Late Bloomer Blog

Having spent three of the past five days in a hospital with medical personel, I’ve been thinking lately about something that modern science has yet to cure. Not the common cold. But the common sneeze.

I sat in a chair directly across from a nurse, Jean. I didn’t feel well enough to catch Jean’s last name though I did notice that she processed at least 40 patients in one hour.

And I started thinking about all the germs, the invisible germs that Jean must be exposed to every day.

On the corner of her desk closest to me, sat a bottle of liquid hand cleaner, not that she used it. I think it was available more for the comfort of the patients than the staff. I observed no staff priming the pump.
Maybe the staff goes in the back and uses real and soap and water.

Just then Jean’s head jerked and she raised her hand to her mouth. I expected a sneeze though she let out only a cough. I opened my mouth to say, “God bless you.”

But I stopped myself and had to think about that.

I’d already waited an hour to be seen and had already exhausted all thoughts of how medical staff doesn’t come down with the plague once day.

So by now my mind was occupied on the matter of the common sneeze. And I wondered why we treat that little bodily function the way we do.

You can’t even get someone to notice your cough. But go and sneeze and we have a vast array of terms. As Americans we say a sneeze sounds like “Atchoo.” Each country has their own term for the expiration of air from the lungs.

Hack and hew your gutts out but you won’t illicit a single, “God bless you” or even “Bless you.”

Ancient cultures believed that bad spirits could get in through an open mouth during a sneeze.

No cool folklore exists for choking from a dry throat.

And you can’t even get a tissue for a cough. Maybe you coughed up a huge hair ball and phlegm is dripping from your chin. But you are on your own. “Eeew, get your own tissue. You think I want to get sick?”

Each country has their own polite phrase out of concern for the sneezing person. In Germany and parts of America, we say, “Gesundheit” or “to your health.”

Conjure up mucous and nobody loves you. Seriously. A cough is like an intrusion on society. Try it twice in a rapid succession and people will turn around to see who is breaking the silence.

Isn’t a cough also a sign that someone may be sick? Maybe a cough doesn’t assault our bodies enough to warrant concern.

A sneeze is like a shut down. Like driving along on the freeway and slamming on the brakes. A very violent act. A sneeze can make a real mess out of a freshly cleaned window.

A cough is just annoying and gruff. Like a barking dog. Not at all easy on your throat. A cough is big and bellowing and creeps up on you just like a sneeze.

“Atchoo.”

Yippeee! I just learned to embed videos. Who knows what I will do next…

What is Smokey the kitty smoking? I love cats.

Natural curosity and the ability to shut up and listen, make me the perfect interviewer.

I love getting ready to meet people, checking Mapquest and doing the required homework that allow me to ask intelligent questions. And, believe it or not, I’ve actually even collected a few fans.

But that’s the “working me.”
Meet me on my personal time and I’m not as friendly. Actually I’m downright impatient and take myself entirely too seriously.

Sometimes the biggest problem I face is getting out of the grocery store before I get annoyed. About ten minutes. I’m special see. My time is valuable. It’s all about me.

Don’t get in my way! My life is half over and I’m rushing towards the
second half.

Atrocious things happen every moment, in every corner of the world and I’m frazzled because the lady pushing a cart full of cat food walks too slow for my taste.

It’s amazing how the little things can get to me. Like driving in circles to find a parking space. Once I get in the store, I might bop around aimlessly for an 15 minutes. I don’t know why; maybe I’m daydreaming. But let a customer in the checkout line fumble with change, and I just know my time is being wasted.

Spoiled. That’s what I am. I have a place to live and food to eat though I can feel the adrenaline rush of a cave woman.

People have their own lives to live. Sometimes that includes death, divorce or foreclosure.

Fine. Just don’t let your pain get in the way of my life that revolve around finding the freshest loaf of French bread.

Recently my Literature teacher, Dr. Gray has me reading poems by a woman from Algeria where fundamentalists stepped into power. All these readings did something to my head.

