Human or Humane?

My buddy Lola at Lola's Diner has served me up a big helping of blogger award. The menu describes this particular dish, the Humane Award, as one that "honors certain bloggers who are kindhearted individuals." Now, I certainly know why Lola received the Humane Award as she is unequaled in her sincerity and thoughtfulness. I'm truly honored that she has bestowed this award on me and I value her friendship highly.

As I look at the award, I'm intrigued all of a sudden by the title. Humane. A word obviously drawn from the word human. But, what, I wonder, are the differences between these two words, if any? Out comes my trusty dictionary. Here's some of what I find:

Human: adj. Having or showing those positive aspects of nature and character regarded as distinguishing humans from other animals

Humane: adj. Characterized by kindness, mercy, or compassion.

I should add that I find several additional definitions for human when used as an adjective, but only one more for humane. I find it interesting that the two definitions I have listed here are virtually identical. In other words, to be human is to be humane--that is to be kind. Of course, not all humans are kind and there are certainly times when I'm not sure about mercy and compassion being traits that separate us from other animals. Maybe we should consider being humane as an ideal rather than a common trait.

I think I will pass the Humane Award on to some bloggers who show mercy and compassion outside of our species--and thus exemplify truly what it means to be human.

Beaded Tail

Maria Michelle's Furkids and Animal Rescue

The Cat Dog Log

Behind the Big

Cat Lover's Site

So, what do you say? Human or Humane?

Here's Brennan!

My nephew Nick and his wife Kristin are the new proud parents of Brennan Peter. Welcome to the world, little fellow!

Hey, all you genealogists out there, what does this make me to Brennan? My nephew's son? His father's aunt? Am I a great aunt? Is he my great nephew? I don't know. I'm sure one of you does, however.

Please, Have Your Baby Today!

My nephew Nick's wife Kristin is expecting their first baby (a boy) any day now. In honor of the big event, the couple have created a Baby Pool and all friends and relatives have joined. How it works is you throw in a dollar and you get to choose the day you think the baby will be born. The person who chooses the date on which the baby is born gets all the money in the pool. I chose today--July 26! So, if I want to win all the money in the pool (there must be over $20 at least), that baby better show its head before midnight tonight. Of course, winning the pool is not my main concern. My main concern is for the mother's well being and the new baby's health, of course. But, come on little fellow, get moving! Aunt Pattie wants to buy a new hat!

On a totally different note, The Influential Blogger is conducting a Top Ten Emerging Influential Bloggers Contest. I'm voting for the following ten blogs:

1. Jena Isle's Random Thoughts: http://www.jenaisleonline.com/
2. Dr. Lorenzo Bernardino - Zorlone - http://zorlone.blogspot.com
3. Jan Geronimo- Writing to Exhale - http://writingtoexhale.com
4. Roy dela Cruz-The Struggling Blogger-http://thestrugglingblogger.168center.com
5. Angel Cuala - Fatherbloggerdotcom - http://fatherblogger.com
6. Kelvin Servigon - Kelvinonian Ideas 2 - http://kelvinonian.com
7. Irene - Lifelots - http://lifelots.blogspot.com
8. Bing - I Love/Hate America - http://www.ilovehateamerica.com
9. Luke - A Walk in the Dark - http://darkestshade.blogspot.com
10.Dee - Tales from the Mom Side - http://www.talesfromthemomeside.com

I hope you'll drop by and cast your ballot too. The contest is sponsored by:

Absolute Traders, My Brute Cheats, Business Summaries, Fitness Advantage Club, Events and Corporate Video, Events at Work, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Red Mobile and Blog4Reviews.com.

Weird Health Facts Indicate Author's Age

The harmonious Harmony at Harmony in Motion has bestowed the prestigious Honest Scrap Award upon Subjective Soup. Thanks, Harmony! Of course, the catch is I must list ten facts about myself and then pass the award on to other bloggers whom I believe are worthy.

Seeing as how I am consumed with health issues of late (migraine and a possible bladder infection, although the latter is still uncertain), I have decided to list ten facts about my health or my body (how exciting for you all!). Then, in keeping with the theme, I am going to pass the award on to some of my favorite health bloggers. Here goes:

Facts About My Body and Health (starting with the positive ones):

1. I have very healthy hair. I don't dye it. It's in good condition and still its natural blond, although there are a few streaks of grey in the front.

2. I have great teeth--only a few fillings and one crown. Every time I visit the dentist (and sometimes even other doctors), I get compliments on my excellent teeth and gums.

