Betty White: You Are the Shiz

"I don’t care who anybody sleeps with. If a couple has been together all that time—and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones—I think it’s fine if they want to get married. I don’t know how people can get so anti-something. Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don’t worry about other people so much.”

hubby to be continues his thoughts from last time... (by: Bobby C)

Two random thoughts:

On the heels of my last post: I don’t think there’s a better victory you can share with complete strangers than teaming up with the car in front and behind you to keep the a-hole who intentionally drove all the way to the end of the “turn only” lane from merging back into your congested lane. 

If Facebook relaxed its “stalker-friendly” settings and allowed users see how many times someone has viewed their pictures, you would _______?  I’m going with “blow up the universe.”

it's.not.personal.

Working on making this philosphy my own.  Is it possible to take nothing personally? I like the sounds of it.  Click the link below for a great article by a woman who’s husband cheated on her..and she made the decision that it was not personal.

its.not.personal.

DISCOUNT THIS - by: Sarah L.

So I stood in line to pay for my parking at the hospital down at Penn, sweating at the fact that I only had $7 on me and parking for patients up to 3 hours was $6. One would tell me that I had plenty to pay for parking but I was dying of hunger and exhausted from being without coffee so early in the morning.  Behind the parking attendant stood a coffee shop with bagels, it was just what I wanted to begin my day but unfortunately the parking ticket would hinder my chances to get my much needed caffeine and food intake.  I stood third in line, behind two older couples. I  heard  the first “old woman” in front of me announce she was not only a patient, to get herself the $6 parking ticket but she was also a senior citizen bringing her ticket down to a small price of just $4. The second older patient in line also took advantage of this discount and only paid $4. Then as I approached the front of the line I started to cringe inside thinking about this “discount” they had received, but assumed there had to be other discounts that I could take advantage of when I got up there. NOPE...nothing but a patient and senior citizen discount existed. I got so angry and fired up about this situation, mostly because I was starving and if I was also only allowed to pay $4 as they had then that would leave me with enough money for a coffee and perhaps a bagel as well.  But at the front of the line, I could only announce I was a patient and given the same discount that almost everyone is able to take advantage of….and $6 it was….and I went home angry, exhausted and with a  empty stomach.

 

So this is when I began to Google senior citizen discounts and really think about this.  Why is it that senior citizen don’t have to pay as much money for things that we do? I asked my roommate this question last night and she told me it was because they didn’t have jobs and therefore no income so get to pay less for things, just as there are student discounts to support this as well.  This kind of made me madder because they have a retirement fund and lifesaving that they do indeed live off of. And plus if that is the true and real reason for a student and senior citizen discount then it really should be changed to be called a discount for the unemployed or jobless, and  then I will come to accept discounts such as those that caused me to not get my breakfast last Friday morning.  So this also got me fired up at the fact that in a lot of stores there are discounts for teachers.  My roommate also calmed me down by explaining they don’t make much money so they also get a discount. This to me is absurd because my sister is a teacher in the lower Merion district and makes more money than I do as a nurse, but when we go out shopping together I have to pay full price for items while she can hand them her teaching id and get 15% off.  It’s not really fair that I have to stand behind people in line and listen to them mention the discount they are granted, while I am then rung up at the normal higher price.  I know this may seem like a trivial thing that gets under my skin, but I feel that everyone should be entitled to these small discounts and have to pay the same price for things.  So next time you see me in line for something, don’t be surprised if I use the teacher, student or even senior citizen card to get myself a discount so I can get my much needed breakfast.  

"Buck Up, Philadelphia" (posted by: Denise Saporito)

My mom found a great article about the Phillies, now that their season has passed.  She thought it would be perfect for the blog - I agree!  READ ON!!

Phreedum.

Peoplewhoknow know that Ahyana King is talented, socially conscious, and has some of the best designs around.  Started in 2008, Ahyana decided to put her passion for creativity and design to work, all while maintaining her personal values to give back to the community.

Enter: Phreedum.

Phreedum.  Where looking good and giving back to your community are part of the package.  Check it out.

