Monday, 01.14.2002
Naked...  Being the hypochondriac that I am, I will often rush to the doctor's office at the first sign of something unusual going on with my body. However, the one doctor that I don't really find myself rushing to is the OB/GYN. I'm sure other females out there understand my love/hate feelings toward my OB.

Now don't get me wrong; my doctor is the nicest woman that you'll ever meet. She's soft spoken and calm, reassuring and always courteous. She has a very professional and pleasant bedside manner. There's just something unpleasant  about having to disrobe completely and being poked and prodded in areas that you'd rather not be...

Today was the first day of the back-to-school jam. The first day of school for the University of Hawaii students which basically equates to  a big traffic backlog. I got stuck in the middle of it and ended up being about 10 minutes late. As a result, I think my chart got stuck on the bottom of the pile. I ended up waiting an extra half hour before getting called in.

First, the weigh in. I watched as the nurse kept nudging that weight over to the right... the numbers inched higher and higher before it finally balanced and settled on a number that was at least 5 pounds more than I thought it would be. The shock nearly knocked me off the scale. As the nurse wrote down my weight on the chart, I almost expected her to make some kind of comment about how much weight I gained since my last appointment.

After that traumatic incident, the nurse sits me down and asks me the normal questions about my cycle and about my birth control practices. When she asked me if I'm trying to conceive, I reply in the affirmative but feel obliged to tell her that we haven't really been trying that hard. She simply smiles and nods and jots a note on my chart.

"Okay, I'll get your room ready. In the meantime, we'll need a urine sample. The cups, pens, and wipes are in the bathroom."

Ugh. I hate urine samples. I force a smile and set to the task ahead. (I'll spare you the details of that endeavor.)

I set the dixie cup with my name neatly printed on it on the counter next to the other samples and the nurse quickly ushers me to the room that she has prepared  for me. Waiting for me on the examining table is a paper t-shirt that opens down the front and a paper drape that looks oddly like a gigantic flower-printed Brawny paper towel.

"Take everything off and put on the top -- opening should be in the front -- and the blanket goes over your lap."

I thank her, although I'm not feeling particularly thankful to have to sit in the cold examining room in the buff, save for the outfit ala Bounty.  

I changed quickly out of my clothes since the last time I was here, I barely had enough time to slip on the paper t-shirt and get that paper towel around my waist before the doctor walked in. This time, however, I could've taken my time. I froze my butt off in that air conditioned examining room for about 15 minutes before she finally got to me. Cold and uncomfortable with my nakedness, all I could do was sit there on the examining table and stare at the door. Any hint of movement and the paper articles precariously draped around my body would find a way to fall off of the important bits, so I tried to stay as motionless as possible as I waited.

As I waited, I tried to occupy my thoughts by looking at the dozens of photos that she has posted on the wall of all of the babies that she has delivered throughout the years and their proud and beaming parents. I saw one couple that I recognized, but the rest were all just angelic faces of infants and radiant smiles of happy families.

A quick knock at the door and my doctor strode in. Smiling and greeting me warmly, it was obvious that I was the only one in the room that felt so extremely uncomfortable. There's just something about being naked that really unnerves me. Of course, seeing naked women dressed in paper towels is old hat to her anyway.

The exam took all of 5 minutes. Thankfully, my doctor is efficient and gets  through with all of the unpleasantries quickly.

Probably the three words that I hate hearing the most is, "Okay, rectal exam..."

Let's just say that I'm glad that I'm done -- at least until next year...

.::.

Question of the Day, courtesy of "The Book of Questions" by Gregory Stock, Ph.D. (Question #21)

Do you prefer being around men or women? 
Do your closest friends tend to be men or women?

If you had asked me this question a few years ago, I would've said that I preferred to be around men rather than women. However, recently I have found that I prefer being around my feminine counterparts. I'm not sure what changed, or exactly when it changed. I have to also qualify that statement by saying that it also very much depends on who those men or women are. There are some women that I would definitely rather not be around.

I'm somewhat tomboyish in nature, low-maintenance and not very dainty. Until recently, I had no interest in manicures or makeup -- and jewelry would not have impressed me. These days, I'm finding that I'm warming up to more of these "feminine" interests; although I have to admit that I would still rather receive a gadget over gold. This helped me to feel more at ease with my male friends in the past, but as my interests start to change and broaden, I am finding that I can feel just as much at ease with my female friends.

As I grow older, it seems that my female friends are becoming closer to me. After all, most guys don't like to talk about things like pregnancy, childbirth, the weird things that happens with a woman's anatomy at certain times of the month, and other issues that fall under the category of "girl talk." 

I have only a few really good friends and most of them are women. I have a couple of very close male friends as well, whom I cherish and feel extremely comfortable with -- but again, I usually try to spare them from having to listen to my rants about "girl" issues.

I think I am capable of being close and comfortable with people of either gender. It all lies within the nature of the individual and how we click.

.::.

Lonely. Hubby landed about an hour ago in Seattle, Washington, where he will be for the next four days. He's there on a business trip, actually getting some training for work.

Conversation from D&B nite...
Hubby: I'm going to Seattle for work next week.
Mahealani: Cool! Is Donna going with you?
Me: No, we always travel separately. 

Sad, but true. Hubby and I haven't traveled together in years... and that was only to a neighbor island. I think we're due for a nice, long vacation to Japan or something -- very soon. Well, I guess the bed will be awfully cold tonight. *sigh*

-- Okinawan Poetry

"Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
- Phil. 2:4

:::::::

::Byte Me::
Breakfast: Whole Wheat Toast with Peanut Butter + Jelly, Cranberry/Grape juice
Lunch: The ultimate 6-course Chinese lunch at Loong Hwa
Dinner: Miso soup, tossed salad

::Bits 'n' Bytes::
Body in Motion? None.
Mood: Lonely
Reading: Gen. 28-29; Ps. 14; Matt. 14
Listening to: "Trading My Sorrows" by Darrell Evans

::Gratitudes::
© I'm grateful for all of the blessings that the Lord has provided (both tangible and intangible), my health and that of my family, our safety, and the basics in life that are so easily taken for granted (i.e., food, shelter, and clothing).
© I'm also grateful for the Rice Bowl Journals discussion board where I've had the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with some really nice people.

::Show your Love::
Please be a dear and take a dinner mint or indulge yourself a few grains from the rice bowl before you leave. Your clicks help to rank me higher on those two journal directories and that makes me happy. :)