3. I am double-jointed. I don't know if this is a good fact, but it's certainly not a bad one. When I was younger, I could put my feet behind my head and, holding a brush between my toes, brush my hair.

4. I have an almost lifelong history of severe migraine headaches. I have medications that help, but I still suffer from time to time.

5. A few years ago, I fell down a flight of stairs, landed on my stomach and developed an umbilical hernia which had to be surgically repaired.

6. The same fall left me with a torn meniscus in my left knee which pops out every so often.

7. Behind my left knee, I have a Baker's cyst. One day I noticed a large lump behind my left knee and when I went to the clinic and asked the doctor about it, he told me it was a Baker's cyst. I asked him if I got it from doing too much baking (I was kind of hoping that I could give up cooking altogether). Unfortunately, the Baker's cyst is a benign growth that sometimes develops behind the knee and is named for Dr. Baker who discovered it. It doesn't keep you from baking or anything--for that matter.

8. Years before #6 happened, I fell in a pothole in a parking lot and broke my right ankle. I had to have it surgically repaired. Today, my ankle is quite strong because there is a metal plate and five screws in it. Makes me feel like the Bionic Woman (at least the Bionic Ankle Woman).

9. I'm allergic to a host of medications--penicillin, aspirin, all oral antibiotics to name a few.

10. I have a very low tolerance for many narcotic-type drugs. I typically start most prescribed meds by cutting the pill in eighths and taking just an eighth of a tablet or even a sixteenth.

Wow, I didn't think I could come up with this many weird health facts about myself. You really know you're getting old when you have this much to say about your defective body parts. How many weird facts about your health and body could you list? I bet not as many as I did!

Here are some of my favorite health blogs. I'm sending the Honest Scrap Award to them.

1. Advice on Assisted Living

2. After Cancer, Now What?

3. Better Spines

4. Fit, Fabulous, and Forty

5. Diabetes Destroys

Update---Health and Books

Just a quick update. I saw my gynecologist yesterday regarding the pain problem I posted about recently. After much poking and prodding, it appears that I may have a bladder infection (I'm so delighted to announce this to the world). It will take several days for the tests to come back but if that is the case, at least it's something that can be treated. Thus, I'm feeling somewhat more hopeful about my health situation.

Second, an update on books. I have added an Amazon.com bookstore widget to both of my blogs. The one on my other blog Communication Exchange will be used for academic books related to communication and language. The one here on Subjective Soup will be devoted to books I have read, enjoyed, and recommend. As I read quite a few novels each week (sometimes four or five a week), this bookstore should grow fairly large quite quickly. I have decided only to list books I truly adore.

My taste in literature centers mostly on mysteries and thrillers. I'm willing to try some offbeat science fiction from time to time, but not the classic space travel, aliens bursting from the chest variety. All good novels should have some romance, I think, but I don't really care for novels that are nothing but romance.

So, if your reading list tends to be similar to mine, drop by my bookstore over to the right and check out my favorites. You might find something you like. I will be updating frequently, so drop by often. Do you see any books on my list you have read?

Ladies Only

I say "ladies only" because I'm going to discuss a gynecological problem and I assume most men will find this discussion either boring, gross, or incomprehensible. So, men, you've been warned.

For several months I've been experiencing pain and I don't mean a migraine (which is my major type of pain). I saw my gynecologist who examined me and pronounced me "fine" and noted that I probably needed to use a hormone cream (not the kind you rub on your elbow). I tried the cream which seemed to be helping a bit but after only two applications of said cream, I experienced one of the worst migraines I've had in years.

So, after the fact (admittedly, not the best time) I read the brochure included in the box with the hormone cream. The brochure stated in several places that this hormone cream should not be used by patients with migraine (that would be me). Now, my gynecologist knew about my extensive history of migraine, but she claimed that the hormone cream "would probably not get into my bloodstream as would a pill and would probably not cause me any problems." Well, she was wrong.

When I saw her again, she said that I was apparently just one of those women who is extremely sensitive to hormones (and truthfully, hormones have always been the only migraine trigger I have ever been able to identify). She didn't offer me much hope for a solution. I left her office thoroughly discouraged.

So, here I am. Still in pain and not able to use what appears to be the ONE medicine that might help me. I'm taking as much pain medication as my system will tolerate and using ice packs and heat. I'm writing this post and then I'm going back to bed.

