Post-Recital Blahs

obviously not me, if obvious only because a) my hair never looks this good on a good day, much less when Im throwing up and b) I color my hair to  a lighter shade than this, but I'm sure you get the overall idea

I'm so incredibly happy to have the recital behind me, but I'm feeling slightly yucky. It's just a digestive upset and stomach ache and I'm confident it will go away soon. I need to be on campus for an hour or so tomorrow for a choir rehearsal I'm accompanying, but I'm capable of throwing up in a trash can and going back to playing piano instantly if necessary.

We're leaving for Utah midmorning on Thursday.  We're flying on a privately chartered plane  and leaving from here, so we do not have to drive in to Los Angeles or even Burbank to catch the plane, which is very nice. Additionally, it will land at the Provo airstrip. We'll be at the condo in less time than it usually takes us just to get to our car at the Salt Lake City airport.

I don't have tons of packing to do because there's a washer in the condo, and it's not like I need to impress anyone by making a separate stunning fashion statement with each new day.

I read that the Queen is telling Kate to dress more conservatively but to wear more royal jewels. I'm just a bit skeptical, as what person who was really in the know on such matters would be giving it away to the press? Still, it serves to make me glad I don't have inlaws who are telling me how to dress.

I'm not sure what to think about the Chris Christie debacle. Usually conspiracy theories are little more than null hypotheses, but he is probably just enough of a jerk to have been involved in the whole bridge lane closure fiasco. Even if he had no prior or concurrent knowledge, he's done enough other unconscionable things that he's probably getting what he deserves,  sort of like O.J.  Then again, my gut feeling tells me he probably knew about this before January 8, or whenevery it is tht he claims to have first had knowledge.

My Twitter non-friend Karen continues to make incredibly mindless posts. She was bothered by the Super Bowl because she said it should have been held on the west coast where the participating teams' fan bases are. Does she have any idea how far in advance Super Bowl venues are decided? Probably not. She frequently tweets celebrities (usually politicians and Fox news pundits) to offer advice as though anyone ever listens to her. I really believe the woman is delusional. I understand I'm guilty of tweeting Judge Alex, but so is she. He's just one of the many public personalities she pesters on a regular basis. That's how the two of us came into contact with one another. I at least limit my public figure tweets to one person. Of course, if Richard Carpenter or Mindi Carpenter ever goes on twitter, I may have to re-think my priorities. I've decided not to say anything to Karen no matter how stupid her tweets may be. I'll just rant about her in my own cyber-playpen.

Shock-JockGate

The Duchess of Cambridge, unbeknownst to most of the world until very recently, is in the early stages of pregnancy.  Kate has been overtaken by hyperemesis graviderium,  a condition described by the medical community as  "pregnancy-accompanying nausea and vomiting that results in dehydration and a loss of 5 per cent of body weight or ten pounds"  --  essentionally graver-than-average morning sickness.  As Kate's pregnancy will, if all goes well,  produce the third person in line for the British monarchy, much fanfare has surrounded the announcement of Kate's state of fertility.

Kate's extreme morning sickness required hospitalization. While she was hospitalized, two DJ's in Australia telephoned the hospital, did a rather lame imitation of her Majesty the Queen  --complete with imitation-barking corgis in the background -- and, despite the amateurishness of their impression skills, were able to persuade a desk nurse to provide information concerning Kate's condition over the phone, which was broadcast live to listeners in Australia.

The queen-impersonating call received media coverage beyond Australia.  The naive nurse, under either the media scrutiny and/or possible employer  reprimand for improper dissemination of confidential information, chose the ultimate solution to the problem by ending her life shortly thereafter via lethal drug overdose.

Elements of our society are now attempting to extract their pound of flesh by calling for some sort of sanctions against the DJs who perpetrated the pranks.  I disagree with their assessment of the situation.

While I am sorry that the nurse in question chose such a drastic and final measure to deal with the discomfiture of the situation, I do not share the opinion of some that the DJs are responsible for her death and must pay in some way. The actions of the nurse in response to the situation seem irrational to my, though I cannot know what other pressures the nurse may have faced.  I will not judge her coping mechanism because I do not know precisely what motivated her to take the rather extreme step she took.

Still, I will state that, assuming the protocols for dissemination of medical protocol in the U.K. are similar to those in the U. S., the nurse erred majorly in a way that even a certified nursing assistant would be expected to know better than to do.  Even had the person on the other end of the line been, in fact, Her Majexty the Queen and not an amateur impersonator, it's possible the nurse gave out more information than should have been provided, depending upon what was indicated on the U.K's equivalent of the HIPAA forms Kate would have completed upon admission to the hospital.  Then, when one considers that Kate is a major media figure and that individuals unauthorized to be briefed regarding her confidential medical information might very well be trying to gain access to that information, it becomes obvious that, in addition to a breach in confidentiality and professionalism, a major lapse in common sense was present.

Bleeding hearts may blame the shock jocks (whose actions, in my opinion, were not all that shocking) until they become proverbially blue-in-the-face, but chance are that the nurse in question was an ethics breach waiting to happen. I'm sorry she chose the life-ending course of action she did, but  the Australian DJs do not have her blood on their hands.

All Men and Women Are NOT Necessarily Created Equal

The British royals' list of who must defer,to whom, more properly known as  Order Of Precedence Of The Royal Family To Be Observed At Court, has been revised to reflect  the marriage of Prince William. The gist of the revision is that Kate, Prince William's bride, must curtsy to her husband's cousins, Beatrice and Eugenie. Beatrice and Eugenie, the Princesses of York, may be best known for  questionable couture and hideous taste in hats at public events. Incidentally, both of the Princesses of York are younger than Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.