(twist and) shout out of the day: the phils.

in the words of meggie straw, which she CLAIMS was quoted from a movie: "Son of a monkey turnin' fire.  We like it from behind!" ..........


she has a point.  the phillies i know love a real challenge.  it's where we've seen them shine.

great article on why we can still do it.

loves it

roadside assistance please.

i swore i would never become a biker for a variety of reasons: 

• driving behind them gives me anxiety (especially when they are not wearing helmets); 

• i was hit by one when i was on a run and had the right away at a light, causing me to slam into an elderly woman and the biker just kept going; 

• i was followed by a biker in manayunk who yelled into my car window, while i tried to explain that he was in my blind spot and biking in between a very narrow strip of cars on a curvy road with a creek below (the discussion was very productive) and then i pulled away because traffic started again and i was left with the image in my rear view mirror of a frantic biker trying to catch up to me while i sped off because my heart was racing; 

• and because i have not biked in years and the thought is disturbing.

and then i came across a super cute, retro looking bike. (bike is currently being shipped, pictures to follow)

and suddenly all i can picture is me cruising through the streets of philadelphia, stopping at my friends' respective places in different parts of the city, picking up some items at the grocery store to be placed in the basket i decided to purchase as well, and riding only in the bike lanes so i eliminate as much anxiety as possible (i will have limited access as i remain only on red lines and may never make it to my destination but whatever) and not having a panic attack while cruising around the city and not suddenly falling over directly into the path of an oncoming car and having my face decapitated...some fantasy huh? ...HUH?!

my question is: what do i need to know? any and all advice appreciated.  despite my bad feelings towards and bad experiences around bikers, i'm going to join forces with them to make my city commutes a little bit easier.  i don't know if this is stockholm syndrome in real life, but i'm willing to find out.  

  

* editor's note: my cousin just reminded me that i was also one time followed by a bike cop who frantically flashed his light into my side mirror to slow me down.  another incident to help you understand my aversion to bike(r)s.

this isn't disturbing at all

Islamic Court Says It Is Okay to ...

(twist and) shout out of the day: little brothers

i had a really, really nice birthday yesterday.  a whole lot of love from a whole lot of people...thank you!

when my lunch break hit, i decided to brave the rain and go shopping.  as i was leaving the elevator and coming into the lobby of my building, i look up to see a very family face: my little broseph.  he was in standard tomster gear:
-converse sneakers,
-flannel pajama pants,
-waffle shirt,
-and some kind of leather/"icallithippiehemighthaveanothertermforit" necklace. 

"tommy?" i called out to him.  he ran over and gave me a big hug, wished me a happy birthday, and handed me my absolute favorite treat of all time: a pizza bagel from delancey street in wynnewood that he had driven down to me.  pure. genius.  and so thoughtful.  we laughed hysterically, still unsure why, and talked about how perfect the timing was and i freaked because i love pizza bagels so much.  we parted ways after a few minutes because his car was parked illegally.  he called again a few minutes later and said he forgot to give me something.  we met at the corner of 16th and chestnut where he did a hand off out the window of an oreo cupcake wrapped with a pink bow. 

again: pure genius.  and so thoughtful.  i got home from work, and there in my fridge, were two boxes of reduced fat wheat thins and two containers of port wine cheese: are you KIDDING me!  those are the groceries i put off buying because i typically eat them in one sitting: PURE GENIUS!

it's really cool when little brothers = friends.  and it's really cool to see that your little brother is not so little and is a "good guy" who knows how to treat a lady - even if that lady is one of his three sisters.  thanks again, bud.

dear dana: you're embarrassing.

so i'm not really into discussing the "wedding details" for a variety of reasons - including my belief that it's really boring to anyone besides me and roberto..and sometimes it's really boring to us, too.  maybe that's what happens when you have a 23 month engagement after a decade of dating...i can't be sure....but that's a completely different discussion.

at the risk of sharing details of wedding planning that may bore you, i feel this story really hits home how awkward my life can be.  i've started contacting hotels to ask about blocking rooms for the weekend of the wedding.  i was feeling really proud of myself for being "ahead of the game" - until 10 out of 10 hotels told us they had no availability because there is a TWENTY THOUSAND person convention the same weekend.  not a 2,000 person convention...or even a 12,000 person convention.  no: 20,000 people are converging in philadelphia a few blocks from my church and reception sites.  neat.

i was on hotel #11 and sort of blanked out when leaving a voicemail for the individual responsible for booking rooms.  the message went something like this:

