A form of breast cancer. I didn't tell many people. Family, a handful of close friends. I didn't even tell my bosses at the museum where I teach. Somewhere along the line after much prodding and poking, I decided the My DCIS Journey was too boring so retitled the journal Adventures of the Poor, Little Boob.

The Poor, Little Boob has been cancer-free since June 0f 2024, and still has another year of taking hormone therapy and being monitored by an oncologist. My target date for ending the medication and this journey is June1, 2027

I was notified of new test results in the patient portal of the medical group my primary care physician belonged to before I heard anything from my primary care. That's good an bad. The wait is over, but bad because you're reading things that you may not completely understand.

For 7 years, I worked in a hospital laboratory. I started as a receptionist, worked up to an extra pair of hands for some of the departments, I sometimes filled in typing pathology reports from a Dictaphone when one of the medical secretaries was out, I was the computer operator when the lab became computerized, and I was a bench monkey plating specimens in Microbiology. All this to say, I have enough medical background to make me dangerous.

I think I stared at the word carcinoma for several minutes. How could that be? I had no pain. No lumps, bumps, or anything out of the ordinary.

Ductal Carcinoma in Situ referred to as DCIS.  Ever notice how diseases are known by acronyms? I'm with DCIS like I belong to some sort of special law enforcement task force.

A little medical reading got me to the cancer cells are located in the milk ducts and pretty much stay there. DCIS is called Stage 0 or pre-cancer. That made me laugh because it's like being sort of pregnant. You either are or you aren't.

I also found that Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts is the only facility in the Northeast United States that has a program specifically for DCIS. I decided that's where I wanted to be treated. 

T Stands for the 13th Anniversary of T Day

 

Erika from BioArtGirl was my swap partner for the 13th T Day Anniversary. Erika had me at the Kitty Love Stamp and she also included a Historic Main Street Railroad Station stamp.

On the back of the envelope she stamped this nervous feline

Inside, this gorgeous card with two of my favorite things. Ink (my beloved black cat now with me in spirit and any black cat I see real or in print is Ink) and a cup of tea. The sentiment on the card: May your cup overflow with Hope.

The inside sentiment was a belated T Day anniversary wish (sometime in July) and a birthday wish.  She also included a fun tag with having coffee/tea at the beach. I love the googly eyes on the teacup. She also tucked in an Ink bookmark. His paws are cut out so his paws hang over the top of the page and his body hangs on the back of the page. There was also an Ink silhouette.

Thank you, Erika, for going through so much trouble with an injured shoulder. I hope you're feeling better.

Thank you to our hosts, Elizabeth and Bleubeard for hosting T Day. 13 years. Here's to many more T Days.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Monet and Me

 

and Miro admired Happy Mail from Columbus, Ohio. I knew it wasn't from the Young One because she was here when the card arrived. The card had to come from the one and only Finnbadger of Envelope 100

I love how he coordinated the Star Wars card with the Star Wars stamps of the droids issued by USPS in 2021. Not only that, but Monet was tickled that the envelope coordinated with his coloring.

The inside sentiment. I am Amaze, Amaze, Amaze! Thank you, Finnbadger for remembering me.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

 

"A" did a great job of trimming down the snowball bushes.

Another moss rose gifted to us by somebunny or birdie

This giant weed is American Burnweed

Another moss rose

The sad sunflower because the goldfinches ate all of the top petals

Red petunias in Petunia's Queen of Hearts planter

How does your garden grow?

Happy, Little, Time Wasters

 

Wellerman (Ragtime Sea Shanty) - Scott Bradlee Piano Cover

The Friday Five Good Things

 

The Lung and Allergy Department was celebrating National Watermelon Day, 8/3/2026

Five good things that happened this week.

1. Part 1 of the antibiotic testing. A 3 hour test. I'm still allergic to the cephalosporin antibiotics, specifically Cephalexin. We stopped for lunch on the way home at the 99 Restaurant.

2. The NP was going to book the part 2 of the antibiotic testing. The earliest date middle to end of September.  A cancellation came in for Friday 8/7. I'll take it!

3. I couldn't log onto my work account or access work email on my phone. Emailed G ( from my home email address) in IT. All sorted out very quickly.

4. I made ciambotta (Italian vegetable stew) with vegetables from Himself's garden. I made it in the crockpot. Ma, why didn't we think of doing that before?

5. Teague made a delicious zucchini bread with zucchini studded with chocolate chips. The zucchini came from Himself's garden. I had a slice with my afternoon cup of tea.

How was your week?