Check on these love links ~! It’s early yet, some people post early, some late, some not at all! so check back in. If the link didn't post music, that's okay, enjoy the read! As always, you are not on this list and wish to be, just holler back, I'll be happy to add!

Bookworm
Scratch Radio
Dalpha
Sherry
Miss Lou
Taylor
Whispered
TAB
Mouse
MacKenzie
Misty
Prank
June
Azron
Big Chris
Cracker
Hawk
Biggie
Sole
Sweetie Pie's Surf Shack
Blu
Night Light
Mindpower
Anexplorer
Indian
Pretty Rubble
Johnny P
Fairweather
Aunt Ornery
Polar Bear
Captain Morgan
Lucy
Belle
Sammy Jo
LuluBlue
Scratch
Zappa
Wild Pig
Colo
Nursey
John, the Squabbler
Cowboy
Slick
Heide
Crone
CM
Kate's Kiln

and I forgot that Mother's Day is tomorrow...so make a Mother happy and just hug her and tell her how much you love and appreciate her in your life. I wished I could, but mine passed away in 2004. It's never too late to mend a fence either, you know, should you be at odds with your mom. well, my job here is done for the moment! Send in those prayer requests, and I'll be checking in a little later on.

My apologies to the masses, but I am slipping out early (quarter till 10) and crawling into bed. Goodnight.

I am sure most of you know Bookworm (aka L.Cat now). He has been a blog friend and a Saturday Night Blog Fever buddy since way back when. The earliest record in my other blog was October 2006, but he followed me from the first blog I had here before that. He is a great part of the community of Blogstream here, and co-creator of The Inquirer, hosting blogger interviews.

I am dedicating this Saturday night blog fever to Bookworm. I had made a comment a little while back about my being discouraged that people are not participating in the blog fever on Saturday Nights, and he was very encouraging to me, and told me to please continue it, so I am, and he’s the guest of honor tonight whether or not he is here. As most of you know, the blog fever was created to get to interact your blog neighbors, if you wanted to, and just listen to some great tunes floating around the Stream, blog hopping from blog to blog!

Everybody knows too, that Bookworm always posts early for Saturday Night, whereas I procrastinate. As many of you know, or may not be aware yet, his wife was hospitalized with a heart issue last night, and he ask that we all continue to pray for them. So, stop by over there and keep the positive energy and prayers flowing here on the Stream, bloggers, for L.Cat (aka Bookworm) and his wife. To get there click here. It is a great honor to have such greater supporters and friends here, and we all know what a great friend Bookworm is to many of us. Much love your way, my friend.

But as they say in show-blog business, Saturday Night Blog Fever must go on! I’ll be back with a post later.

What? Are you calling me names? I might be a fatty artery waiting to happen, (since both my parents had hypercholesteremia), but I'm no vasculopath! or am I?

Well today folks, let me tell you. I was typing along minding my own business, when the doctor says (this is same one who calls people lads and lassies) ...

This 54-year-old vasculopath had an incision and drainage of a right axillary abscess May 5, 2008 (two days ago). He comes for removal of the packing today. He has been using hydrocodone and Bactrim.

...blah, blah, blah...

Yep, he's calling this patient a name. What is a Vasculopath? This was interesting enough for me to look up. It sounds a little strange doesn't it? This is what I found from a doctor's website, along with a little story he entitles,

"The Vasculopath" by Dr. CJFitness (his online fake name)

I had an incredibly frustrating patient encounter yesterday - a 60-something gentleman who was recently in the hospital for an ischemic stroke. When I admitted him (late at night - curse this job), I mustered enough good charm to suggestively congratulate him on his first day of having quit smoking (I knew he wouldn’t). Super pleasant guy, with a supportive family all huddled around him in the ICU, but I just knew he couldn’t be reached on the smoking thing, even though he’d just dodged a major bullet by reversing all of his stroke symptoms after receiving the “clot-buster” medication just hours before.