"hi, my name is dana, i'm calling in regards to booking a block of rooms for a wedding weekend.  i, uh, have heard that there might be a convention that weekend, so i'm not positive if you'll have anything available, but, um, i thought i'd give it a shot anyway.  the wedding is the weekend of november 11, 2011 through november 13, 2011.  so if you could give me a call at your earliest convenience, i would really appreciate it.  okay, i love you bye.................oh my god........i'm so sorry." (click)

i haven't yet heard back.  i can't understand why.

womp.

womp.

dear brett favre: you are embarrassing.

brett favre does not know when to quit football...and he also does not know when to quit being the worst husband alive. zing!

brett favre should probably become a quitter.

and we're back

SO! The wheels are in motion.  I want to create a space where people can read, write, comment, mock, procrastinate, think, promote, etc. etc. etc.  It is getting kind of strange that Facebook status updates are a primary source of dialogue between people about anything from nail polish to the oil spill, so I thought this might be fun.  Most importantly, this blog fulfills the creative itch I have been having recently.

My hope is to have “contributors” post about anything they choose and that lots of people are involved.  You’re people who know…I know it.

If you, or somebody you know, wants to post, simply email the post (and any pictures if you so desire) to “peoplewhoknowblog@gmail.com” and I will post it.

catch ya on the flip side.

(twist and) shout out of the day: Kelly Lemerise Lombardi

Peoplewhoknow, know that Kelly Lemerise Lombardi can COOK.  Click below to check out her blog, read about her food adventures, learn new recipes, and to follow and support her in her competition!
Go Kelly!  Go Kelly!

http://www.tenderisthebite.com/

part deux (by: Brian Mac)

part deux
OK, so now I know – you need to have something in common. We took our time apart, we resolved to work on things, 2 days later things were in disrepair and I had to end it. In a tearful goodbye (on his end, not mine) we parted ways and set sail for bigger and better things…I guess I’ll find someone, someday - oh wait, I already did. He’s a gorgeous Latin man, he’s taking me to dinner Thursday and to see Yoyo Ma at the Kimmel Center Sunday – stay tuned.

i'm a people who knows...perhaps (first post). (by: Brian Mac)

Says BM:

To split or not to split?
So I thought I started dating this amazing guy a few months ago. We clicked so well, had similar backgrounds and the chemistry was definitely there – we just assumed everything else would fall into place. The more and more we got to know each other the more we realized we had sharply divided views on the things. I like a stiff drink, he doesn’t touch the stuff (that should have been my first clue things weren’t going to be mesh); I’m clean, he’s messy; he love’s Jesus, JC and I haven’t spoken in quite a while. As time went by we had less and less to talk about, so we decided to talk about how we had nothing to talk about. We came to the conclusion that we needed time apart to reassess things and see if we can carry on or call it quits – can two people so different really get along?
To be continued…

(twist and) shout out of the day: RYBREAD

Peoplewhoknow know that the best new spot for a coffee and a bite to eat is Rybread.

Stop by for good food, great space and even better people.  Congratulations on all of the success, Ryan!!!

http://www.rybreadcafe.com/

2319 fairmount ave., philadelphia, pa

(twist and) shout out of the day: anderson cooper

this word is seriously lazy when used this way. rock on anderson.

WANTED: breath of fresh air (by: Meg S.)

I am writing this on the heels of a letter to the president by Roger Jones Starner, MD.

Here is the letter:

Dear Mr. President:

During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.

While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as “Medicaid”! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one pack of cigarettes every day, eats only at fast-food take-outs, and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer. And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman’s health care? I contend that our nation’s “health care crisis” is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a “crisis of culture” a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one’s self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that “I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me”. Once you fix this “culture crisis” that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you’ll be amazed at how quickly our nation’s health care difficulties will disappear.

Respectfully,

Roger Starner Jones, MD

Three days a week I have the pleasure of experiencing first hand what Dr. Starner Jones is colorfully illustrating because I work in the Emergency or “Emergency” Department.

Recently a middle-aged patient was being admitted to the hospital after coming the ER complaining of shortness of breath. This particular patient has a disease called COPD, which stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of this progressive and at times debilitating lung disease.

The above-mentioned patient was having an exacerbation of the disease that concerned the medical team enough to keep him in the hospital for observation and treatment.

