How I Got My Name~~~~

Just for the heck of it, I thought I'd share with you, how I got my name.
Let me back up a bit, first.
My maternal grandmother's name was Lila Victoria Rini--Italian. We are, in fact, distant relatives of the founders of Rini's Stop-N-Shop in Cleveland, Ohio, a supermarket that has long since closed down. Grandma's older sister was Anne, from whom my mom gets her middle name. Mom is Judith Anne. I mention this because it gives you an idea of some of our family names.
Mom married first in 1965, a brief marriage that she prefers not to talk about much. During that marriage, she got pregnant. That pregnancy ended in miscarriage--would have been a girl, and Mom would have named her Victoria Anne.
Mom married my dad on December 10, 1968. When she was pregnant with me a year later, she decided that, if I was a girl (which, naturally, I am), I'd still be Victoria, but...new husband, new baby...scratch the middle name of Anne. I was going to have a different middle name...after all, I was a different person. Mom's Aunt Anne used to call my Grandma "Lou", as a nickname. How she got "Lou" out of Lila, I have no idea. But...that nickname stuck with my mom, and she lengthened it to Louise, to be my middle name.
The other thing was, that Mom knew two girls, during her school years--one was Vicky, and the other was Louise.
I was, therefore, named for my maternal grandmother only in reverse, and also for Mom's two friends from school.
By coincidence, Grandma, for whom I was named, also had one other thing in common with me. She had two brain aneurysms in her lifetime. The second of those two was what killed her, when she was only 50. Years later, I was diagnosed with PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease). And some years after that, we learned that the same gene that causes PKD also causes brain aneurysms. Hmmmmmmm.... Not to worry, though. As of last August, I do not show signs of getting a brain aneurysm. All that showed up on the MRI was that I have a benign arachnoid cyst on the left side of my brain. But, I was told, that's a pretty common thing, and it's not hurting anything...just making me more prone to headaches than the average bear (which is true). I guess I can live with that, and if that's not optimistic enough, what is??
Anyway...I do go by Vicky....or VickyLou, and that's where I get that from. That's my combination of my first and middle names.
Last name???? Well...I prefer to hang on to my married name of Sharer, although I have been divorced for 10 years now. My maiden last name is Zeldman, but I'd really rather not use that anymore---maybe because, when I was growing up, my mom's family gave me the impression that being Jewish, or even half Jewish, was a bad thing. My Catholic cousin always got nicer Christmas presents than I did, so I felt like I was inferior because I was half Jewish. That's why I don't want to use my maiden name anymore, regardless of that it's OK to be half Jewish in the real world. I just hope I'm not doing something unacceptable, hanging on to my first husband's last name and considering that I might remarry some day. Well...if I ever remarry, I'll take on my second husband's last name. Fair enough??
Some time, I'll tell you how my cats got their names.
For now, I've gotta run (again).
Thanks for stopping by!!!!
Love ya!!
~~Victoria Louise Sharer

GOD!! WHEN WILL THIS END???

Another story...another heartbreaking horror story, from the ASPCA.
And if you're like me, a cat lover, this will break your heart, as it did mine.
PLEASE, if you know ANYONE, who is exhibiting behavior that is usually a telltale sign that they're going to turn into an animal abuser, PLEASE do something to stop them, BEFORE it is too late!
I beg of you, as does every cat lover, and every cat!!
Thank you for taking me seriously!

Here's the story, by the way: Cat Survives Kick in Face with Steel-Toe Boot

For some reason, the link I posted doesn't work, so please copy and paste this into your Address bar.

http://www.aspca.org/news/national/09-25-09.html#1

Oky doky....No sooner do I post the link to that one, than I read of another one...a serial cat killer. If I have already beefed about this one, then forgive me...but I don't think I have.

Story #2...this time of four cats having been killed, and two injured, by a damned imbecile (and that's putting it nicely)!!!! And again, please follow the link:

http://www.aspca.org/news/national/08-28-09.html

I don't get it. These have got to be the fourth and fifth cases, this year alone, of cat abuse. The first one wasn't fatal, but the poor little cat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have I made myself clear??? I am an advocate for the safety and comfort of cats!!!
I just don't get it. I spend time with my cats...with my sweetheart's cats...with my parents' cat... HOW, exactly, could a person EVER want to hurt a cat!!! WHY??????
Is that something that only an insane person would consider acceptable????!!!
PLEASE, let's work together to STOP that kind of despicable behavior...BEFORE it's too late!!
I would thank you much for your efforts to stop cat abuse!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love ya!

