A Pox on All Your Houses! (Well, mine at least:-))

So...LK may have chicken pox, which I believe should entitle me to a refund on the vaccine, no?

I say "may" because she probably doesn't. As mentioned, she has been vaccinated, which doesn't totally rule out getting them, but it makes it pretty unlikely. Also, the rash (which showed up on Sunday and looks a lot like chicken pox) in only on her chest, upper back and left arm, whereas chicken pox are a whole-body experience. The best news is that it doesn't itch or bother her at all, and she has no fever, both of which would come with the chicken pox and which I am really thankful that she doesn't have...it is hard to explain to a two year old that you can't bring 11 stuffed animals into your high chair for dinner, so keeping her from itching herself seems like a losing battle.

So, the doctor's verdict is that it is probably some kind of virus that is manifesting itself in a skin rash...and that her sister probably has it, too, but that it may manifest in her as a runny nose (it is winter, their noses are ALWAYS running) or a stomach ache or some other minor symptom. But, she did encourage us to keep her out of day care for a couple of days, which is a huge pain...especially since The Boy is totally swamped this week and can't really take a day off, and his mother is busy as well.

I stayed home with her yesterday, and Munchkin is playing hooky from school to stay home with her today...which I find so adorable that I want to kiss a bunch of puppies. I was planning on staying home again today and maybe having a babysitter come over in the afternoon so I could get some work done, but Munchkin volunteered:-)

Truth be told, she has been running herself a little ragged lately with what seems to be 641 activities, and I think she kinda liked the idea of a mental health day, and I am not at all opposed to that. Honestly, at this point, she could wake up and just tell me she didn't feel like going to school and I would let her stay home...(also, she has a lot of chocolate to eat, thanks to Frenchie:-)). So, they are kicking it at home today...or, probably somewhere else by now.

Beyond that, not a whole lot going on. I would write about the President's budget proposal and the Republican's response, but I am tired and I feel like it is the same stupid shit they have been talking about forever. He wants to raise taxes and won't talk about entitlements. They want to cut spending and won't talk about taxes. And there is apparently no middle ground...and really, very, very few of them will discuss this honestly with anyone.

Cest le vie...it's our own fault for electing them.

Random music thoughts

Selena Gomez? I love YOU like a love song, and that tune has been on repeat-peat-peat-peat in my head for nearly a week now.

Lady Gaga...please correct your grammar errors. There is something about you and me. I am aware that the rhyming may be more difficult, but I have no doubt that you are up for it, and the declining grammar skills of American children would benefit from your proper usage. Many thanks.

Kelly Clarkson...you are still, and will always be, my American Idol. The others are all pretenders! And you totally killed the national anthem at the Super Bowl. Well done.

Adele. I heart you. Heart, heart, heart. Very much.

Florence, I love you and I love your machine.

Adam Levine. You are incredibly pretty. But really, I can't say that you have ever been involved in a song that I like. And you seem to be a very popular guy...you are like this year's Akon.

Bruno Mars. You know what? I don't hate you...

Rihanna. Big fan of "We found love", even if the video looks an awful lot like a Victoria's Secret ad.

LMFAO. Just go away.

I'm sure I have more, but that is what I am feeling this morning:-)

Pregnant again!

In an effort to not bring you all down any further, I have much better news today than I did yesterday...guess who's pregnant again?

Whoa, whoa, whoa...settle down, folks, it's not me;-)

My very dear, and most favorite fake older sister, Big Sis, is due in August with her second little nugget!!! Super, mega congratulations to her and The Brain Surgeon, who are great parents to little EH, and will be great parents to baby-unknown as well...and don't let her complaining fool you, Big Sis is over-the-moon excited about this:-)

(And not to spoil the surprise, but I just may have some more, similar news about someone else in the next week or so;-))

In really fun news...

I kind of hinted last week that I had another issue to talk about, and I just needed a few days to deal with it before I wrote about it. And I am not entirely sure that I will get through this post without having to leave my desk to go walk around for a while...fortunately I am not wearing eye makeup today.

Munchkin's best friend has leukemia. She found out Thursday, and told Munchkin right away. As you would expect, Munchkin went over to see her immediately, doing her best not to get too upset or emotional...and then left to come home and immediately became a complete blubbering mess. Which paled in comparison to the blubbering mess of her older sister...

And really, I shouldn't be as affected as I am. Cancer sucks. And I know way too many people who have been impacted on way too many levels. I have met a whole bunch of girls that are the same age as Munchkin's friend, and have shared in at least some of the heartbreak that every one of their families feels. In this case, the girl is strong and otherwise healthy and has been diagnosed at a time and with a disease that gives her a very high chance of a complete recovery.

She has two great parents, two wonderful siblings and at least one remarkable best friend, and she will be treated at one of the world's very best hospitals without ever having to leave home. In the universe of people with cancer, she is unquestionably one of the lucky ones. She is also a wonderfully sweet, adorably upbeat girl, and she has taken the news without a drop of anger or fear...she knows she is going to get better, and she is ready for the battle.

I know all of that. I know she is going to be fine. I know that she is going to be sick for a while, but that she will look radiant and stunning when I send her and Munchkin to their senior prom. And she will have a full head of long hair when she and Munchkin hug each other and promise to call every day when they leave for college. This has a happy ending.

So why am I so completely devastated by this? For four days now, I find myself periodically bursting into tears...and have sobbed uncontrollably at least twice. Obviously, it hit Munchkin pretty hard, but she did all of her crying in one day, and now is just concerned with figuring out when and how she will be able to visit, and what the treatment schedule looks like. She has begun helping her friend pick out wigs.

