Thursday, September 30, 2010

"B" is For Buttocks - Alphabe Thursday - "B" Is For Buttocks - September 30, 2010


"B" is For Buttocks - Alphabe Thursday - September 30, 2010


B is for one’s buttocks,
I would not be so crass,
Being the Southern belle I am,
I’d never call them a*%#!

As an R.N. for four decades,
I’ve used them to give injections,
The gluteus maximus muscle,
Is best for preventing infections!

Those little chubby baby cheeks,
Are just the cutest thing,
It’s only when we’re aging,
We see what cellulite can bring!

If only we’d manage to exercise,
And give ourselves a push,
The pounds would not accumulate,
Upon one’s lovely tush!

Carmen Henesy
9-30-10

Copyright © 2010 Carmen Henesy.
All Rights Reserved.

I am participating in Jenny Matlock's Alpha-be Thursday - join in for a good time!





Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Watery Wednesday & Wordless Wednesday - Alaska Cruising - September 29, 2010



Watery Wednesday & Wordless Wednesday - Alaska Cruising - September 29, 2010








I am participating in Watery Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday - join in the fun.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Magpie Tales #33 - Something Stinks in Portofino - September 28, 2010




Magpie Tales #33 - Something Stinks in Portofino - September 28, 2010


Stephanie had spent the past month on the Italian Riviera.  Somehow, the lifestyles of
the rich and famous seemed aberrant to her after the two months of summer vacation
she had spent volunteering in the refugee camps in Darfur.  She wished she had stayed
there for her final month before returning to her senior year of medical school at Harvard.
Her mother had insisted, however, that she "have a little fun" and had arranged for her
to see family friends who owned a villa halfway between Portofino and Santa Margherita.
She had finally acquiesced when her parents agreed to let her take a week long seminar
at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo.  The class, which dealt
with refugees and international law fueled her desire to continue providing medical
services to the victims of the genocide in Darfur and the Sudan.

She glanced up from her book as Luigi approached the pool.  He looked like a model and
had, in fact, appeared several times in photo shoots for Pal Zaleri.  They were about the
same age and had spent a good deal of time together since they were toddlers and
their fathers, famous cardiologists, first met at an international summit.  Over the years,
he had become a pompous, spoiled young man, who had little regard for others.  It was
clear that Luigi was used to getting whatever he wanted.  This past month, it seemed
he wanted her.

"We're taking the yacht and sailing over to Monte Carlo, then on to Barcelona," he
announced.  "There will be about ten of us.  You know everyone.  We'll be back in time
for your farewell party before you return to America."  Stephanie really did not feel like
a jet set party but she finally agreed.  She would be headed back to school in less than
a week and she was very happy to be leaving.  She was tired of fighting off Luigi's
advances.

The group aboard The Portofino Princesa was in high spirits.  The chef prepared exquisite
meals and bottles of Barolo poured freely.  Luigi constantly tried to drag Stephanie to the
owner's cabin on board the yacht.  "You are leaving and we have not even had a chance
to be alone," he pouted.  "Precisely," she responded, slipping away from his drunken
embrace.  "You are like a brother to me,  Luigi!  I'm not interested!"  She finally managed
to pull away and went to her cabin.

About 3AM, she awakened to find Luigi standing over her, holding two glasses of wine. 
He was wearing a bathing suit and his usual fragrance, Acqua Di Parma.  He leered at
her as he set the wine on the dresser.  He bent over and tried to kiss her, fumbling
under the coverlet to touch her breasts.  "For God's sakes, Luigi, get away from me,"
she hissed.  "Get out of here now."  As she struggled to move away from him, Luigi
grabbed her wrists, pulling her toward his cabin.  "You know you want me." In a fury,
Stephanie went with him.  Before he threw her down on the bed, her hand grasped
the bottle on the dresser and squeezed tightly.  It was the Acqua Di Parma.  She
moved swiftly.  It made contact with his head, giving a resounding, "thump,"
shattering and spilling perfume everywhere. She ran from the cabin and dove
into the Mediterranean waters off the coast of Nice.  As she swam she thought, "I
hope I never smell that stuff again."

Carmen Henesy

Copyright © 2010 Carmen Henesy.
All Rights Reserved.