The admitting MD approached the RN about possibly allowing the patient (who refuses to stay in the hospital if he can’t smoke) to go outside and smoke a cigarette.

Keeping in mind the best interest of the patient, the nurse - politely, I’m sure, -refused.

Now making a scene (I did say this patient was middle-aged right?) because of the “idiotic” idea of allowing air to pass though the lungs efficiently, the vice president of the hospital was called to help appease the escalating situation.

The vice president escorted the SOB* patient outside to smoke.

The patient stammered back into the ER to put on his oxygen and order dinner from the in-house dietary department.

He was served a cheeseburger, french fries and coca cola.

I don’t know what happened to this patient, but I’m sure he is a repeat customer and the hospital will have the pleasure of catering to his addictions again.

My question is when did the hospital become of place of “the customer is always right” and not a place of healing?

And another, why even bother throwing (away) money into a healthcare system that obviously does not have it’s priorities straight? Don’t get me wrong; I strongly believe the responsibility of making healthy decisions lies in the hands of the individual. I see this as a detrimental cycle of unhealthy decisions made in part by a person and allowance/acceptance by the system.

I studied to be a nurse to assist people in their times of need and help them navigate through a medical situation that could be frightening and disconcerting.

I find myself, rather, a glorified waitress tending to vices.

If this should be the case from now on, I would like to change my title from RN to Enabler.

Dr. Jones Starner is absolutely right. This is a culture crisis.

epicuriOM

*SOB – an acronym used in the medical field standing for Shortness of Breath.  ;)

my future hubby on society

From Mr. Bobby C.:

Below are a few social misfits I encounter on a frequent basis who are so incredibly oblivious to standard human interaction they actually make me a more productive member of society: 

(1)   The classmate seated three feet behind me who never learned to cover her mouth when she yawns or coughs.  Your forceful exhales of air cause the temperature to rise 10-15 degrees around the back of my neck every…single…time. 

(2)   Oh, you’re wondering why I’m giving you a death stare co-worker? Once again you’ve sneezed into your bare hands and proceeded to touch everything around me.  I’d rather you just sneeze directly into my face.  

(3)   The customer who stands directly in front of the only wawa cashier while he organizes his money back into his wallet.  Don’t mind the 27 of us standing behind you in line. 

(4)   It’s your world bike riders of Philadelphia, We’re just living in it.  No, really. 

(5)   The person in charge of bringing 450 co-workers coffee from dunkin donuts in the morning who has no regard for the sign instructing her to go inside for her order that takes 45 minutes to complete instead of using the one lane drive-through window.    

(6)   The friend who consumes 14 beers, french onion soup, and the sampler platter at happy hour and then wants to split the bill even-stephen with those who ordered 2 beers. 

(7)   The person who sits within a 5 seat radius of me in a movie theater with 97% of seats still available.

….marriage is going to be highly amusing.

welcome back 1999.

I dare you to not watch this in its entirety…holy unbelievable.

((enter me in my bed in 1999, talking to bobby on my landline, hoping my parents don’t pick up or my brother doesn’t sign on to aol and throw off my whole vibe))

98 degrees: Because of You

a scientific explanation for the story of my life

soooooooo this explains why i laughed so hard i almost wet myself and was removed from my pew by my parents and sent to the back when i was in church with my brother and sisters as a child because some man screamed his responses a half beat later than the rest of the congregation….or when my sisters laughed so hard they were kicked out of church because i was asked to cantor at the busiest christmas eve mass as an 8th grader alongside 3 classmates and we were so bad that we sang the wrong christmas songs and were completely off key….interesting.


laughter is the best medicine

(twist and) shout out of the day: REPLATE

One of my biggest struggles: where does all of the food in restaurants go to?  Could it not feed every homeless person in the world?  So it is.  A group has come up with a really good start to this very concern.  It is called “Replate.”  The whole premise is to take your leftovers and leave them on top of a trash can.  It’s the little things.  Check itt out.

http://www.replate.org/

Red Headed October (by: Meg S.)

I think our journey to the World Series would be MUCH more interesting if Conan covered the games. Take 7 minutes to watch and see why.

Conan Video

leftyrighty.

I read the following quote, by H. Jackson Brown, Jr., last night: “Don’t say you don’t have enough time.  You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein.”

Then I thought, Screw you,Mr. Brown, and started this blog.  Over and out.