Alter Ego

If you had listened
I would have told you how scared I was
oh how frightened I was
and how I wasn’t sure if I could do this alone
If you had listened
I would have told you I didn’t know the answers
that I was still figuring out the questions to ask
If you had held out a hand
or offered a shoulder
or asked how I was holding up
I might have told you, Not good,
but doing better now you’re with me
But you didn’t ask
and I held the words back
and I realized I was scared but I could do this on my own
Because I had to

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is the month to get informed about breast cancer, its symptoms, its treatment, and the networks available to patients diagnosed with this disease. Breast cancer runs in my family--my mother had it, and so did her mother--and so I've realized recently that makes me a candidate as well. I've never thought of myself as a woman susceptible to this disease, but in reality, as I approach my middle years, I'll need to be more vigilant and aware than ever before. Visit this site to get lots of great information about this disease and to find out if you belong to a high-risk population group.

Did you know there are six types of breast cancer, each with differing survival rates? Did you know that breast cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed among African American women, and that it is more lethal in that population group? Did you know that women under 40 who get breast cancer are more likely to die from it than women over 40? If you didn't, then visit the NBCAM site to find out more. And, if you're so inclined, wear your pink ribbon to show solidarity with victims of breast cancer all month long. I am.

TJB

The "There are No Easy Answers" List

Some time ago, my husband and I were chatting about movies that raised questions about culture, society, religion, destiny, the nature of courage and sacrifice, the dark side of heroism, and other interesting topics of conversation. We like movies that entertain, but we also like them to give us fodder for conversation on the way home in the car. These are movies that make us think beyond our boundaries, challenge us to see points of view from a place we might be uncomfortable standing, or just make us go "Huh," all the while showing us a good time. They didn't take the easy way out, and often asked some very interesting questions. Some of these movies are on our list because they are, in a word, different than anything that came before, though oft duplicated after. So, for your edification, here is our list, and a note or two about why we found them worth a second look.

Brazil -- bureaucracy: the new terrorism

Gattica-- "There Is No Gene For The Human Spirit"

Insomnia -- does the end justify the means?

The Matrix (1) -- what is reality?

Memento -- "Some memories are best forgotten"

Hamlet (2000) -- does perception define reality? Shakespeare revisioned

High Noon -- is courage stepping forward when others step back?
The Devil's Advocate -- "vanity: definitely my favorite sin" -- a lawyer without a soul may seem redundant, but not in this case
Broadcast News -- where Hell is defined as the lowering of our standards, bit by bit

Fearless (with Jeff Bridges) -- again, perception vs. reality: if we believe something is true, is it?

Schindler's List -- "Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire"

Collateral Damage -- an everyman in extraordinary circumstances

Emperor's Club -- "An idealistic prep school teacher attempts to redeem an incorrigable student" -- but not with the ending you'd expect

Merchant of Venice (with Al Pacino) -- "the quality of mercy is not strained"; religious intolerance from the Jew's point of view

Martin Luther -- What is faith?

Unforgiven -- facing up to one's past

Notorious -- what would you be willing to do for love?

Would you add any to this list? The main criteria is that the movie be both entertaining and thought-provoking. What do you think?

TJB

Ooo! Ooo! I have a new game!

I'm in a silly mood. I was posting over at the Boxing the Octopus blog, and in order to leave my missive, I had to type in the word verification string of letters to prove I'm not a spammer. My word was "beeyf," and gosh, it just looked funny to me. I said it out loud several times, to myself, sitting there at the computer, just for fun:

"beeeeeef" "BEEE-yf" "BeeeeeeeeeF"

It tickled my funnybone and I started laughing hysterically, to the point that I couldn't stop. There I was, cracking up, tears running down my face, all the while thinking, "You know, this probably isn't that funny." But then I've had a rough week, and needed the catharsis. Thank goodness there were no witnesses (other than you folks, of course). Heh heh heh.

So, what words can you make up from your verification string? Next time you post at someone else's more popular blog, check it out. Challenge yourself to create a giddy new word that will strut up to all those other more popular, dictionary-approved words and say, "Don't you wish your girlfriend was HOT like ME?"

Come back and post here if you find any good ones!

TJB

Word of the Day

From the online Urban Dictionary:

identity crash

"Sudden and catastrophic collapse of an individual's ability to keep all the threads of his or her online identity straight when the individual joins one too many social networks."

Ex: I was ok keeping up with Facebook, Flickr, and Myspace, but after throwing lawlink, Last.fm, and Orkut into the mix, I had a total identity crash and forgot what went where.

Thought I'd share. Thanks to Yasmine Galenorn for the link. :-)

TJB