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All posts for the month April, 2012

Cruisin’

Published April 28, 2012 by francesothomas

I just got back from a cruise on Holland America  through the southern Caribbean. I debated about taking my laptop with me but decided against it at the last minute. Instead, I took books. Lots of books. Lots of Avon books, to be exact, since I am one of the first crop of  “Avon Addicts.” Avon kindly sent me a boxful of books that, I confess, I wouldn’t have chosen myself. The results were mixed.  The librarian on the Maasdam is now the recipient of the books I finished on board, and I bet he is still shaking his head.

One of the books was Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman by JB Lynn. To call this quirky is an understatement. A woman who is trying to raise money to paythe  exhorbitant medical bills of her comatose niece encounters a New Jersey mob boss, a cop gone rogue, a talking lizard (no, sorry, an anole) and a Doberman with the grammar problems of a non-native speaker. I so wish I had the skewed mind to come up with an idea like this.

Thumbs up on this one.

http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Slightly-Neurotic-Hitwoman-Lynn/dp/0062134639/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335621050&sr=1-1

I got all my sisters with me

Published April 15, 2012 by francesothomas

My wild and crazy Calendar Girl sisters took a road trip yesterday. As usual, we were dripping with sweat by the time we finished performing our “Wild West Show.” The audience was responsive and generous in giving to our cause, Paws for Patriots. I have now acquired a Calendar Girl magnetized sign for my car. How when people pull up next to me at a stop light and I am attired in a get up such as this one, they will see the sign on the door and realize, I hope, why I look this way.

Help for veterans with PTSD

Published April 6, 2012 by francesothomas

I read an article in today’s newspaper about the lack of help in the Veterans Administration System for veterans coming home with PTSD. It seems that the VA can’t find enough psychiatrists willing to live in rural areas or areas with a high cost of living. Considering the salaries that I am sure The VA pays medical doctors, I can’t imagine why they couldn’t afford to live anywhere. But my question really is why are psychiatrists the only mental health providers being considered? I personally have a counseling degree and a certification from the National Board of Certified Counselors yet the VA doesn’t consider me qualified to provide this important service. How many other counselors are out there who would be quite able to help if only the VA would broaden its requirements.