Amazingly Blessed

I feel so powerfully loved and blessed to be part of this community. Being at an event just cements it for me. I don’t know how I was even remotely sane before I met all of you. There are SO MANY things I love about you people and this culture/society. The openness, the "live and let live" mentality, the curiosity and the hugs and kisses from people you barely know or just met, not to mention the amazing greetings from your friends, and FAR too many more to list. You are my family.

I think it was Nation that told me at Dark Sky last year that at his first even it felt like coming home. It rang so true to me, too. Like the Tom Hanks quote in "Sleepless in Seattle" "It was like coming home... only to no home I'd even known... It was like...magic."

I fell blessed every day that I have burners in my life. Thanks for being a part of that!

Big Love and Gratitude,
~Fun Sway

Captain Charity Rackham

My pirate name is:
Captain Charity Rackham
Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

ARRRRRR
Take thee pirate quiz and find out your true name matey!

www.piratequiz.com/

Dark Sky

Just wondering who's going?

Dad at home

They sent my Step-dad home today. We are all relieved. They only kept him as long as they did because he caught a stomach bug and couldn’t keep anything down. Sadly, I’m sure it was mom or me that brought it to him due to being around all those kids all day. I’m sure all the tribe prayers and good thoughts energy helped. So, thanks a heap!

Broken Heart Dad

My step dad went into the hospital the Monday morning for a-fib which means that the top part of his heart is not beating only fluttering. He is doing OK. They are keeping him in the hospital for a few more days for observation, but he looks a ton better then he did last week. The situation is obviously more complicated than I am posting, but I am emotionally exhausted. I just wanted to ask for positive energy, thoughts and prayers to be sent the way of my family. I also wanted to send a thanks out to the universe for looking out for me yesterday. Things just kept falling into place. I’ll post more on that when a get a moment to myself. Anyway, I better get back to work. Take care, my lovelies!

Condom Fashion Show in Beijing

Check out the photos of the Condom Fashion Show in Beijing that I posted in my photos. There are more on line. Too funny. Amazing creativity!

No Dentist Left Behind

A good story…

My dentist is great! He sends me reminders so I don't forget checkups. He uses the latest techniques based on research. He never hurts me, and I've got all my teeth. When I ran into him the other day, I was eager to see if he'd heard about the new state program. I knew he'd think it was great.

"Did you hear about the new state program to measure effectiveness of dentists with their young patients?" I said.

"No," he said. He didn't seem too thrilled. "How will they do that?"

"It's quite simple," I said. "They will just count the number of cavities each patient has at age 10, 14, and 18 and average that to determine a dentist's rating. Dentists will be rated as excellent, good, average, below average, and unsatisfactory. That way parents will know which are the best dentists. The plan will also encourage the less effective dentists to get better," I said. "Poor dentists who don't improve could lose their licenses to practice."

"That's terrible," he said.

"What? That's not a good attitude," I said. "Don't you think we should try to improve children's dental health in this state?"

"Sure I do," he said, "but that's not a fair way to determine who is practicing good dentistry."

"Why not?" I said. "It makes perfect sense to me."

"Well, it's so obvious," he said. "Don't you see that dentists don't all work with the same clientele, and that much depends on things we can't control? For example, I work in a rural area with a high percentage of patients from deprived homes, while some of my colleagues work in upper middle-class neighborhoods. Many of the parents I work with don't bring their children to see me until there is some kind of problem, and I don't get to do much preventive work. Also, many of the parents I serve let their kids eat way too much candy from an early age, unlike more educated parents who understand the relationship between sugar and decay. To top it all off, so many of my clients have well water which is untreated and has no fluoride in it. Do you have any idea how much difference early use of fluoride can make?"

"It sounds like you're making excuses," I said. "I can't believe that you, my dentist, would be so defensive. After all, you do a great job, and you needn't fear a little accountability."

"I am not being defensive!" he said. "My best patients are as good as anyone's, my work is as good as anyone's, but my average cavity count is going to be higher than a lot of other dentists because I chose to work where I am needed most."

"Don't' get touchy," I said.

"Touchy?" he said. His face had turned red, and from the way he was clenching and unclenching his jaws, I was afraid he was going to damage his teeth. "Try furious! In a system like this, I will end up being rated average, below average, or worse. The few educated patients I have who see these ratings may believe this so-called rating is an actual measure of my ability and proficiency as a dentist.

"They may leave me, and I'll be left with only the most needy patients. And my cavity average score will get even worse. On top of that, how will I attract good dental hygienists and other excellent dentists to my practice if it is labeled below average?"

"I think you are overreacting," I said.

“Complaining, excuse-making, and stonewalling won't improve dental health'... I am quoting from a leading member of the DOC," I noted.

"What's the DOC?" he asked.

"It's the Dental Oversight Committee," I said, "a group made up of mostly lay persons to make sure dentistry in this state gets improved"

"Spare me," he said, "I can't believe this. Reasonable people won't buy it," he said hopefully.

The program sounded reasonable to me, so I asked, "How else would you measure good dentistry?"

"Come watch me work," he said. "Observe my processes."

"That's too complicated, expensive, and time-consuming," I said.

"Cavities are the bottom line, and you can't argue with the bottom line. It's an absolute measure."

"That's what I'm afraid my parents and prospective patients will think. This can't be happening," he said despairingly.

"Now, now," I said, "don't despair. The state will help you some."

"How?" he asked.

"If you receive a poor rating, they'll send a dentist who is rated excellent to help straighten you out," I said brightly.

"You mean," He said, "they'll send a dentist with a wealthy clientele to show me how to work on severe juvenile dental problems with which I have probably had much more experience? BIG HELP!"

"There you go again," I said. "You aren't acting professionally at all."

"You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be like grading schools and teachers on an average score made on a test of children's progress with no regard to influences outside the school, the home, the community served and stuff like that. Why would they do something so unfair to dentists? No one would ever think of doing that to schools."

I just shook my head sadly, but he had brightened."I'm going to write my representatives and senators," he said. "I'll use the school analogy. Surely they will see the point."

He walked off with that look of hope mixed with fear and suppressed anger that I, as a teacher, see in the mirror so often lately.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you don't understand why educators resent the federal NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT, this may help.
If you do understand, you'll enjoy this analogy, which was forwarded by:
John S. Taylor,
Superintendent of Schools for the Lancaster County,PA, School District

Four things you may or may not know about me....

A) FOUR PLACES I GO OVER AND OVER:

The gas pump, Mountain Mudd (which now has another name, green something – I keep calling it calling it Mountain Mudd. I need to learn its new name) Stupid Wal-Mart pharmacy, and Tribe on line


B) FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:

California, Camping with my burner friends, Curled up with a good book and my cat, anywhere but work.


C) FOUR MOVIES I WOULD WATCH OVER AND OVER:

Dogma, Matrix, Princess Bride, City of Angels


D) FOUR WORDS OR PHRASES I OVER USE:

“Fabulous!” “You Know?” “I SO gotta move” “Oh My God!”

Learn even when it doesn't hurt

I am learning to be humble, to ask for help when I need it, before I reach the bottom and can’t claw my way to the top, while I can still receive help with some dignity. Desperation and pain can certainly lead me to humility, but I’m cultivating a new and eager willingness to follow where the universe leads me. Because I am willing and less stubborn, I am freer to learn from all of life’s lessons, not just from the one’s that hurt.

(Although, sometimes you have to run your car over a bunch of junk that lands it in the shop and cost your insurance a few thousand dollars before you learn that particular lesson.) I'm fine. My car will be too in a week. My pride is a litte hurt is all. *sigh*