nakedjen

Bombing Good Health Care

Yesterday, a day that started like many days in Utah with a five a.m. romp in the snow (Stella was doing back flips!) and me freezing my face off, I was at work at the University when the woman who sits in the cubicle next to mine flittered by and insisted that I attend a meeting in the break room right that very instant. 

The alarming thing about this event was that the woman who sits next to me does not work on my team and rarely, if ever, speaks to me.  I made my way to the break room where I discovered that every employee from all six floors of the building were trying to cram their way in for this "important" meeting. 

Once we were all stuffed inside and had all confirmed that we had been gathered to be told, en masse, that we were being "let go" because of the terrible economic downturn, the Head of University Employee Relations informed us that there had been a credible bomb threat called in to our building not one, not two, but three times and they thought that perhaps they should inform us.

One of our patients was angry that his IRS tax refund had been sent to the University Hospital to help pay his outstanding bill.  A bill that, I suppose, he had previously ignored.  A bill that he most certainly owed.

I am sure, whomever this person was, that times are quite difficult for this person.  It is hard to know whether he actually had medical insurance when he originally received care from the hospital.  I do know, from working here, that many services the hospital provides are non-covered services by a lot of insurance companies and become the patient's responsibility.  So even if he (or the member of his family) did have medical insurance when he was a patient and received care, it does not necessarily mean that the insurance paid for all the care that he received.  

I am a person that wants to believe the best about people, so I'm going to believe that this man never intended to not pay his hospital charges.  I'm going to believe the best and believe that he's one of the many among us who has experienced the downturn in our economy first hand.  Who has lost his job and his benefits and at the moment has a mounting pile of bills that are taking a larger priority than the hospital bill.  That he's more concerned with putting food on the table for his family and keeping his house from foreclosure, but that once his life and bank account are back on track, he fully intended to pay his outstanding hospital bill, as well.

Until yesterday.  When he learned that his missing tax refund, a large check that he was counting on for groceries and the heating bill and his mortgage payment went instead to pay the outstanding hospital bill that he really felt should have been covered by his medical insurance that he no longer has.

In his anger and frustration he called and yelled and screamed and threatened to blow up the building.  When his kids started to cry and he realized he did not have the funds to buy very expensive formula that his baby daughter needs, he called back and yelled and screamed some more.  It probably wasn't the best idea to threaten to blow up the building, again, but he was very angry and the kids were crying and his wife was getting hysterical.

Then, well, then the mail arrived.  There among the fliers from Walgreen's and Smith's touting five for one Easter candies was a bill.  From the University Hospital.  It was more than any man could possibly be asked to bear, but on that day, that day when his back was against the wall, he snapped completely.

He called the hospital business office back.  Quietly he told them of his plans.  While he was still on the phone with the billing office, the police came to the door.  They spoke with his frightened wife and then they spoke with him and took him away for more questioning.  His life just turned even further upside down.

Sadly, I think this story is going to become far more commonplace than any of us want to believe.  The rippling effect of these extreme economic hardships will soon visibly touch every one in some way, I'm afraid.  Yesterday, I was evacuated because of a credible bomb threat.  But tomorrow, will there be time to evacuate?  Should good health care really result in bombs bursting in air? 

Tell me what you think.  I'm listening.

There's A Reason McCain Can't Remember How Many McMansions He Owns

I just came across this:

LEAST FAVORITE FOODS TO EAT

McCain: “I don’t do too well with vegetables.”

Obama: mayonnaise, salt and vinegar potato chips, beets, asparagus (“if no other vegetables are available, he’ll eat it”), Soft drinks (he prefers water)

We all know that Obama won my heart when he said he didn't like Mayonnaise.  But, he lost it when he said he also didn't like beets.  BEETS!  I am going to have to have a serious heart to heart with that man.  No, really.  I am.  It's honestly too bad that I am not going to the Democratic Convention next week as I would have a small talk with Mr. Obama about beets.  I'm thinking no one has provided him with some properly prepared organic ones to try.  And we all know that can make the biggest difference in the world.

As for Mr. McCain?  Well, seeing as he doesn't do too well with vegetables, is it any wonder that his 72 year old brain is now a pickle?  And that he can't remember how many mcmansions he owns?  Vegetables keep us healthy and keep our brains young.

He if has a problem with vegetables, I have a problem with him.  But then that should not surprise any of you, now should it?