I am participating in Willow's Magpie Tales - join in the fun!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Mellow Yellow Monday #88 - Flower Near the Golden Gate - September 27, 2010


Mellow Yellow Monday #88 - Flower Near the Golden Gate - September 27, 2010

When a friend was visiting last week, I took her out sightseeing in our unbelievably
beautiful weather.  On the Marin side of the Golden Gate, from the observation area, we
got amazing views of San Francisco, without a bit of fog.  This little yellow flower ( or,
maybe, it's actually a weed ) caught my eye perched against the blue of the Pacific
Ocean.



I am participating in Mellow Yellow Monday!
Join in the fun.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sundays in My City - Special Days - September 26, 2010


Sundays in My City - Special Days - September 26, 2010


It's always fun to have friends visit.  It gives me the opportunity to play hostess in my
adopted city of San Francisco.  The weather was spectacular and I got some great
photographs everywhere we went.  My friend, Sherry Arndt, and her cousin, Nancy,
were here, then I went on board the Radiance of the Seas, a nice vantage point for
pictures of the city.

The Radiance of the Seas is one of my favorite Royal Caribbean ships.  I've had the
pleasure of sailing on her six times in the past.  She holds about 2500 passengers and
is the perfect vessel for Alaska waters, with glass everywhere, including the elevators. 
Most of the bars have ocean views, which I love.  When I went on board ( she was
docked at Pier 39 ), most of the passengers were off the ship ).  Hotel director, John
Denton and his wife Marisa, came down to greet me and we went for coffee in the
Windjammer Cafe before I was left to wander the ship on my own, saying hello to crew
that I knew and taking photographs.  I had dinner on board in the evening, then spent
some time with my cellar master friends before dropping them off at Matrix, one of the
popular clubs in San Francisco to party with other crew members.  It isn't often that a
ship overnights, giving the crew an opportunity to get out and have a little fun.


This is the atrium area of the Radiance of the Seas.  You can see  two elevator
shafts on either side of the large glass area.  There are also elevators across from
this that look right out on the ocean.


This is the pool deck on the ship, normally full on such a beautiful day but most folks
are off the ship in San Francisco.


The pool bartender is having an easy day so far!


The casino is always closed when the ship is in port so the casino staff have a
nice long break in San Francisco!


Entrance to the Schooner Bar, one of my favorite drinking places on any
Royal Caribbean ship


Seating area for the Schooner Bar with nice ocean views


The heated solarium with its lovely indoor pool - nice on those cooler Alaska days.


Another solarium view



Seating in the Windjammer Restaurant, buffet style, on Deck 11,
for those who prefer casual dining


Windjammer entrance


The ship's atrium, as photographed from the Lobby Bar


With dear friend, Lucy Tejano, bartender at the Lobby Bar


Indian cellar master, Sachin Lopes, with his American "mother"


Radiance of the Seas, Hotel Director, John Denton, and his lovely wife,
Marisa Merken, ready for his birthday celebration

View of Alcatraz from the deck of the Radiance of the Seas


The Golden Gate from the pool deck of the Radiance of the Seas


Great San Francisco view from the ship


Boats docked at Pier 39 marina



The Golden Gate Bridge at sunset


I am participating in Unknown Mami's Sundays in My City - join us!!!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Camera Critters #129 - Great Egrets at The Palace of Fine Arts - September 25, 2010


Critters #129 -  Great Egrets at The Palace of Fine Arts - September 25, 2010

I've been living in the San Francisco area for over thirty-three years now and I've been
visiting the Palace of Fine Arts for that long.  It is a beautful structure that was built for
the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition.  After the exposition ended, most of the buildings
were demolished but a Palace Preservation League fought to save the beautiful building
and columns of the Palace.  It is the scene of movies, weddings, and is a popular tourist
attraction.

Palace of Fine Arts from Wikipedia

I have always seen duck and seagulls, in large numbers, at the Palace but, when I was
there on Tuesday with my friends who were visiting from Minnesota and Chicago, I was
so suprised to see egrets in the lagoon for the first time.  They were so beautiful.










I am participating in Camera Critters - come join in the fun!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Flash 55 Friday - Alcatraz - September 24, 2010



Flash 55 Friday - Alcatraz - September 24, 2010

Look at its location,
In San Francisco Bay,
A real estate treasure,
With the city on display.

How sad they must have been,
Locked away inside,
And those who tried to flee,
Inevitably, they died.

Its roster of hardened criminals,
Were the most incorrigable of men,
Their list of crimes contained,
Every kind of sin.

