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Entry bubble Living Wills

By: Joanne | September 30, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

legal documentMy mom likes to have her affairs in order and recently she updated her advance directive (they’re also called living wills). She showed it to me so I know what her wishes are in case she’s ever in a medical situation where my brother and I have to make decisions for her. It’s hard to imagine someone you love in a condition where they can’t make their own decisions, but even harder to imagine it happening to you. But let’s face it – this stuff happens. That’s why I’m learning about what I need to do to create my own advance directive.

An advance directive, or living will, is different than a will. It’s intended to make your wishes known about what type of life-sustaining medical treatment you want (or don’t want) in case you’re in a situation where medical intervention is needed to sustain your life. This document sets out who is authorized to make decisions for you and helps medical providers understand the kind of treatment you want and can also make clear your wishes to donate your organs and tissues when you die.

I’m still sorting all this out and I suppose I’ll have to consult a lawyer to be sure that my document will be adequate to covers all of my needs and make it a little easier on my loved ones in case I’m in trouble. Have you had experience creating or carrying out an advanced directive? Any advice?

| View Comments [9] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: advance   directive   joanne   living   will  

 

Entry bubble Museums and Halls of Fame

By: Jim | September 29, 2008 | Category: Travel

Museum at nightA recent weekend away got me thinking about some of the historic and artistic destinations in the DC area that I’ve not yet seen. A lot of them free at that! Why is it that so many of us who live in cities with a variety of attractions rarely take advantage of them? For example, I have yet to finish touring all of the museums of the Smithsonian Institution or go to one of its Folklife Festivals.

If you're like me, you probably have the usual excuses, like being too busy or wanting to wait until you have houseguests. Others of us may have children and think the kids may not enjoy a trip the local museum. Not to fear! Museums and Learning has tips on how to prepare for and enjoy a trip to the museum with your kids. If you think you're not ready for a trip to the Museum of Modern Art with the kids, then maybe a visit to a children's museum is in order.

For something a little unusual, try a hall of fame. Back home in Northeastern Ohio there are such diverse venues as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, and the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron. If you or your kids have a particular interest or hobby, do a quick search using your hobby with the term "hall of fame" or "museum" and see what you come up with, like the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Gatlinburg, TN. Another way to find about interesting cultural opportunities is to go to your town's chamber of commerce or department of tourism. Check out USA.gov's history, arts, and culture page page for more ideas, too.

Does your home town have an unusual attraction?

| View Comments [6] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: art   children   culture   hall_of_fame   hobby   jim   kids   museum   travel  

 

Entry bubble One Year Old, Happy Birthday GovGab

By: Ginger | September 26, 2008 | Category: General

Ginger at one year old.I’d offer you all a piece of Gov Gab birthday cake, but there is none left. Someone ate it all. If I were a detective, I’d be looking for someone toddling away from the scene of the crime with fat chipmunk cheeks stuffed with yummy cake...

We are going to hop on blogger Joanne’s way-back machine and dial it back to 1963. It was a year with tragedy. President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Violence was escalating in response to the Civil Rights Movement and there were increasing troubles in Vietnam.

But, 1963 had moments of human triumph. The civil rights march on Washington took place and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space.

In literature, The Feminine Mystique and The Centaur were published. But heck, who had time to read those with such great children’s books: Where the Wild Things Are, Amelia Bedelia, and Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective?

On the entertainment front, The Fugitive took a train to Petticoat Junction to visit My Favorite Martian. When he met him he said, “Let’s Make a Deal.” The Fugitive took the prize behind door number 3 which allowed him to make The Great Escape. He didn’t even stop to help poor Suzanne Pleshette who was getting her eyes pecked out by The Birds.

1963 had its moments of sorrows and joys with a touch of humor thrown in. Many years from now when we look back, we will see that 2008 had its share of tragedies (Hurricane Ike and others), triumphs (Michael Phelps’ Olympic victories), and a dash of goofiness (Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) too. We like to think that, in a small way, our Gov Gab Blog will be counted as a triumph for 2008. Thanks for celebrating our birthday with us.  Please share your stories about 1963.  Where were you when you heard President Kennedy was assassinated and what did it mean to you?

| View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: 1963   blogging   ginger   govgab  

 

Entry bubble Turning One: Forty Years Later

By: Nancy | September 25, 2008 | Category: General

Baby Nancy and a jackolanternThree things have surprised me so far during Gov Gab's Birthday Week:

--The full heads of hair my fellow Gov Gabbers were sporting at the age of one, while I had more of an auburn fuzz going on. (I'm trying to beat down my feelings of inadequacy.)

--Joanne and I were born the same year. See, I thought for sure she was YOUNGER.

--And there was so much going on in 1968, the turbulent year that Joanne and I turned one:

Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., Vietnam, Nixon, Hendrix and the Hippies—I missed it all. I had no idea on the day that I staggered my first steps around the coffee table, blew out my candle and grabbed a fistful of buttercream icing that two African-American athletes were raising their fists at the Mexico Olympics in a black power salute.

Back then, my world was all about letting my parents know when my belly was empty and my diaper was full. My folks and the next door neighbors who sang "Happy Birthday" to me around the dining room table were my entire community. And that really was the definition of community in 1968—the people living in the grids of streets and tracts of homes around you.

Forty years later, "community" isn't just about where you live anymore; it's also about who you are, and connecting online with people who share your experiences, interests and concerns, regardless of the location of the plot of soil or patch of concrete you—or they—live on.

Government's changed in those forty years, too. Sure, you can still get lots of information about your in-person community to help you find out about your town's services and history. But government has also learned to give you information customized for your life experience community, whether you're a parent, a military vet or active duty, a senior, run a business or a nonprofit, are a government employee or are from another country and want to learn about or visit the US.

Wherever you are and whatever your life experience, we're so grateful that you're part of the Gov Gab community. We love hearing from you and always welcome your ideas. I just wish I could email you a slice of cake to say thanks!

Gov Gab birthday cake

| Post a Comment | View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: 1968   community   gov_gab   nancy  

 

Entry bubble When I Turned One...Happy Birthday, Gov Gab!

By: Colleen | September 24, 2008 | Category: Fun

baby colleenThe year was 1984...there was something strange in your neighborhood. Who were you calling? Ghostbusters! Bruce Springsteen and a teenage Courtney Cox were "Dancing in the Dark" and everyone was tuned in to Dynasty.

In 1984 (the year, not the Orwell novel), the average movie ticket was $2.50 and a gallon of gas ran you $1.10. The first Apple MacIntosh went on sale and widespread famine in Ethiopia inspired musicians to record, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" under the name "Band Aid." In politics, Geraldine Ferraro was a Vice Presidential nominee.

Fast-forward to 2008: our neighborhoods are still strange. Bruce Springsteen continues to tour, and Dynasty is a work of genius compared to the reality tv we watch today.

While the cost of movies and gas have us saving our pennies, Mac has us wired to iPods and iPhones. "Do They Know It's Christmas" is in heavy radio rotation the day after Halloween, and once again a woman is a Vice Presidential nominee.

I suppose it's accurate to say, "everything old is new again." However, considering my current Internet and cell phone addictions, I'm not willing to go back to the 80's. Plus, the hair? Just bad.

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: 1984   birthday   colleen   gov_gab  

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