Late Night Ramblings

I am a HUGE How I Met Your Mother fan. It all started when Cody quoted Lily and gave me the context of the show and I thought, "hmmmm... sounds interesting". And then I had surgery and didn't feel well enough to surf the web for about two weeks and so I binge watched HIMYM. I've been hooked ever since. It deals with adult subjects and can be a little naughty at times but there are a lot of fun musical numbers and it's very well written. The last episode EVER is this coming Monday night and I'm beginning to grieve a little. Tonight the cast was on Inside The Actors Studio (which I also love) and it was highly entertaining.

Then I watched Greys Anatomy which was just insane. I can't keep up. And now the Television Without Pity website has shut down and I can't read the recaps to figure it out. Bummer.

Now I'm watching NCAA basketball. Not sure how long I'll manage to stay awake but... eh. Anyways.

I usually put my laptop to bed around 8pm and start reading. My eyes are kind of wonky tonight and I'm getting a headache so I picked the laptop back up. I saw this little graphic about how wonderful birth control is and why every company should have to provide it to their employees - a liberal attack on Hobby Lobby. I thought I'd clear things up for my readers. Hobby Lobby has petitioned the Supreme Court to opt out of providing four abortive types of birth control to their employees - types of birth control that insurance companies are mandated to provide under the Affordable Healthcare Act (commonly known as Obamacare). Hobby Lobby agrees to provide sixteen other types of birth control - only objecting to providing birth control that they feel is abortive. In other words, if the birth control allows the sperm to fertilize the egg but stops the egg from implanting in one way or another. Here are my thoughts about it:

• Abortion is murder. That little clump of cells has the potential to become life and no one has the right to end life other than the one who creates life and in my belief, that is God. I feel so strongly against abortion that ALTHOUGH I WOULD NEVER INTERFERE WITH YOUR RIGHT TO OBTAIN ONE, I would be heartsick knowing that I had provided any assistance in anyone obtaining one. This is how Hobby Lobby's owners feel as well. 
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• Exemptions have been made for religious organizations to not have to provide birth control under the Affordable Healthcare Act. Hobby Lobby, based on the religious views of the owners of their company have requested a modified exemption - not from ALL birth control but from only four different types. Birth control pills can be used in other capacities than just preventing conception, other forms of birth control may also have alternate uses. Hobby Lobby doesn't want to be exempted from ALL birth control, just those four abortive methods. 
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• People who are insured under Medicare and Medicaid have restrictions on treatments and drugs that are available to them based on the cost of said treatments and medications. I haven't reviewed the plans available under the ACA but I am certain, one hundred percent certain, that there are these same type of restrictions. Why must every type of birth control under the sun be provided when every type of cholesterol drug isn't? Or every pain medication? Or every cancer treatment? Or - as was repeatedly promised - every doctor? (Remember, "If you want to keep your doctor, you can..."?) I have a great relationship with my pain doctor and there are many, many reasons I'd want to continue to see him once my disability is approved and I'm on Medicaid but you know what? He's not on the list. Shouldn't it be MY right to see whomever I choose and have my insurance provider pay for it? 
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• And of course in every discussion about conception/abortion there comes the question of rape... to which I say, in that situation there is a very personal decision to be made between yourself, your God and your doctor. I'm certain, as far as the government reaches into our lives that there can be some provision for those rare occasions when this situation arises. Hobby Lobby has 16,000 employees. I would venture that a larger percentage of those are women. Perhaps half of those women are in their childbearing years. Of those women who could become pregnant, what percentage of them do you think would be raped over the course of a year? Few, if not none. It's a non-issue but... if need be, allow for that provision. 

Anyways. So now that is out of my system and I can tell you about my highly productive (for me) day. This morning I had to go to the bank, the Vocational Tech office (for Austin), the pharmacy, the library and the grocery store. It sounds like a lot of running around but it was only a few minutes at each stop and it was a lovely day. My back pain and hip pain is bad today but the evil gut pain isn't so I was able to go all of those places and I felt quite accomplished having done so.

I'm really concentrating on eating a more balanced diet, especially in getting more fruits and veggies into my diet. Today I had watermelon, black grapes, mixed greens (in a salad), avocado (in a salad and on a taco), tomatoes, lettuce, onion (taco), sauteed green beans and a banana (dipped in chocolate). I also had dried mango but honestly, it's more like candy than fruit so I don't count it. I also had pringles, a cupcake, freeze dried pear so I'm not exactly dieting but I have done a little better than usual.

At the library today I picked up the following books:

Elizabeth and Phillip: The untold story of the Queen of England and her Prince
Unsinkable: the full story of the RMS Titanic
Southern Harvest (a historical account of rural life in 1942)
The South And The Southerner
Secret Ceremonies: A Mormon woman's intimate diary of marriage and beyond

And I'm still reading Things That Matter by Charles Krauthammer (who I adore but doesn't he look like the bald eagle on The Muppets?). I am really tempted to buy Greg Gutfeld's new book, Not Cool because I adore Greg and think he is witty and insightful.

My mom and I are doing some Spring dress shopping - trying to catch some of the comfy dresses that we like to wear when the weather is warm. I prefer dresses that are comfortable and casual instead of shorts. We're keeping our eye on zulily.com to catch what we like on sale. Mom says her "rich uncle died" so we can splurge a little. (not a true story).

Tomorrow my parents are heading to the Southside of town to go to mom's oncologist (she's fine - it's a checkup) and will be gone for several hours. I'm on dog duty (which is different from dog doody but they both stink) (not really, I love our fur babies) and hopefully will not wear myself out before the Kiwanis Talent Show tomorrow night because I really, really want to be there. My back is inflamed - the discs - from my activities this week and I'm having a lot of pain in my hips which is not unusual but not an everyday thing. It makes walking harder.

My poor cousin is still dealing with the extreme migraines to the extent that she is unable to work. She's ten years younger than me and has three kids and two stepkids but her hubby is awesome and her mom lives across the street so she's getting by ok. I just hate for anyone to live with pain because I know firsthand that it is no fun. I told her today that you have to just get up every day and do what you can do and forgive yourself for what you can't do. There's so much guilt involved in this whole pain thing and that is just wrong. It's enough to suffer without beating yourself up about it. I have to remind myself of this almost daily.

I chipped a tooth today. Front tooth. Really ugly. I need a major dental intervention but it's on hold like everything else in my life right now.

And now Little Kitty has decided it's time to put the laptop away. He's trying to sit on it. Goodnight and big hugs, y'all!