Carmen Henesy

Copyright © 2010 Carmen Henesy.
All Rights Reserved.

I am participating in the Flash 55 Friday meme of the fabulous Mr G-Man.
Join us for a good time.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Alphabe-Thursday, A is for Antidepressant - September 23, 2010


Alphabe-Thursday, A is for Antidepressant - September 23, 2010


Well, I must admit, I have had the blues these days.  Things are going from bad to worse.
I have depleted all my savings now, supplementing my half time pension and social
security since my job loss eighteen months ago.  The pension, after taxes, is twenty five
dollars less than my rent and my social security doesn't even cover food, utilities, my
car payment and other bills.  My lease is up, though, the end of November so I will be
moving out of the home I have rented for the past ten years.  I have begun the tedious
and sad process of clearing things out and disposing of much of my life.  I had never
anticipated this is how things would end up for me toward the end of my life. 

This past weekend, I threw away most of my forensic nursing life.  I discarded books,
notes, conference materials, and the like, since it looks like I won't work in the field
again.  What a painful experience that was.  Forensic nursing absorbed the past
twenty-one years and was the passion of my nursing career.  I identified with this new
field for nurses and was thrilled to have been part of the meeting that founded the
International Association of Forensic Nurses.  I attended every single scientific assembly
for the first ten years.  Now, I am debating as to whether I will even renew my
membership in the organization as that is money I could better spend elsewhere.  I may
even, after45 years, let my nursing license go inactive.  All of this is too sad for words.

I've tried to tell myself that I am better off than so many people in this world and I know
that I am.  I have been a world traveler so I know the poverty and pain I've witnessed in
places I've visited.  At least, I'm getting a half time pension and social security.  That is,
I'll get social security again.  I've just gotten a notice that my payments are suspended
from September until December because they inadvently paid me for February 2009
when I, in  fact, worked that month.  So, instead of the $2300 pension and $1300 social
secuity, I'll only have my $2300 pension which doesn't even quite cover my rent.  I do
have an appointment October 5th to try to challenge this or to beg for some sort of
payment option so that I don't have all my social security check attached each month. 

I am not on antidepressants.  I wouldn't take them.  At least, I did have a wonderful
antidepressant this past week in the form of a visit from one of my dearest friends,
Sherry Arndt, the forensic nurse who used to live in Santa Cruz and taught me how to
be a sexual assault nurse examiner.  Our entire nursing group from the San Francisco
Rape Treatment Center went to Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz for our SART ( sexual
assault response team ) training in April of 1990.  Sherry was not only my instructor,
she became a mentor, a great friend, and a traveling companion, with whom I shared
many wonderful adventures about the world.

Sherry and her cousin, Nancy, made an overnight stop at my house, during a road
trip which started at Sherry's home in Minnesota.  That visit did so much to lift my
dragging spirits.  We had the most incredible San Francisco weather - blue skies, no
fog, and warm temperatures and we made the most of it.

We started out with lunch at American Sushi House near my home in Daly City,
complete with a wonderful sake and bento boxes with assorted dishes.  Then we
drove into San Francisco for sightseeing.  It was especially nice since the tourist
crowds had departed with the start of school, parking was easy and the weather
continued beautiful.


Bright and sunny at the Golden Gate Bridge


Sherry & Nancy with San Francisco in the distance


A stop at the Palace of Fine Arts


Afternoon break at the Cafe Divine in North Beach


Cheers from the Champagne girl


Champagne AND espresso with vanilla ice cream for me


Nancy and her dessert


Yummy!


Nancy & Sherry in front of Sts. Peter and Paul Church at Washington Square


With Robert and Nancy, dinner at Nick's in Pacifica


Waiting for our crab sandwiches!


Dungeness crab sandwich with tomato, red onion and avocado - eggplant fries


A beautiful end to a perfect day

After dinner, we came back to the house and finished our night with a bottle of 
champagne, talk, and lots of laughter.  Sherry's visit, all too brief, made me realize that,
no matter how dire the circumstances may become, friends are what get us through the
hard times and give meaning to our lives. When it comes to that, I am, indeed, wealthy.

I am participating in Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday - join us!!

-Check out the link for info on my blogaversary giveaway:
http://rnsane.blogspot.com/2010/09/flash-55-friday-happy-anniversary-to-me.html#links