Normally, I don't blog about my health issues (particularly gynecological ones), but as this is a totally new problem for me, and my gynecologist doesn't seem to have a ready solution, I thought maybe some of my female readers might have experienced the same problem--or know of someone who has experienced the same problem. If you have, I would so appreciate hearing from you.

(photo by John and Keturah @ www.flickr.com)

Intersection Nightmare

It took over a half hour to get through the intersection of Eola and North Aurora Road on my way to the gym this morning. The light was out and there was no one there to direct traffic. Eola and North Aurora Road are four-lane streets, each with a left-hand turn lane. According to my Curve's gym manager Lisa, the light was out when she opened at 6 a.m. It was still out when I returned home at 10 a.m. Five hours of traffic hell!

As I sat in my car waiting for my second turn to venture into the intersection, I couldn't help but think about the correct protocol for dealing with such an occurrence. Usually, most drivers seem to have no difficulty with a traffic light outage at intersections of two-lane streets. The rule of thumb is come to a complete stop and then go in a clock-wise direction. The driver on your right goes first, then you, then the driver on your left. That's all well and good with a simple two-laner.

But what about four-lane intersections with turn lanes? Do both cars at the line go together? Does the car in the turn lane go at the same time as the cars in its adjacent lane? Or does it go before or after the cars in the regular lane? Are there specific rules for turning at a four-lane intersection with turn lanes when the traffic light is out?

(photo by k.boose @www.flickr.com)

Close Relative Recommends "True Blood"

A close relative, who wishes to remain anonymous so I will call her CR (for "close relative"), has been encouraging (begging, nagging) me to watch the HBO cable television vampire series True Blood. I have posted in the past about my aversion to the vampire phenomenon, but CR has been a die-hard vampire fan since the beginning and is determined to convert me. By beginning, I mean Ann Rice and Interview With a Vampire. After Rice, CR then progressed to the book and subsequent movie Twilight and has now discovered True Blood, which she claims is the most magnficent creation since--well--creation.

To please CR (and to get her to stop harassing me), I agreed to watch True Blood. Unfortunately, there were strings attached (that CR put there). I couldn't just turn on my TV last night and watch the episode being broadcast. No! I had to watch from the beginning of Season One. This entailed some extra effort on my part. I spent most all day yesterday trying to figure out how to watch the first episode of the first season of this vampire show. Turns out, HBO doesn't make this possible on their website. Bummer. After trying several "free downloads" of said episode on other sites and getting my computer virus-infected, I relented and subscribed to iTunes which allowed me to BUY episodes of the first season of True Blood for a mere $3.00 a pop! Wow! Yippee!

So, by late in the afternoon yesterday, I had watched the first two episodes of True Blood and felt knowledgeable enough about the plot to take on the Season Two episode shown last night on HBO. I am proud to say I had no trouble following the plot, although there were a few additional characters who did not appear in Season One.

Let me say to CR and to all my readers, that try as I did (and I did try) I am simply not a vampire fan. There was nothing about True Blood that I found appealing (I was going to say appetizing). I do understand why young people are attracted to vampire stories--even dramatically contemporized and jazzed up vampire stories such as True Blood. However, for me, there is nothing erotic or exciting about drinking people's blood or stories about it. Yes, fans may argue that True Blood is more about how poorly minorities are treated by the majority. They may say that it's satire. It has a universal message. All that may be true about True Blood. But for me, it's just a silly soap opera gone wild.

What about you? Have you seen True Blood? Do you agree or disagree with my critique?

Free Credit Report dot ad infinitum

Oh, I married my dream girl.

I married my dream girl,

But she didn't tell me her credit was bad.

So, now instead of living in a pleasant suburb

We're living in the basement

At her Mom and Dad's
.
We can't get a loan for a respectable home

Just because my girl defaulted on her old credit card.

If she had gone to Free Credit Report.com

I'd be a happy bachelor with a dog and a yard.

If you think I looked up the lyrics for this ubiquitous TV ditty online so I could type them here, you would be wrong. The words to this song are in my head--stuck in my head. I don't know if it's because this jingle repeats so frequently on television or because it rhymes or because it's so annoying--but I've memorized it. Yes! Memorized! I wish I could report to you that I had memorized something worthwhile like the Periodic Table or a Shakespearean sonnet, but--no! I've memorized an innocuous commercial for a credit checking service. It runs through my mind constantly! And I can't get it out of there.

What about you? Have you ever inadvertently memorized something you'd just as soon forget?

