D i e n u

Randy and I are separating.

It was my idea.

I don’t really want to talk about it right now.

But I guess when you put your life out there, you have to be as willing to acknowledge the bad as you do the good.

So yeah.

(since i can’t share this day with my mom, i thought i’d share a little bit of my mom with the world. she wrote this poem when i was a freshman or sophomore in college.)

Our TV blew up yesterday,
Now Maurey has nothing to say.
The Price isn’t right,
X-Files no fright,
Our TV blew up yesterday.

A quiet’s descended our house
No Scooby, no Rugrats, and no Mickey Mouse
There’s no Highway to Heaven,
No film at eleven,
Our TV blew up yesterday.

The rain hasn’t let up for a minute,
Life’s hard when there’s no TV in it,
I’ve stared at the screen,
Wished it into being,
Our TV blew up yesterday.

Did Courtney and Beth get married?
Or is their boyfriend still harried?
Oh what I wouldn’t give
For just “One Life to Live,”
Our TV blew up yesterday.

Our TV has gave up the ghost,
No game shows and no talk host,
There ain’t no Marshall Dillon,
Oh I’d give a million!
Our TV blew up yesterday.

The warranty must have run out,
To the day, to the second, no doubt.
I’m mad as a hatter but,
What does it matter?
Our TV blew up yesterday.

The screen just sits there so black,
There’s no “Murder, She Wrote” back to back,
I can’t stand it no more, no
COMMERCIALS GALORE!!
Our TV burned up yesterday,

I say….
Our TV blew up yesterday.

The End!

(Happy Mother’s Day!)

Happy birthday, Momma. I miss you.

I know there’s a color and a ribbon for pretty much every disease out there. And they are all important.

But the red dress symbol is especially personal to me.

Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the United States. Probably because the symptoms we usually associate with a heart attack are true for men, but not so much for women.

My mom died of a heart attack nine years ago. She was only 46. If she had known more about the symptoms, if she’d gotten better treatment, if we’d known how to respond, she might still be alive today.

Tomorrow, Friday February 6th, 2009 is National Wear Red Day. I’ll be wearing red in memory of my mom. And I’ll tell anyone who asks about what to watch out for and how they can help.

Will you do the same?

It’s too late for my mom, but it doesn’t have to be too late for the women in your life.

For more information about the the impact of heart disease on women and to estimate your own risk, visit the American Heart Association’s website at GoRedforWomen.com.

And in case anybody asks, here is some information about women and heart disease.

Six Risk Factors for Women
- High Cholesterol
- High Blood Pressure
- Smoking
- Sedentary Habits
- Obesity
- Diabetes

Of course, there are other risk factors like heredity and age, but the six risk factors above play a big role. And the important thing about them is that you have the power to affect them.

Symptoms of a Heart Attack

- Chest pain:

The most common symptom for men and women. it usually happens right in the center of the chest, lasts for more than a few minutes, and comes and goes. it can feel like uncomfortable tightness, pressure, squeezing or pain.

While chest pain is the most common symptoms, women are far more likely than men to experience other symptoms that you might not associate with a heart attack.

- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body (one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach)

- Shortness of breath, with or without chest pain

- Cold sweats, nausea or lightheadedness.

The afternoon before my mom had the heart attack that killed her, she thought she was getting the flu. 18 hours later she was dead. Had she known that her nausea and lightheadedness were symptoms of a heart attack, she could have gotten help. But she didn’t.

Now you do.