Have Praise House Will Travel

Filed Under All Posts, Melissa Howden, Travel | 8 Comments

I am not entirely sure that this is true but I would wager a guess that any doctor would say that it is physically impossible for the heart to expand at the same time you are gasping for breath. But I am here to tell you it is possible, not an entirely comfortable or peaceful state, but telling in its own way.

Not that long ago I went to the 60th birthday celebration of my beloved Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir. Specializing in the soul survival music of the African diaspora in the Americas—I’ve seen the choir perform many, many times in their 18 years (most memorably at my 50th birthday celebration last year—one of the greatest nights of my life). A “riff whisperer” with an encyclopedic knowledge of her material, Linda and the CHC always have the effect of expanding the collective heart in the room, raising it up and leaving you gasping for breath at the same time. Read more

Tight and Young

Filed Under All Posts, Carine Fabius, Health | 8 Comments

So, being 51 and all, I was told by my doctor to have a colonoscopy.  Oh, boy!  After putting it off for months, I get around to shopping online for a low-cost endoscopy center because, after doing the math, I’ve come to the conclusion that I am best off with a catastrophic insurance policy (as in, really high deductible).  Of course, I have not yet reached my deductible, and must shell out the dough for my adventure in rectal exploration.  To my delight, I find a Korean doctor, who is a Harvard graduate affiliated with fancy hospitals around town, and he only charges $600 for the procedure!

At the initial consultation, I am comforted by his clean, modern office, four smiling staffers, and well-heeled crowd in the waiting room.  However, when I leave the office—minutes after one gloved finger minus lubricant up my bum—I’m feeling sore. Read more