It should be noted that Kate's rank in the order, as is that of Camilla, the wife of Prince Charles,  is elevated when she is accompanied by her husband.  The only royal spouse whose rank in the order is unaffected by the presence or absence of his spouse is Prince Philip, husband of queen Elizabeth. 


Tabloid journalists are having a field day with the latest revision of the Order of Precedence. Speculation has it that the Order was a deliberate tactical move designed to make it clear to Kate that, popular though she may be with the press and with the public, she is still royal by marriage only, and, as such, is subordinate and inferior to those who are royal by blood and birth. others insist that the latest revision to the Order of Precedence is a formality and was hardly unforeseen. others say the queen is behind this prior revisions, while others suggest  that the royal advisers (to whom the late Princess Diana referred as "The Firm") have too much time on their hands and must justify their positions by creating such protocol. Still others wonder who could possibly have so little going on in his or her life as to actually care about any such matters.


I personally think the entire matter is considerably silly. Furthermore, precisely what does the Queen or  anyone else in power  plan to do if Princess Kate chooses not to curtsy to the Bad Hat Ladies? Lock her in the tower of London? Take away her tiaras? Force her to eat nothing but British food (UGH!) for a month? One more observation: if the other consorts are so drastically affected by the presence or absence of their powerful spouses, precisely what  exempts Prince Philip from the demotion in the absence of his spouse? Could it be . . . . . . . sexism?


As an American, this is neither my concern nor my business. I probably should leave it to those who know more about it or whose tax dollars support the institution of monarchy. Still, it is a matter of great curiosity to me. extending it a bit further, can anyone imagine if a similar system of deference were established in the U.S. domains of politics. What if the Romneys had to bow or curtsy to the Obamas (until, in a worst-case scenario, after the 2013 inauguration)?  Our own Order of Precedence would presumably mirror the order of succession to the presidency, but where would spouses, children, and significant others fit into the picture? Then one would have the added issues related to the changing of the guard with each election. Would the shift occur during or after the lame duck period? The possibilities are virtually infinite as well as incredibly stupid.


The British are much more civilized and more easily led than are we Americans, who would never stand for such starchy protocol. This is just as well. We as a nation can barely agree to provide health care to children whose parents can't afford it, which would seem to be a no-brainer.  How could we ever create and agree upon any sort of Order of Precedence?

"As Seen on TV" Gifts, Including "The Bra Baby"

Because of my recent bout with mono and subsequent related splenectomy, my trips to the mall have been effectively cutailled. As a result, my loved ones will receive some truly choice gifts for Christmas this year.  Last year I had  very little shopping mall or department store time, but I had reasonable computer access. Since I only get to use my computer for an hour a day still (my doctor is a Nazi and my dad is a fascist, or vice versa), I have elected not to waste my precious computer hours in search iof the elusive perfect gift.
Doing so is not necessary, anyway -- not when there's the Home Shopping Network and all its competition. Did you know that dfor a love offering of something like $100, you can get a vial of water from the river Jordan signed personally by Paul Crouch of the Trinity Broadcasting Network. I don't know how much love one must offer to receive an autographed picture of the pink-haired Jan Crouch, Paul's supposedly beloved wife. (To the best of my knowledge gleaned through research before the Nazis and fascists struck, Paul and Jan are NOT divorced even though some Internet know-it-alls claimed otherwise.

For just a fraction of the cost of the water from the River Jordan, although actually how much I cannot remember, one can purchase a calendar from the Sisters of the Our Lady of the Angels Monastery  from the Eteernal World Television Network. Mother Angelica, Mother Superior of the group unless she died and I happened to miss it, is pictured on the cover. The monthly featured photos could be nude shots of the nuns for all I know. It might be worth your time to investigate.

Several jewelry channels feature quality  products, but if you don't act now, your chance to purchase them will be gone forever. For a brief time, one even had the chance to porchase he ring that originally belonged to princess Diana, that prince william gave to kate Middleton as an engagement ring. How they got Kate to give it up for such a reasonable price is a mystery, but I've learned never to look either  a gift horse or a gift ring  in the mouth.

One of the more curious features I came across on a shopping network was something called "The Bra Baby."  "The Bra Baby" is basically two semi-large wiffle balls, one fitting inside another, that will allow one to machine wash any bra from size 28AA  (NO LONGER MY SIZE!!!!!! I  wouldn't be so brazen as to state what my actual bra size is, and my current size is not exactly going to get me a job at Hooters anytime soon, anyway, but at least I've finally outgrown my 28AAs!!!!!!) to 44DD, although it offers the disclaimer that if the 44DD bra is padded, results cannot be guaranteed. Maybe this is a very stupid question to which everyone in the world but I already knows the answer, but why in hell would someone who wears a size 44DD bra chooose a padded bra to wear? Can't one have too much of a basically good thing?  Regardless, my mom says she's been machine washing bras sans "The Bra Baby" for many years without incident, so she encouraged me not to order that for her gift. Unfortunately, one does not always get to choose one's Christmas gifts, and one should be a gracious recipient of whatever gift one receives. So did I buy my mom "The Bra Baby" for Christmas? Time will tell, although if I did not get it for her, it's not because I'm concerned that it will damage her 44DDs.