Problem was, this guy is the ultimate “Vasculopath”. What is a “vasculopath”? It’s a rather informal term I apply to an individual with significant vascular disease, of which there are many risk factors and many manifestations. This guy had them all: high cholesterol, smoker, high blood pressure, family history of heart disease, age (>55), male sex, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and worst of all - personal history of heart disease, having had an MI (myocardial infarction) in the past. His regular physician had done marvelous work on him: normal blood pressure, controlled diabetes, normal cholesterol, had him taking aspirin - all the right things, but he refused to give up his cigarettes. As the saying goes: You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

Anyway, he convinced everyone at his bedside (at my less-than-gentle prodding) that he would quit smoking as a result of his stroke. I saw him back in clinic today and inquired about his 9 days since being admitted for a stroke - of course he’s right back to smoking with no intention to quit. [Deep breaths . . . count to ten] As I mentioned before, you choose your own death, in a sense. He’s basically playing a form of Russian Roulette - one of these days he’ll have “the big one”. My suggestion to clean up his diet and learn how to incorporate some physical activity into his daily routine fell on deaf ears, but he reluctantly agreed to try Chantix (a wonderful new addition to our smoking cessation arsenal) for the sake of his wife. [Mr. Passive-Aggressive, himself]

I can only hope that he sees the folly of his ways before it’s too late. A patient like this reminds me that I can do only so much as a physician - it’s times like this I just feel like a glorified advice-giver. It feels like a waste of my time, but maybe one of these times I’ll get through to him.

Well, that was interesting reading this morning. Is your doctor calling you a vasculopath? Well, you don't want to know what I called my "used to be" doctor, who was fired from my care, due to his higher than mighty attitude! and whether or not he called me any names remains unknown, but I am happy to report I have a new family physician who at least gives a damn. and ... Yes, I really am a fatty artery waiting to happen as my cholesterol numbers were not that pleasing, and much to the surprise I cannot take Crestor due to the increased muscle pain I experienced; so in the near future I will probably be called a cholesteropath, but hardly a vasculopath ~! well, not yet anyway!

and lolly, lolly, lolly if you are interested in getting your horriblescope for today see the post below!

and have a great day, bloggers.

Well, being a Pisces myself, that horriblescope should get me get out of work don't you think? ha!

Taurus
20 April - 20 May
The tattered remains of your heart will serve you well today. They will prevent you being at all charitable and will enable you to purchase ridiculously high price-tag items that your own credit card will not afford you.

Gemini
21 May - 21 June
A financial pressure will exert itself this week and cause problems with your love life. The trip abroad you had promised yourself will have to go onto the back-burner as you try to resolve how your lover managed to spend $3,500 shopping on the internet.

Aries
21 March - 19 April
Test yourself today by walking around semi-nude. However, please be aware that semi-nude does not necessarily mean just clothed top-halves. Love should be grasped like a nettle and embraced like a bulldog, never let love out of your sight or you'll have to endure its never ending damnation.

Cancer
22 June - 22 July
Football hasn't been known, historically, for bringing people together. Today may prove to be the exception to that rule as you'll fall in love with someone whose head looks very similar to a football. OK, so the stars were pretty much describing a situation where a self-prescribed course of celibacy may help you regain the confidence that is lacking in your love life. After all, being a complete dope and being rejected every other day can't help the morale much.

Leo
23 July - 22 August
A beautiful woman will turn your head today and make you think whether you're as committed as you ought to be. Most of your body is going to become an erogenous zone later this week and you might be awkwardly caught out when even the slightest, even accidental, touch causes you to wet yourself.

Virgo
23 August - 22 September
Heaven knows what kinds of things are going to happen you today. All I'm able to tell you is that it's going to be hectic and possibly traumatic. It's hard though because that could just be what's on television, and not what's going to happen to you. It's a hard life being an astrologer and trying to see exactly what's going to happen to YOU. Specifically You. Sorry.

Libra
23 September - 23 October
Biscuits can provide a pleasurable sensation when placed in the mouth. Something you learn today will put off a potential lover.

Scorpio
24 October - 21 November
Pillows are a special addition to a couch or settee for a romantic evening - ensure the pillows don't have Mr T's face on them, or your own nose blood. Whilst you could have a case arguing that the two can be attractive, unless you're willing to put on Rocky III as a demonstration, I'd try to avoid it.