Really, I should be helping her deal with her own emotions while she helps her friend. I should be helping her to not panic, to understand the reality and to be prepared to offer emotional support. I should be encouraging her and her friends to help her friend's sister (two years younger, and therefore friendly with all of them) deal with her own issues. I certainly shouldn't be trying to avoid the subject for fear of bursting into tears on a moment's notice (which I may have done on Friday).

I have to get over myself...I am not sick, nor is Munchkin. I just have to keep reminding myself of that one key point: this has a happy ending.

This is gonna be long, sorry

I actually have a couple of things to write about...one of which I can't even bring myself to because I am at work and don't want to be a blubbering idiot, but I will try and get out early next week. I always feel better after I write things down, but this is a big one and I don't really know how to deal with it just yet.

So, first, another kinda serious subject that has lit the Internet on fire this week: Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood. If you have been living under a rock, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation has, for maybe seven years, participated in a partnership with Planned Parenthood whereby they give some money (around $500,000 annually) specifically to support a program that gives mammograms and other early-screening breast cancer services to mostly low-income women.

Someone earlier this year (I think, I am not sure) a Congressman from Florida launched an investigation into Planned Parenthood, ostensibly investigating claims that PP is using Federal Money to provide abortions, which would be a violation of Federal Law (I will reserve comment on the reasonableness of that law), and of the terms of whatever grants that PP gets from the Federal Government.

Also this year, the Komen Foundation initiated a policy dealing with charitable organizations that they support - specifically, that they will suspend aid to any organization that is under local, State or Federal investigation. As a result of this, they pulled their funding of PP because of this investigation.

So first, the "I don't knows". I don't know whether or not there were any other organizations that also lost funding from SGK as a result of this policy. I don't know whether this policy was the result of a normal risk assessment, or whether it was a specific act intended for only this one program. There seems to be an assumption that Komen did this to send a specific message to PP, but I don't know that to be true...it is possible that the news story broke because PP took it as an affront to their pro-Choice charter. I also don't know (although I suspect that it may be) whether or not the Congressional investigation is a legitimate exercise, or a witch hunt. Much of the outrage has been built under the assumption that it is, but I don't actually know that to be true.

Some additional background. I have been to Planned Parenthood as a client, and I know/knew a number of girls for whom the PP clinic was a key health care provider. Even as a teenager, it was pretty obvious that they have an agenda, and that the organization is dominated by their status as the most visible pro-Choice health care provider...but it is grossly misleading and unfair to call it an "abortion business" as I have seen a number of "news" outlets do in recent days. And it is impossible to deny their role as a health care provider, especially to women with few (or no) other options.

And I have always (basically) been pro-Choice. I believe in parental notification. I believe that the decision point should be pretty early in a pregnancy. I believe in a number of things that might be considered restrictions on abortion...but fundamentally I believe that it is a medical procedure that should be safe and should be available.

So, with all of that said...I just can't seem to get myself all worked up about the Komen foundation's decision. First of all, the policy is totally reasonable...if they have to ask people to give them money, which they do, then they simply can't take the risk of giving it to a charity for some period of time after they hear that the charity is under investigation. We are innocent until proven guilty in court...but not in the court of potential donor's minds. Just hypothetically, imagine that this investigation turns out to be real, and in 9 months, Planned Parenthood is exposed to have done all kinds of bad stuff, and the CEO gets sent to jail (no, I don't expect that to happen...but just go with it.) How does the SGK foundation then respond to a potential donor who asks "Why did you sent them $500k after you knew that they were accused of wrongdoing?"

Or, change the facts entirely...imagine the CEO of Charity Y has been arrested for beating his wife, but remains in his job while the case goes to trial. Could the SGK foundation justify continuing to send that charity money before a verdict was reached? Legally, sure...and maybe even ethically. But eventually, they answer to donors, who don't care about the legalities, they care about the emotional reasons that they give. If the Foundation feels like the best way to fulfill its mission is to cut this funding, then so be it...that is ultimately their responsibility.

To that end, I was sort of surprised to see that they even gave PP money in the first place. Understanding that the specific program is firmly within the goals of the SGK, there is no denying that PP is a controversial organization...partly because of what they do, and partly because an additional part of their goals is to be a very vocal, very visible proponent of pro-Choice causes and legislation. It would undeniably turn off a certain segment of potential donors.

Could I get worked up about a sham Congressional investigation? Sure...and this wouldn't be the only one...Congress does that sort of shit regularly. But most of the anger I have seen has been directed at SGK, including lots of threats to withold donations (which strikes me as cutting off funding from women's health care, which is what we are angry at them for in the first place.) I just can't really blame them, though. I understand why a massive charity would choose to not opine on the validity of an investigation and just take them all as "serious".

And finally, I feel like the rhetoric around the impact of all of this has been a little blown out of proportion. I have read in a couple of places about how this is impacting "millions of women's lives". Really? It is $500,000...not to say that is insignificant, but it is not going to impact "millions" of people. Additionally, the money will then eventually be re-allocated somewhere else within the Komen foundation to another of its assumedly noble causes...possibly something very similar. And further, out of Planned Parenthood's total budget of just about $1 billion, this represents one half of one tenth of one percent. In other words, a rounding error. Planned Parenthood ran a surplus in its most recent year of something like $60 million...meaning that they could provide the same program, with the result being that their annual surplus falls to $59.5 million...not exactly a crippling loss.

So, in the end, as much as it smells funny to have what appears to be a Congressman in Florida cutting funding for breast cancer prevention, it is hard to see where this will actually have a material impact on anyone. And if you really do think that the SGK does good work in achieving its primary goals (good enough that it caused you to donate), then I can't really believe that this, on its own, changes that. 

Alright, this is already way too long, and I KNOW that many of you disagree with me, so have at it.