He is mysterious in every way, the boy I have yet to meet. Nick got my hopes up. He stated that George was coming to visit. As my day progressed, the communication between he and George changed. George wasn't coming to visit... He was coming to say goodbye. As a newly drafted marine, George sought it fit to say his goodbyes before being deployed. The news hit me like a ton of bricks. I had yet to meet him and the possible man of my dreams was going to be just that... a dream. I nearly cried over a boy I had never met. I've been alone for so long that possibilities of meeting peop ...continued...

I do believe I am an open-minded person and it is very important to me to understand and respect all different kinds of cultures. I think providing equal services to all clients and patients is important, because due to their race, culture, language barrier, gender, sexuality, etc... all of that is important to understand and take into account- but not to discriminate. It would be misconduct to treat a patient differently due to those factors. For example, for question 18. Some symbols—a positive nod of the head, a pointing finger, a “thumbs-up” sign—are u ...continued...

Recently I spent the day with one of my granddaughters. She’ll be a senior in high school next year. We spoke of many things, but one stands out in my memory. She told me of accompanying a friend to a Planned Parenthood facility. Her friend’s mother instructed her to go there to get a pregnancy test. I’ll let you hear the conversation we had. “Mandy’s * mother was out of town so Mandy asked me to go with her.” “Why didn’t she get a pregnancy test at the drugstore?” My granddaughter shrugged. “Her mom wanted her to make sure t ...continued...

Our only source of water yesterday was saturated with salt crystals so we had to drink salty water all day. Had four dog team leaders fired today by Maher. Sadly, he is running out of qualified candidates unless, of course, me and Mike qualify. Mike and I tried the good cop bad cop method with the dogs. I would treat Ersus with kindness and respect (one of the fired leaders), Mike would speak sternly at him. After 2 seconds of Mike's technique, Ersus cowered away and peed on the spot. My favorite of the dogs is Stephy. A huge dog with a good temperament. Stephy traveled with me on th ...continued...

Prologue Not since the world was made was there ever seen or won so great a treasure, or so noble or so rich, nor in the time of Alexander, nor in the time of Charlemagne, nor before, nor after, nor do I think myself that in the forty richest cities of the world had thebeen so much wealth as was found in Constantinople. For the Greeks say that two-thirds of the wealth of this world is in Constantinople and the other third scattered throughout the world. {Robert of Clari, a French crusader, who was in Constantinople in 1204 when it was pillaged} . The spider weaves the curtains in t ...continued...

My entire world changed, days before my eighth birthday. The years of pain and stress had taken its toll on my guardian angel. I awoke one morning to find her out of sorts. Something major was happening to her health. The last I remember of this time was trying to talk to her, but she had gone deaf. I watched her intently as she sat in front of her dressing table getting ready to go to the doctor. Little did I know that this would be the last time my guardian angel would be with me. My mother suffered a stroke, and was left paralysed the ...continued...

~~In the Nighttime To the individual working in near darkness, the place felt like a basement at midnight, illuminated only by a dim light bulb at the top of the stairway. No. Better. It felt like a mortuary in the middle of the night, the perfectionist mortician preparing a corpse for a starring role at its own funeral. An undertaker is an artist, after all, who must exult in the unveiling of the handiwork—or creative artwork—as gawkers pass by the open casket. The lone figure’s grin appeared as grotesque as the thoughts in its wearer’s head, illuminated as it wa ...continued...