I started thinking that maybe that’s the problem, sometimes I’m too warm and cozy to get out of myself and consider others.

The family with the messy yard might not be trying to bring down the value of the neighborhood. Maybe they are dealing with cancer.

And maybe I need to slow down and breathe slower. There is enough French bread on the shelves for everyone.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately,” Henry David Thoreau said, “to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

A new magazine came in the mail yesterday. And no. I didn’t need it. Between the stacks of Time, Cottage Living and 402 other pounds magazines and books stuffed in the house, my reading/craft literature is set until 2057.

But for me, glossy pages are the stuff that dreams are made of. I must have subscribed to Cloth Paper Scissors during my last trip to Mars. I don’t usually lock myself into subsciptions that expensive.

Although the cover of the March/April issue sure is an attractive piece of art in itself. I’m looking at five “dolls” fashioned from old artist paint tubes. Have you ever thought of that before? What brilliant minds adorn the bodies of artists Susan Andrews and Carolyn Fellman!

“Their Secret of Happiness” series utilizes five “paint tube babies” which are glued to a wooden wall frame.

The heads in are made with Paperclay and feature delicate mouths and eyes.

Now, this is my kind of art. I love rescuing disgarded items that are ready for the trash and seeing what I can create. Why not?

The planet is full of countless tons of trash that will never degrade. What’s wrong with saving some of that garbage and transforming it into an object to be admired?

No wonder I love shopping at flea markets and Good Will stores. I enjoy finding new uses for cast offs.

And God knows, I should put my collections to good use. For years I’ve saved broken jewelry, old buttons and skeleton keys. Eventually my junk makes sense.

Is it about time you put your creativity to use? Send me an email and tell me about a project you are proud of. Send me a photo. I can always use inspiration.

And who knows when I’ll get to that Cloth Paper Scissors magazine. But now I have more to ponder.

Story and photos by Tricia Chambers

“Flag Lady” Roberta Allen sees stars and stripes everywhere she goes, thanks to a pair of nonprescription contact lenses. Allen shared her vision of Republican presidential candidates on Saturday, August 11 at the Silicon Valley Young Republican Federation barbeque and fundraiser.

None of the 40 or so participants at the Hellyer Park event could have guessed that Allen, decked out in patriotic apparel from head to toe, is shy by nature. The Campbell resident never thought she’d be involved in public speaking but did find herself participating in the event’s speakers series.

“September 11th inspired something in me,” revealed Allen, a representative of a grassroots organization urging Senator Fred Thompson to run in 2008. Allen believes that the senator will announce his candidacy around Labor Day.

Theri Rowen, SVYRF President kicked off the festivities by welcoming the participants to what master of ceremonies, Issac Kight SVYRF Vice President referred to as “an historic event.”

“This is the first time SVYRF has sponsored a fundraising event to support both our troops and the Friends of Israeli Defense Forces,” Kight said. “Until now [we’ve] danced around our allies, moderate Arabs and Muslims.” Kight spoke on behalf of Rudy Giuliani and said of the former New York Major, “he will keep America on the defense, practice free market solutions and reduce the number of cases to the Supreme Court.”

Lisa Cohen represented the Friends of the IDF, a group whose brochure reads, “Their job is to look after Israel. Ours is to look after them.”

Rex Ruth enacted his portrayal of General John C. Fremont, the first presidential candidate of a major party to run opposed to slavery. A controversial figure, Fremont was also an explorer, a hero of the Mexican-American war and a California Senator.

Dressed in a civil war uniform complete with a firearm and saber, Ruth/Fremont said, “I’ve traveled back and forth all over this country, so blessed that I have to weep.”

Ruth/Fremont went on to speak of a “dying decadence of freedom” which he compared to a shipwreck that he insisted needs staunch protection. His final remarks were punctuated by the saber, which he pulled out and pointed at the crowd. “Stand on your pride,” he said. “Answer the call. Know that you have been called.”