Oh...and speaking of vegetables...a huge SHOUT OUT to whomever is working the salad bar at the Whole Foods near my house.  You know the one over there on 400 South?  Yeah, that one.  I've been asking those folks to please give me a tofu option in the protein options since I arrived. 

Well, somebody finally got my message.  There's now tofu there.  Every day.  There's also edamame.  Thank you, you guys.  I know it's a little thing.  But it makes my life that much happier! 

And, yes, I realize that TOFU is not a vegetable.  Just like ketchup is not a vegetable.  But it is something I add to my salad.  Which has LOTS of vegetables.  Vegetables that Candidate McCain does not eat!  Actually, looking at my current salad?  I don't think Candidate Obama would eat it either.  I'll have to rethink my dinner menu before I invite them over.

Okay, Internet.  You're having the Candidates over for dinner, what are you going to serve them?   Please share.  You might make it sound so good, I'll come over.  Har!  Like you want me showing up for dinner?!

Just Because I'm Naked, Doesn't Mean I've Lost My Mind

The news of me wrecking my car and running down the street naked has been greatly exaggerated.  Well, I don't know that the news has been greatly exaggerated?  I do believe that a woman did wreck her car this morning and did run naked down the street after doing so, but I just want to assure everyone who has contacted me about it that it wasn't me.

I promise.

It really was not me. 

If, for some reason, I do happen to wreck my car?  Whilst driving naked?  I will not run down the street.  I promise to stay and talk to the police officers and behave completely rationally.  Just because I'm naked doesn't mean I've lost my mind.

But at this point, I'm fairly certain all of you know that already.

SWF with 2 dogs needs a Home

It's true.  I'm not sure I'm going to be able to keep this lovely house.  I love this house.   It is my home.  But as things shake down with Dave, well, it is becoming crystal clear that I am probably going to have to downsize and find something a tad more affordable.

So, internet, I'm sending this out there!  Because you folks seem to always come through with, if not the solution, at least good suggestions on how to get there.

I'm actually NOT tied to living in Santa Cruz.  I'm happy to go some place new.  The most important requirements for me for our new living location are these:

Must allow my two big black labs.  This is non-negotiable.
Hopefully the new location has a decent health food store.
My new home needs to be able to have internet access.
It would be great if it had hardwood floors and a gas stove. 
It shouldn't cost over $1,000/month.  Gah.  This is going to be a challenge!

However, I am a very strong believer that the Universe provides.  That if I put my wish out there and really and truly believe, that it will answer.

Kind wonderful Nakedjen readers.  Perhaps you know someone who knows someone who has a little cottage that they'd like to rent to Nakedjen and her two adorable dogs?  I'll even gladly provide holistic healing and teas and reiki treatments and nannynakedjen or doula services to whomever has this cottage/dome/yurt/home. 

Let me know.  Buddha, Stella and I are looking forward to this new adventure.

Naked and Raw

I have been following the discussion that has erupted on my behalf in the comments of previous posts.  I first want to say that I believe each of us has a very passionate belief on this matter and what I love most is that all of you are willing to share your beliefs with me.  I can not learn from those of you who choose to remain silent.  I learn most from those of you who choose to speak your own truths, to share your own passions, to speak out even if your own voices crack.

All your words, all my words, all our collective words are helping.  I am a woman who is naked.  I am a woman who exposes all her emotions.  I am a woman, who right this minute, is quite raw.

I do understand, on an intellectual level, how not publicizing this very intimate part of my life, these very intimate details of a marriage unraveling, the pain and the hurt and gasping for air that I am experiencing could be quite beneficial for many.  I do understand and I actually support that if that is your particular path.

I also understand, truthfully, that there are certain tactics that may work in certain situations with certain marriages and relationships to help salvage the union.

I do not play games.  I give you 110% honesty, my truth, and I rarely wrap it up in a lovely box with pretty paper and a tidy little bow.  No, more likely it comes at you like a full-force gust of torrential rain.  It soaks you to the bone so that even if you were wearing your clothes, you may now feel naked, as well.

I make no apologies for who I am.  This is me.  This is Nakedjen.  And if the content that I am writing and sharing is too difficult for you to bear witness to right now, well, I invite you to please take a break. 

I love all of you.  Your passion and your love and the ways in which you have reached out to me in these last few days have saved me, truly saved me, in more ways than you'll possibly be able to guess. 