(photo from www.freecreditreport.com)

The Headache Award

I've pulled myself out of my headache funk for a few minutes to respond to Czaroma at one of my new favorite blogs, A Woman Remembers. She has sent me three (count 'em) awards to add to my trophy case! Thanks, Czaroma! I love receiving The Adorable Blog Award, The Uplifting Blogger Award, and The 2009 Friendly Blogger Award.

Of course, there are strings connected. I am supposed to send the award on to as many blogs as I like. This is usually the hard part for me. It takes a lot of searching to find a sufficient number of new blogs upon which to bestow these awards and I take my judge duties seriously. However, with my migraine still clinging to my neurons, I am going to take a shorter, more direct route to selecting my nominees.

I would like to pass these three blogging awards on to bloggers who have experienced killer headaches and write about them. If you've already posted in the past about your headache, just go ahead and grab the awards here and link to your post in a comment on my post. If you haven't posted about your headache, well, what are you waiting for?

Surely you've experienced that excruciating pounding in your temples that makes you want to slam your skull against a brick wall? Tell us about it in a post. Surely, some insipid co-worker caused you such anguish at work that your brain felt like mush? Describe it in your post. Surely, you have fretted so much over some horrifying worry for so long that your eyes began to bulge out of their sockets in a rumba rhythm? Rhapsodize about your experience in your post.

In other words, I send these three awards on to all bloggers who have had miserable headaches and who tell us about them in a post. Just mention this post, please, and link your headache post back to mine. You too can receive the prestigious Headache Award!

Post Update

Please excuse my recent absence from posting, dear readers. I have been sidelined again by one of my super migraines. Happily, I am on the mend and should be up and posting (and Entrecard dropping) again in a few days.

(photo by Randolph Guy @ www.flickr.com)

Are You My Doppelgänger?

Jodi from Jodi’s Journey commented to a recent post:

You use to teach at Washington High School when I was still in school and that was a long time ago, when we were having riots. You left not too long after the riots, if I remember correctly. Then you started working at the unemployment office. Wow what a small world. I hope you are doing well now, so how is it that you ended up in Illinois? God bless, Jodi

Jodi’s comment freaked me out because she seemed so certain that she knew me and I know that I never taught at a Washington High School, nor did I ever work at an unemployment office. Weird! It got me to wondering if I have a doppelgänger out there.

According to my research, a doppelgänger is an exact duplicate of a person. Unexplained Mysteries.com says that legend argues that we all have a doppelgänger out there somewhere. The even stranger and scarier legend is that if ever two doppelgangers meet, they both perish. So, I guess, I may not want to track down my double if Jodi has truly found her for me.

But, just what did Jodi find? Did she recognize (or think she recognized) her former teacher from the photograph on my blog? Or did she see my name, “Patricia Rockwell” and that rang a bell with her? Obviously, there are going to be numerous Patricia Rockwells in the world—probably thousands in the United States, but how many of them will look exactly like me?

I know at least one other Patricia Rockwell because I used to get requests from academic journals to review manuscripts about issues in biology. Now, I often reviewed papers as part of my job as an Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, but always on topics related to Communication. When I started getting requests to review biology papers, I decided to investigate and, sure enough, I discovered that there is another Patricia Rockwell in academia and she is a professor of Biology at Hunter College in NYC. Here is her photograph. I don't think we we look at all alike, so I guess if we ever meet, we are safe!

What about you? Do you have a doppelgänger? That is, have you ever seen anyone who looked like you? Or a lot like you? Does some one out there have your name?

(photos from Unexplained Mysteries.com and Hunter College)

Time for Thanks

The first of the month is typically the time when bloggers who are members of a blogging community called Entrecard recognize those members who have visited (or "dropped on") their site the most during the past month. In keeping with the tradition, here is the list of my ten most frequent Entrecard droppers. Thanks, guys! You rock!

Blog Mockers
Autism Experiences
A Simple Life
Mommy's Little Corner
Dungeon Siege Cheats
Life's sweets and spices
Blogging Ideas
Money Snip
Super Fisherman
More Game Cheat Links

I only wish there were a way to recognize ALL of you who visit Subjective Soup--particularly those of you who are regular visitors. Not everyone is a member of Entrecard, and that's fine. But, however you find my site, I am honored that you take the time to stop by and read my posts. I am even more honored by those of you who take the extra time to comment on a post. Your comments are why I blog--for the interaction with others--as I have discussed extensively on my other blog Communication Exchange. I love hearing from you. Your comments uplift and enlighten me. Thank you!

(photo by luvcatzzzz @ www.flickr.com)