San Mateo resident, Clara Weissmiller, called Ruth, “an excellent, natural speaker who really gets into his character,” and added that she “loved the sword.”

Special guest speaker, Major Eric Egland, Iraq/Afghanistan vet and candidate for California’s 4th Congressional District, spoke about his organization, ‘Troops Need You’ and his recent Oval Office meeting with General Petraeus and President Bush, who he says is much more relaxed in person than on television. Eglund was honored to present his plan to win the war at the meeting.

“The only way to win is to get Americans mobilized to participate,” said Eglund who feels that American troops involved in face to face interactions with Iraqis can gain their support if America provides supplies that they may need such as medicines, wheel chairs or water filtration systems. Eglund received an award for service at the event.

The major stressed his belief that the result of this action will be that the Iraqis will then stand with our troops.

Eglund said that he is offended by Congressional members who “voted for the war but didn’t believe in it” and thereby “undermine it.”

“We’re right and we know it. We’ll just keep telling our story,” Eglund said in his closing remarks.

Other speakers included, past SVYRF president and former Alan Keyes for President campaign worker, Alan J. Hall who represented 2008 candidate, Duncan Hunter. According to Hall, Hunter is, “100% NRA, pro-life and will defend our borders. He knows what he’s talking about. We don’t need to listen to the talking heads on television. We can pick the best candidate right here, right now.”

The afternoon also included a barbecue of hamburgers, hotdogs and an assortment of bakery-fresh apple pies, double-chocolate cookies, in addition to raffles for a DVD player, wine and Michael Savage books.

According to Rowen the fundraiser earned over $900 and “went very well.” She’s pleased to be able to “donate to three important charities that help the Jewish community and the troops and their families.”

“I’m just happy to see that everyone is having a great time on a Saturday afternoon. That just makes me want to do more in the community. I feel great about being a Republican in the south bay,” she said. “We are out numbered but I don’t stress or worry about it. By doing this barbecue I hope it makes people want to become [a Republican] or want to get more involved.”

The event also raised funds for the Santa Clara based, Operation Care and Comfort, a nonprofit organization that sends monthly care packages to troops in the Middle East.

SVYRF accepts registered Republican voters between the ages of 18 and 40. Members are required to pay annual dues, and must live, work or attend school in California. SVYRF encourages active participation in local or county clubs, the state board or the Republican Party in general.

A local chapter of the YSVRF the Silicon Valley group’s goals are to provide opportunities for the development of leadership skills and serve the community while increasing political awareness and networking with other young adults. Members also gain experience through a team effort inside the framework of the Republican Party.

For more information, visit http://www.geocities.com/svyreps/

You have to become an old dog to realize that they can learn new tricks.

Take me for instance. I never needed an excuse to feel depressed though cloudy or rainy days always my sense of gloominess.

Well, now that I’ve spent so much time with my Mom in the past few years, the prejudice I used to harbor against winter has evaporated.

You see, my Mom always seemed a weird bird to me. She’d greet slick streets and gray skies with, “Oh, what a nice day?”

Was she serious? You can’t go to the beach, wear a tank top or flip flops in a rain puddle.

The woman lives in turtlenecks (more about that later!) and loves long-sleeved sweaters all year-round.

Here’s the rub: she rubbed off on me! I now embrace the many fashion possiblities of sun-challenged weather. And it started at the GoodWill.

Once a frugal shopper, always a frugal shopper. Racks and racks of the most colorful sweaters have transformed me into a person who glows in lavender angora and squeels at the sight of a vintage cashmere coat.

Yes, the kid who ran around half-naked in spring showers because clothing impeded games of Red Rover Red Rover, now has a coat to match every outfit in the rainbow.

And you will never guess what happened. My Mother wakes up on a drizzly morn and now says, “What a depressing day!”