There are no right or wrong ways in which to dissolve a marriage with the absolute love of your life.  There is no text book to follow.  This is my path, my journey, that I must take.  I am doing my best to take it with integrity and love.  And to stay standing.  And to remember to breathe.

It's Friday.  I think being naked today, especially, could be quite good for all of us.  Spend some time and celebrate the you that you are.  And remember to be grateful for all of you.  Each beautiful part.  I love you. 

Today I Walked To School

When I was LittleNakedjen, back in the dark ages of last century, before there were computers in classrooms, when children actually had to use an encyclopedia for research and wrote their research papers by checking lots and lots of books out of the library and then hand wrote them on lined college-ruled paper...does anyone even remember those days? 

In those days, back in the last century, I lived for a time of my life, in a very small farming community called Seaford, Delaware.  Honestly, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about Seaford other than that it had lots of chicken farmers, corn fields as far as you could see, and we were the Nylon Capital of the World!  Yes, the WORLD!  The DuPont company had decided to locate their Nylon plant in the corner of the town and made Seaford quite the booming metropolis.  Not.  Especially if you were the child who had grown up in Washington, D.C.  Trust me, Seaford was the boondocks. 

So much so that the educational offerings in the public school system in Seaford left me, well, bored to tears.  I just wasn't challenged.  At all.  I know that some of the teachers just found me to be impossible, but others decided that rather than even try to teach me, they'd just have me help them teach the other students and grade all the papers.  I will give credit to Albert and Joanna right now for actually being determined enough to find a better solution for my educational challenges.  It wasn't easy.  Let's remember we were in the Nylon Capital of the World.  We were not in New York City.

It just so happened, though, that there was a private school located in a town about 24 miles away.  Not too terribly far, but not exactly down the street and the Nylon Capital of the World did not offer public transportation of ANY kind in those days.  This private school was absolutely everything that the public schools in the Nylon Capital were not.  It was challenging.  It required you to do homework.  It expected you to use a library.  It had teachers who wanted you to learn.  And best of all?  One of those teachers happened to live in the Nylon Capital of the World and was willing to drive me to school with her each and every day.

And that is how it happened that in January of my sixth grade year, I found myself attending The Country School in Easton, Maryland.  Where I had to wear a uniform for gym class, where I couldn't wear jeans or pants to class any longer, where I got to speak conversational French in class and where I am quite sure I received the critical roots for my PhD in Google.  I wrote more research papers in my three years at the Country School than in all my educational years that followed. 

So all of that was a long way of telling you that when I was in the sixth grade I went to a school that was 24 miles away from home.  And today?  Today I walked 24 miles in preparation for the marathon that I'm going to do in two weeks.  Yes, two weeks.  I'm almost there.  And guess what? 

I'm absolutely ready.  I can not only walk to school, I can turn around and walk home again.  That's how ready I am.  Bring it on!

BreastFest 2007!

Speaking of Breasts....we're having a little festival in Santa Cruz and we'd be delighted if you decided to come and join us.  We promise there will be lots of breasts and lots of fun!

I really hope I'll see all of you there!

Naked Vegetarian

Alicia Silverstone’s Sexy Veggie PSA
Order a FREE vegetarian starter kit at GoVeg.com

Now that's a naked vegetarian.  I wish I could tell you all that being a vegetarian makes me look like that, too!  However, truthfully, I'm not even a vegetarian.  I eat sushi!  People who eat sushi are not vegetarians!  Not by a long shot.  I used to be a very strict vegan, at one time in my life.  It was during that time in my life, that I came up for the recipe for Clyde's Cookies, among other things, but I will honestly say that even when I was the strict vegan, my naked body NEVER looked like Alicia Silverstone's.  No way.  No how. 

The folks at PETA say that this advertisement is going to be run on regular broadcast television.  As a PSA.  And the first target market is Houston, Texas.  Because Houston is one of our nation's fattest cities. 

I'm just wondering how many people in Houston will be calling their local television stations to complain about the Naked girl emerging from the swimming pool that caused them to choke on their BBQ beef ribs and gravy? 

It's going to be interesting to see how this all plays out in our new America.  Can we handle a naked Vegetarian on our televisions?  I guess we're going to find out. 

Care for some Breast Milk with That?