Why SOOOO very few people have volunteered to be my donor...

I've heard every excuse from A to Z, why no one can be my donor, and save me from having to do dialysis and have essentially a lower quality of life all the way around.
Let's see...there's the ones who are afraid that something will happen to them if they give me a kidney... Never mind that they have two good ones, and I have none whatsoever.
Then there's the ones who are afraid that they might be the wrong blood type. Transplant centers the world over check for these things. I am A+, but can accept an organ from an A+, A-, O+, and/or O-. Got it? Nothin' to be afraid of there!
Then there's the ones who say, "Well, can't a person live, like, forever, on dialysis?" Uh....sure...but why in God's name would a SANE, 39 year-old, WANT to live forever on dialysis??? Not only that, but NO...people don't always live forever on dialysis. 18% of people who are waiting for a transplant, die within the long, long five years it generally takes before a cadaver donor becomes available. Too many people needing a transplant, and not enough donors...has created a helluva problem with the damn waiting list!!!!
There's the people who are just plain chicken.
Hey...I'll lay you 10 to 1 that those chickens could never live with no kidneys, as I have done (and barely, I might add!) for almost two years!! I'll just bet....
This week, apparently, I'm anemic again. This has put quite a damper on my life. I'm also...possibly dehydrated...either that or I'm getting dizzy as hell because I'm anemic! At more than one point today, I had to stop, and I was so dizzy that I got a splitting headache until the dizziness let up. Well, DAMN! And no one is brave enough to be my donor????
FYI: I did get an email the other night, from an out-of-state donor...at least he says he was approved to be a donor where he lives...it's just a matter of him calling Sharp, and me getting Medi-Cal already here....this might just work out...as long as he doesn't run up an unrealistic travel bill and expect me to take care of it, because that I can NOT do!!
Forgive me for ranting. I'm just sick and tired of dialysis, and all the ways that it puts a damper on my lifestyle... Know what I mean??
P.S.: **As I was saying the other night...I DO, VERY much, ♥ sweet surprises...so, maybe someone reading my blog will be moved enough to...well...NOT YOU, necessarily!! Just put the word out for me, PLEASE, because that's what we need to do...network, network, network. That's one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place.
Now then. Time to run, I think.
I'll be back...not sure when, though.
Love ya!
xoxoxo
(poofski)

I ♥ Surprises!!

So I checked my email tonight, after having been out for awhile...and sure enough, I have another possible donor. He is out of state, so this may take a little time...but, it sounds very promising (again). I'm not holding my breath this time, but I'm keeping this situation in my prayers, and hope this is the right donor for me!!
I will keep you posted.
Gotta run (again) for now!
Love ya!
xoxoxoxoxo

QUICK Update~~

It's...((Yawn...stretch...)) been a while since I posted here, hasn't it?
So, here's a quick update.
I had my gallbladder ultrasound Thursday, but still have not heard the results.
I presume that'll happen soon, especially if there's something going on that needs attention. It was an X-ray not only of my gallbladder, but also of my spleen, pancreas, and polycystic liver. (Yes, part of PKD, sometimes, is that the liver ends up being polycystic too....BUT, whereas PKD leads ultimately to kidney failure, sooner in some people than in others, polycystic livers ordinarily do not fail...I'm always concerned about it, nonetheless.)
Yesterday, I thought it was tailbone season again...and/or Intractable Sciatica season. One year ago, it was, I clearly remember, going Greeting-Card shopping at CVS, and I had already put up with not being able to walk for about a week or so, due to my tailbone being debilitatingly sore, and I was getting damn tired of it too...so, while shopping for cards, I meandered over to the Pharmacy, to the walkers... I was sick of having to hold on to everything and everyone that I could get a hold of, just to be able to walk, and even that didn't alleviate the pain...it just made it easier to walk. The crutches made it even easier to walk, as I then always had something to lean on when walking or standing. I am telling you, last year, that tailbone gave me more grief, and more pain and suffering, than anyone under 40 that I know of, and even more so than some people over 40!!! This year, this pain seems to be in the left leg, but as of yet has not impaired my ability to walk and be productive, so thank God for that!! I somehow feel like I owe it all to being back in San Diego. Californians are so optimistic...so upbeat...it's hard to wallow in my own pain like I was in Cleveland last year!!
Today, my leg seems to be better. But, I've been spending so much time cleaning...cleaning...cleaning...that I'm getting exhausted.
With that, I'll be back later this week.
Love ya!!
xoxo

Getting over Jet Lag, once and for all, I think.