Sagittarius
22 November - 21 December
Teepees are a saucy place to hide out and contemplate making love. Of course you're far too prudish for anything like that but it'll be nice to think about it for a while.

Capricorn
22 December - 19 January
The colours red and purple will mean a lot to you today as you're punched in the nose by someone you assumed was a potential mate.

Aquarius
20 January - 18 February
Deft swift strokes of the hand when writing may be the turn-on that a work-chum needs to show their true feelings for you. However, that love may vanish when they realize that the letter is a final written warning and a suggestion that they clear out their desks before security arrive.

Pisces
19 February - 20 March
You will be unable to avoid the animals charges that explode throughout your body today and as such it might be best that you go home early before embarrassing yourself terribly with various orgasmic screams.

what one were you?

Tis the season folks, and I bet you I typed 20 reports today of people passing through the emergency room because of poison ivy. My own daughter just has to have the wind blow in the right direction much less touch it. She is highly allergic to it, and most times it entails a doctor visit, a shot and steroids. I am totally immune to it myself, always have been. However, most of the population is not. I wanted to do a little research on the subject, and explore the remedies.
Poison ivy and poison oak: these are dirty words for people who work and play outdoors. Along with their cousin, poison sumac, they're responsible for painful rashes that can linger much longer than the enjoyment the sufferer might have experienced by being outdoors. And when you're suffering through a weeks-long rash that it seems nothing will affect, the most important thing in the world is relief. This article explains the cause of the painful dermatitis acquired from contact with these toxic plants, and outlines the best ways to treat it.
All three of the common "poison" plants -- ivy, oak, and sumac -- belong to the genus Toxicodendron ("poisonous tree), a genus endemic to most of North America. Each species varies widely from place to place, but fortunately poison oak and ivy are usually distinguishable by the presence of white berries and three triangular, often (but not always) serrated leaves per leaf-cluster. Poison sumac bears 7-13 leaves per branch and produces white or green berries. Poison sumac can grow into a tree; poison ivy and oak may appear as bushes, vines, creepers, or individual plants. Like all members of the Cashew family -- including pistachios, cashews, the Japanese lacquer tree, ginkgoes, and the Brazilian pepper tree -- Toxicodendron species secrete a resinous oil, the active ingredient of which is called "urushiol."
Urushiol isn't a true poison; it is, instead, an allergen that seems specifically targeted at humans -- virtually no other species are susceptible to it. Some, like goats, can even eat Toxicodendron plants, a practice that would be exquisitely painful for most humans. Like all allergens, urushiol causes problems by stimulating the human immune system to attack its own tissues; indeed, urushiol has been called "the fiercest allergen known." Just a few drops can cause rashes in hundreds of people. For most, contact with the oil or with oil-laden smoke results in painful swelling and/or a hive-like rash. For the occasional individual, urushiol can cause kidney failure and even death; fortunately, this sort of extreme reaction is very rare.
Urushiol is not only virulent, it's extremely resilient and long lasting -- people have gotten rashes from handling Toxicodendron herbarium samples that are hundreds of years old. Fortunately for the species, perhaps 25% of the population is blissfully immune to the effects of urushiol. The rest of us react to it to one extent or another. In most cases, the resultant rash lasts 1-3 weeks.
As with many such things, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; it's best to simply avoid Toxicodendron plants altogether. Sometimes, however, this is impossible -- poison oak, ivy, and sumac are surprisingly widespread, appearing everywhere from deep woods to backyard gardens. There's no real cure for the rash, but the following section outlines the best treatments for Toxicodendron dermatitis.
Treatments

The list of putative treatments for Toxicodendron dermatitis is as extensive as human imagination, and not a single one actually cures the underlying problem -- that is, the allergic reaction to urushiol. Everything has been tried, from herbs to horse urine to gunpowder. While some of the remedies ease the pain and itching of the dermatitis, the only thing that actually cures it is time. That said, there are some things you can do to either avoid the itch or treat its symptoms. These methods fall into two broad categories: palliatives and preventatives.
Palliatives

