? of the week

The question of the week in our house is not only will I survive the next hour and how, but rather:


Tweety Bird a girl ?


or a boy?

I pray (see below) that someone has the answer.

Fertility experts? Bah, who needs 'em - apparently not the Canadian Government

This pisses me off. In fact the whole thing when this panel was announced mere moments before the close of government's Christmas break so of course, no one could say anything in time for anything started it all. Then I read this article in the Montreal Gazette today.

It's a wonder anything progresses in this country at all. Why the hell add someone with some specific knowledge on the topic to the committee/panel/working group. Who needs it. They aren't gonna listen anyway. I wish those fucking politicians would get off their high horses and appreciate the people in country for who they are, and not try (pretend) to know it all, when they really now NOTHING about it. The article says the members of the committee will, of course consult patients and doctors and experts before making any decisions. I call bullshit. I dare them. Double dare them!!

Here is the article:

Experts seek fertility panel seat
Government refuses to alter board's makeup

JULIET O'NEILL
CanWest News Service

Friday, January 12, 2007

The government rejected calls yesterday to add fertility patients and experts to the new federal agency charged with policing the use of reproductive technologies capable of creating human life.

The calls came from two Liberal MPs, a veteran fertility doctor, a fertility awareness advocate and a man whose wife was unable to conceive.

They held a news conference to urge the government to assign patients and others closely involved in fertility efforts to fill three vacancies on the 13-member board of the recently appointed Assisted Human Reproduction Canada agency.

Their complaint is "not who is on that board but who is not," said Danny Roth, who adopted a child with his wife after they were unable to conceive a baby.

The government has no intention of filling the three vacancies any time soon and "we feel the board's composition is adequate," countered Eric Waddell, spokesperson for federal Health Minister Tony Clement.

He added the board is free to consult patients and anyone else appropriate to the issues they will be examining.

Beverly Hanck, executive director of the Infertility Awareness Association of Canada, said it is "a matter of freedom and justice" that the thousands of Canadians who seek fertility treatment, fertility doctors and mental health professionals who specialize in the field be represented on the board.

Dr. Arthur Leader, a fertility specialist for three decades, said he doubted any members of the board had ever visited a fertility clinic.

Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett, a family doctor, urged Clement to "walk the talk of patient-centre care." Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla, a chiropractor, said the government had shown insensitivity to prospective parents who shoulder great hardship and cost to have a child.
"What is most striking about these long-awaited appointments is that there is a glaring omission of fertility experts, patients and stem-cell scientists," Dhalla said.

In a telephone interview from Toronto, Waddell said the government is satisfied that the 10 members of the board fairly represent a broad range of expertise, perspectives and opinion.

"There is nothing preventing them from consulting with patients on a regular basis, with doctors, with experts in the field," Waddell said. "It's not just a self-contained unit. They are not just going to sit in a room by themselves and make decisions."

The first board meeting of the Vancouver-based agency is in March. Waddell did not rule out expanding the board some time in the future, but it is not in the cards for now.

The board chairman is John Hamm, a family doctor and former premier of Nova Scotia, and the president is Elinor Wilson, recent chief executive officer of the Canadian Public Health Association. The eight others are drawn from academic, legal, medical and faith-based circles.

And while we're talking news (can you tell I actually read more than the comics and the Sudoku today?) I found this rather interesting. Not sure how I feel about it, being a mom of twins, I found the one year a blessing. That being said, it may not be fair for me to judge since I didn't go back to work. What do you think?

Parents of multiple births should get longer parental leave, says group
Canadian Press
Friday, January 12, 2007

VANCOUVER (CP) - A group for parents of multiple births wants Canada to change its laws so parents of twins, triplets or even higher can get longer parental leave.

Gail Moore of Multiple Births Canada says the increasing use of fertility drugs has meant more families are having more than one baby at once. Current parental leave policies only allow a year's leave and if both parents want time off, they have to split the year between them.

Moore says countries like Italy and Sweden offer parents of multiple births longer leave.

But Moore says the Conservative government won't even meet with her group to discuss the issue.

The subject came up in Vancouver this week after a woman delivered sextuplets.

P.S. Sorry for the loooooongness. I don't know how to do once of those fancy little widgets that shrinks it and asks you to click for more.

It was about time...

...today at 4:55 PM. Guess what I did?

Got the beds made.

And by the way...get yer head outta yer arse and say hello...

DE-LURK DAMMIT!!!

It appears that is is International De-Lurking Week. I dare you to say hello, and if you don't, I'll send my 4.5 year old terror and a half your way. Believe me, this week, you'd rather be a chunk of raw meat in an alligator pit, which at this poinst sounds like a day at the spa to me, compared to what we have been dealing with.

In all honesty, it would be really great to meet you. It's about time.

A virgin no longer

Well, I did it. I used a slow cooker (crock pot). My brother gave me one for my birthday.

This is a bigger deal than it should be, at least to me. You see, I have always been rather bold about how anti-crock pot I am. Those statements stem back to the days in the 70's when my mother would create these gawd awful bland and mushy stews in her crock pot. I hated them. I am not a stew person, which doesn't help. It isn't what's in it, or the flavour, it is all about the texture.

Anyway, my brother broke ground when he handed this crock pot over to me. It was like a dare. A dare he knew I would accept, and he knew I would like.

We are 2/2. I rec'd the Company's Coming cookbook for Slow Cookers. Great book! We've done the red cabbage in brown sugar and vinegar (very yum!), and last night we had the split pea soup. We served it up with some fresh buns, sliced cheeses, pickles and it was a fantastic supper. I concede. I threw together the ingredients at 8:30 AM and left it. I did NOTHING. Well actually, I did lots! Instead of preparing dinner all afternoon, we finished putting away all the Christmas stuff and at 4:30 I was playing with the kids. I am ALWAYS making supper at 4:30 (unless we are ordering in). It was such a great experience.

I am converted, no longer the slow cooker virgin.

If you have a fave to share, feel free!

P.S. Do you think it is as weird as I do that I am telling you this?

This is how pathetic I am.

The O.C. has been cancelled. Dammit. NOW what teeny bopper show can I never miss??

First we lost 90210, then Dawson, and now this. I am way more upset than any normal grown woman should be, who said I was normal? I am no closet O.C. fan, I like the damn show, and no, I can't tell you why, cause even I don't know why. But I do.

Suggestions??

HAPPY NEW YEAST.

What better (WORSE!) than to start the new year with yet another yeast infection. Itch. Scratch. Burn. Itch. Sure, I know it is mostly my fault not controlling my intake of sugars, wine, junk food, more wine. Itch. Burn. Itchy! And then I had a really unusually long AF, which likely didn't help. Itch. Scratch. Dammit! I have had to wait till today for my Diflucan dealer to open her office (G.P.) and she has kindly (FINALLY) answered the phone upon which I hit redial constantly for 3++ hours. She has called in a refill for my script and as soon as it is filled, the pharmacist (my other new best friend) will call and I am outta here. 24 hours from now I should be feeling better.

In other news...the outlaws left this morning. Did you hear that huge-ass 8000+ decibel sigh?? Yup - that was me. SO nice to hang out in my jammies till now (currently time check 2:18 PM eastern time) and not have anyone telling me what to do in my own house. The boys have gone out to buy MORE batteries. The house is deathly quite. It. Is. Beautiful.

So...until the phone rings, I shall savour the peace, read my trashy novel and wish you all a yeast free new year.