The jet lag was roughest going eastward, because my body just didn't want to get off of California time.
So, coming back, I was just tired from all the walking, and flying. Being back where my body didn't want to leave (apparently), was a piece of cake, as far as actual jet lag. I was just having leftover tiredness from the jet lag I had going eastward.
Huh????? What's this????!!! Either the Blogger is messed up, or my blog has had 11,000 views in one day?????????!!!! Could it be??????
11,000 views, and no comments??????? DAMN!!!!
Oh well. Just thought I'd check in.
Tomorrow, I have a gallbladder ultrasound. See, I had a gallbladder attack in June, 2003. That's what Scripps told me. But then I went to Kaiser for a second opinion, and they told me I wasn't having a gallbladder attack. Because Kaiser was where I had my insurance at the time, I therefore didn't have my gallbladder taken out. Now, I'm having a burning feeling in my stomach, that my new G.I. doctor says might be the gallbladder. An ultrasound will tell us for sure. In a way, I hope it is, because then I can finally have my gallbladder out, and maybe hopefully have a much more comfortable life. Maybe even keep all my food and meds down...that would be lovely!!
OK...gotta run.
Later, darlin'!!!!
xoxo

California, I iz baaaaaaaack! :-)

Just lettin' ya know I made it back here safely.
I literally just barely made the first plane on time (By the way), because of the long line at the checkpoint. Cleveland should have separate checkpoint lines for every airline...not combine three or four in one damn line! Geez! Then, I think I lost one of my green "Donate Life" bracelets going through security. I was going to give my "tweetheart" one. Oh well. I have a lot more, but I was too tired to get them packed up to mail. I'll do that when I go back to Cleveland.
It was raining in Cincinnati, so that first plane had to circle around Greater Cincinnati, and possibly part of Kentucky too...then had to land from the south, where it wasn't raining. In other words, he had to circle around so he wasn't in the rain belt...and could land safely. That was quite a trip, I must say! Flying around Greater Cincinnati, in the rain, at 7:45AM. And that was only my second impression of Cincinnati...the first being 12 years ago, when my first husband and I went to see the Reds play, and we stayed in a cute little inn, in Kentucky, just past the state line. Anyway...thank goodness my first plane got to the airport on time in spite of the rain, because I'd have been having kittens if I missed my connecting flight.
The second plane was a dream. I even slept, I think, at least half of the way here.
And, it's a lovely, lovely day here in San Diego.
Last week, in Cleveland, I got a lot done that I wanted to. We visited Hardee's, the thrift store, Wal-Mart (twice), Costco, and a few other stores that I wanted to check out. I kept up with my walking, going over to Bexley Park almost every evening...but, early evening, as you do NOT walk through South Euclid after dark...you just don't. And, my room, that looked like it had been hit by a tornado, is a little cleaner. I got six boxes ready to be mailed here, to myself, I presume by way of Dad tomorrow. When I do last-minute cleaning and packing, I really do last-minute cleaning and packing!! I was up all night doing that...Maybe that explains why I packed my San Diego keys in one of those boxes...I can't believe I did that!!!!!!!
Oh well. It's good to be back, in "America's Finest City"!!!
Gotta run for now.
Laytah, darlin'!
(Poof)

No comments?? No kudos??? Hmmmmmm....

I must be doing something wrong. Not since January have I gotten a comment. And I never get a kudos thing.
Either I'm a horrible writer, or no one loves me...or both.
I'm seriously considering quitting this blog, and everything else I have over the Internet, except email.
Yeah, that's it. I'm a horrible writer. My spelling and grammar are close to perfect. But, my writing is just not up to par. I do what I can. But this has been a rough week for me, so forgive my lack of...well, lack of intelligent ideas.
I'll be back in San Diego early Monday. Maybe I'll give it another shot after I'm back out there...that is, presuming my planes don't go down.
Then again...maybe one of my planes will go down, and you'll be spared any more nonsense from me.
Later, gator!
Love ya!
If anyone actually stopped by, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If I get a comment off of this one, THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(poof)