I am not a breast-feeding mama.  Buddha and Stella are able to manage just fine without needing to breast feed these days, but we all know that if they did need to I'm just the kind of dog mama that would probably figure out a way to breast feed them.

I'm not trying to be funny, actually.  I am a doula.  And I always encourage my new mamas to breast feed their kids.  I do believe that breast milk is one of nature's best inventions and if you are able to breast feed your baby, you should.  Of course some mamas are not able to do that and I completely respect those mamas, too.  We all make the choices that we have to make in this life, including the ones involving our offspring and the very best care and feeding of them.

If you are a mama that has chosen to breast feed your child, however, I do believe that you should be able to do it whenever your child is hungry.  Not when it is convenient for those around you.  I am not one of these people that believes that there is an appropriate place for breast feeding a baby.  Oh no.  I am one of those folks who believes that breast feeding your child is a loving act of nourishment and it is none of my business to tell you how to do it or where to do it or when to do it. 

If you need to feed your child in Applebees, go right ahead.  I'm not going to stare at your nipples or your naked breasts while you do.  If you want to feed your hungry child on the airplane while you're flying to Hawaii, be my guest.  I promise to look you in the eye while I'm chatting with you and not stare at your chest.  If your child is hungry while you're in the audience of the Bill Maher show, I sure hope you take the opportunity to feed your child right then and there at that very moment. 

Come on, people.  Breast feeding doesn't need to be a political or polarizing event.  Breast feeding is a beautiful fact of life.  All life.  And as long as we continue to choose to populate this planet, we should accept that breasts will provide the perfect food for our babies. 

Planes from the Skies

Six years ago this morning I was training for a marathon.  I woke up before dawn in Maui and decided that I would go for a veryveryvery long run before DearSweetDave woke up and get my training for the day out of the way.  We had arrived in Maui the day before and we were staying in my favorite house in Maui Meadows.  Our trip had gotten off to what we thought was a rather auspicious start because when we arrived there was no water at the house, or in the entire neighborhood it turned out, and while we could still "stay" there, we couldn't use any of the facilities. 

While I was on my long run that took me down through Maui Meadows and into Wailea and then along the coast highway and into Kihei, I was slowly picking up snips and pieces of people's televisions and radio broadcasts.  I found it slightly odd that at this very early hour of the morning, before dawn in Maui, there were already folks who were watching television and who were listening to their radios but then there are many folks in Maui who work in the service industry and I at first was thinking that these were the folks who were getting up to go make the tourists their breakfast.

The longer and further I ran, however, the more persistent the broadcasts from televisions and radios became and soon the snipets I was hearing started to weave together.  A plane had been hijacked.  Another plane had crashed.  All air traffic was grounded.  Planes were falling from the skies.  There was a state of emergency.  The President had been informed.  As I kept running, I was trying to wrap my head around what all of this could mean.  A plane had crashed?  A plane had been hijacked?  A state of emergency?  I honestly wondered to myself what madman in what foreign country had decided that he had just had "enough" of America and had commandeered an international flight and was making some sort of outrageous demands?

When I got home, I woke DearSweetDave up and told him that I thought perhaps a plane had crashed.  I also said that while we had agreed that we wouldn't be watching television while we were on vacation, that I thought we should turn on the television at the house just to see what had happened because whatever it was it sounded like it was pretty serious.

We walked into the living room.  We turned on the television.  The picture flickered into focus.  The Twin Towers fell to the ground.  I immediately burst into tears.  My brother, John, worked in those buildings.  On one of the top floors.  Surely he was now in the rubble.

Without knowing any more information about hijacked planes, about the plane that had hit the Pentagon, about Washington, D.C. being a target, about the whole big sordid plan, I turned to DearSweetDave and we both said, almost simultaneously, "George Bush did this." 

Six years have passed.  A lot of conspiracy theories are still being hypothesized about the truth of the events of September 11, 2001.  There are many among us who refuse to believe that our own government could have possibly been complicit in such heinous crimes against our own citizens.  And then there are others among us who believe that our own government is absolutely capable of exactly these crimes and worse.

I actually do not know what the truth is and in all honesty I have not gone seeking it.  I will say this.  I love my country.  But I fear my government.  I do not trust the people that we have in power or the people that they have empowered in my name.  I know that change begins with me.  So I will continue to live my life in truth, in honesty and most importantly, in love.  And I will encourage all of you to do the same.

Always in love.