Assisted Suicide

There was a story in the news recently about Sir Edward Downes. He was a famous orchestra conductor. He was going blind and deaf. His wife of 54 years was dying of cancer. So, they decided to commit suicide together. They flew to Zurich where there is an assisted suicide clinic and died together with their dignity still in tact.

A lot of people don't believe in suicide. They think it's morally wrong. I am opposed to killing, unless it's done in self defense (and even then, I prefer it as only a last resort). I believe this because I think it's wrong to take someone else's life away. However, if someone wants to take their own life, I think they should be able to. Don't get me wrong. I am not supporting suicide. I want people to get help for their problems and be at peace. What I am saying is, your life is yours to do what you wish. If you wish to end your life, you should have that choice.

I especially believe this to be true for the sick or elderly. If I have some awful disease which causes me unending pain or causes me to lose my dignity, I will want the option of ending my own life. And, I would prefer that there be an easy option. People shouldn't have to turn to shooting themselves or slitting their own wrists. Assisted suicide helps people go out on their own terms. With a little bit of dignity. And it's much easier to deal with. It's in a controlled environment under the supervision of a licensed professional.

I mean, for crying out loud, women can terminate the life growing inside of them, but people aren't allowed to take their own lives?? What sort of logic is that? We even kill our death row inmates in a humane manner (I do not agree with the death penalty, but at least they're going out with some dignity in a humane manner). And our pets; we take them to a vet and have them "put to sleep" when they are no longer able to live full and happy lives. But, we cannot extend this courtesy to our fellow men and women??

It just doesn't make sense to me. If I want to kill myself, I should be able to do so. If I need help, I should be able to ask for it. And the people I ask to help should not be persecuted for it. It's my life. I should be able to go out on my own terms; with dignity and peace. I hope that, should I ever feel the need to end my life, I will not have to go all the way to Switzerland to do so.

Strange Phone Call...

So, I work in an office. I answer phones all day long. Sometimes, the callers are jerks. Sometimes they're really nice. And, sometimes they're just crazy. Today, I got one of the crazies.

Me: Brooks Printing Service & Equipment. How may I help you?

Crazy: I need to speak to [insert name].

Me: I'm sorry sir, but I think you have the wrong number.

Crazy: No, I need to speak to [insert name].

Me: There is no one here by that name, sir.

Crazy: What do you mean?

Me: I'm sorry sir, but I've never even heard that name before. That person does not work here.

Crazy: I know he works there. He's worked there for 30 damned years.

Me: (I think, "We've only been in business since 1987, so I know that's not possible." lol) Are you sure that you have the right number, sir? This is Brooks Printing Service & Equipment.

Crazy: Yes, I have the right number. I'm telling you, he's worked at [insert company name] for 30 years.

Me: Sir, this is Brooks Printing Service & Equipment, not [insert company name].

Crazy: I know he works there. Well, I'll just call him on his damned cell phone. I think I've got the number.

Me: Ummm... thank you, sir.

I love the crazies. They make my day. :D

School? Maybe...

So, I've been giving my current situation a lot of thought. I really dislike my current job. It's completely unfulfilling and a pain. Most people probably know that I've been struggling to decide what I'm actually going to do with my life. Well, a while back I figured out what I really want to do: be a stay at home mom. But, since that's still several years down the road, I figured I should probably find something else to do with my life until then. lol

Joe and I spoke recently and we both think it would be a good idea for me to leave my job. He doesn't want me to be miserable either. :) The problem with that is that there aren't really many jobs out there that will allow me to pay my bills and still eat. :S Joe suggested that I go back to school. The problem with that was that I didn't really know what I would go back for. I mean, didn't I already say that I don't know what I want to do with my life for the time being??

Well, I've given it a lot of thought, and I think I may be decided. I'd like to go back to get my degree in Therapeutic Massage. It's something completely different from what I'm doing now, I'd actually be helping people, I would be working with lots of different people, and it would actually pay the bills. There are multiple different programs that I could do. They could take anywhere from 2 semesters to 17 months.

Okay, now for the problem with this: How am I going to be able to pay for this and afford to live?? haha... that, my friends, is my current dilemma. It's time to sit down and do some serious figuring. It's probably going to require a lot of sacrifice... especially since I'm currently pretty spoiled (I've had quite a bit of extra income in recent months because I had a downgrade in rent/utilities... due to the fact that my apartment is tiny and craptastic).

If I went back to school, I would have an odd schedule during the day, which would mean that I would have to find a job working nights/weekends. That also sucks, because it's pretty much the only time I see Philip. Also, those jobs tend to pay crap. Yuck.

So, I'm pretty frightened of what may be to come, but I'm also really excited that I may actually be stepping in the right direction to find some meaning in my work/life. :)

Harry Potter

Well, I finally finished Harry Potter last night. It took me a while to get through the first two books (they were really slow), but books three through seven were definitely exciting enough to keep me interested. :)

J.K. Rowling certainly doesn't have a problem killing people off. I spent quite a bit of time crying through books 5, 6, and 7 when she killed people off. Also, they were rather depressing. I know that book 7 ended on a happy note, but still, it was kind of hard to come back after how depressed it made me earlier in the book!

I've watched the first three movies, so far. Philip and I are watching movies 4 and 5 this weekend (I had never read the books or watched any of the movies before a few weeks ago... Philip wanted me to come with him to see movie 6 when it comes out next week, but I told him that I needed to read the books before I watched the movies). So, I will be caught up after this weekend. Number 6 comes out on the 15th, but Philip works nights and I work days, so we won't get to go see it until Friday the 17th. No biggie. Philip has no idea what happens. He just knows that I cried through a lot of 6 and 7 and that people are killed off. I'm interested to see how he feels about them.

Also, I would like to say this: I totally had Snape figured out. I knew I wasn't wrong. :)

And, now that I'm finished with Harry Potter, I can read the next installment of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series: Finger Lickin' Fifteen. I'm so excited. I've been waiting for it for months! :D After that, I think I will be starting Charlaine Harris' True Blood series, since I now watch the show. I'd like to see how they differ. And, I bought a few books at Books-A-Million a few weeks ago... a book about a woman who grew up in a LDS polygamous cult, a book about a man who's family was in concentration camps during the Holocaust, an Agatha Christie novel recommended to me by a friend, and a Wonder Woman graphic novel written by one of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult. I shall be busy! :)