Palliative remedies seek to treat the symptoms of Toxicodendron dermatitis, rather than actually effecting a cure. Recent studies indicate that the best low-tech treatment is good old calamine lotion, that pinkish zinc-oxide mixture that just about everyone knows to use. It doesn't cure the rash, but it certainly cools and soothes the skin, if only temporarily. Oatmeal baths can also bring temporary relief. Interestingly, hot water can help sooth the pain for a short time.
Anti-itch medications would seem to be in order, but in most cases they don't work well. Antihistamines are mostly useless, because few histamines are released at the rash site, and anything containing phenol or camphor can cause severe skin irritation. Benzocaine and related medicines may themselves cause allergic reactions. Hydrocortisone, a commonly prescribed palliative, is useless in concentrations of less than 2%, and in higher concentrations can be dangerous to one's system.
Similarly, prescription corticosteroids -- either in pill or injection form -- can throw your bodily functions seriously out of whack. They work very well for the itching, but can cause adrenal problems, increase blood pressure, cause swelling of the face and neck, and disrupt the female menstrual cycle for months. Of course, individuals with extremely bad cases of dermatitis may be willing to chance these effects in the quest for relief.
The ultimate preventative measure against Toxicodendron dermatitis is to avoid Toxicodendron species altogether; however, the reality of this approach has already been discussed. Studies suggest that urushiol molecules take between three minutes and an hour to bind with the skin, so it's theoretically possible to remove the oil before a rash develops. One method is to wash the infected area thoroughly with a strong soap; one of the more effective brands is Technu, which is available in most drugstores. Technu is designed to remove Toxicodendron oils and keep them from spreading. Archeologists, foresters, and others who spend a lot of time in the woods often make liberal use of it.
Urushiol can also be removed by swabbing it away with alcohol. However, it takes forever to do this effectively. For an area perhaps two inches diameter, you'll need about a hundred cotton swabs and a bowl of 75-95% strength alcohol. Dip a swab into the alcohol, soak up some urushiol from your skin, and discard the swab immediately. After you've done this 30 times, you can briefly rub the infected area with the alcohol-soaked swabs. After about 80 swabs, rub the area vigorously with the alcohol-soaked swabs in order to open the pores and retrieve any urushiol that's entered them. This will also help sterilize the skin. Other solvents can be used to remove the urushiol, but most of them -- including bleach, gasoline, kerosene, and turpentine -- do more harm than good.
Barrier creams are another common preventative. Most use clay-based ingredients to keep urushiol from contacting the skin altogether. It goes without saying that this material must be applied to every bit of exposed skin to be completely effective. It should also be washed off within 4-6 hours in order to keep the skin safe. One brand, the Stockhausen Corporation's Stokogard Outdoor Cream, seems to provide the best protection.
Attempts have also been made to produce a medication that, when taken in advance, can desensitize one to urushiol. For more than a half a century, tinctures containing tiny amounts of urushiol have been available commercially; however, overindulgence in these can be dangerous, and they're rarely effective in any case. Other, more effective medical preparations have been created, but their effects are neither universal nor lasting. In some cases, they're actually deadly: sometimes allergen shots kill or severely incapacitate the people who receive them.

Fortunately, there's some hope that current research into allergens will provide some clues that might eventually result in a true cure. Those of us who are sensitive can only wait and hope.
A Few Words of Warning !

If you can avoid it, never burn poison ivy, oak, or sumac. The oils vaporize with the smoke, and can get into your eyes, mouth, nose, and lungs, not to mention infiltrate protective clothing. A high percentage of injuries among woodland firefighters can be attributed to urushiol inhalation. Remember the rule? Leaves of three, let it be! In fact, just run!
Whatever you do, NEVER EVER eat any portion of any Toxicodendron plant in an attempt to desensitize yourself to urushiol. Despite the opinions of certain naturalists, this doesn't work. There is no time of the year when Toxicodendron oils aren't dangerous to the sensitized. The poison does nasty things to your outsides; can you imagine what it would do to your *insides*?

Remember this: no matter how bad an attack of Toxicodendron rash may seem, it's almost never fatal and will go away within a few days. If you have any doubts about a remedy, avoid it. If your rash worsens and attempts are failing to help, consult your doctor. Poison ivy may not kill you, but some of the remedies can.