Long Term Relationships

12. July 2009 by LadyChi.

One thing I need you to understand as I write this blog entry is that I do not profess to know what all fellow Brothers and Sisters of Sickle Cell go through, but I know what I went through as I advanced in my school career, social life and personal life.

As well versed, intelligent and cultured I am by most standards, I was often and easily dismissed as someone that should not expect to have goals, dreams, and career.   It was only natural with looks of pity or sympathy or even rejection that the same attitude would be cast towards me in reference to having a meaningful relationship.  Many in this society feel that it is okay for me to date a man.  It is okay for me to have a one night stand.  It is okay for me to have an affair.  It is okay for me to have a buddy with benefits.   It is okay for me to be content with someone with a seedy background.  It is okay for me to settle for someone who isn’t the best for me because I should be glad anyone even wants to be with me.  It is also okay for me to stay ultimately single because by default of an illness I am not marketable to any man of caliber.  Why?  Because I would be considered a burden, an albatross, dead weight, an eventual foster of resentment in the long run….virtually useless to him.  I should obviously expect to continuously suffer and be deprived even beyond the physical punishment of Sickle Cell.  No real consideration to the fact that I am deeply loved and through that love, generously given the best within my mother and father’s ability. No real consideration of who I am as a woman.  No real consideration to how hard I work, play, laugh, think, and love.  No real consideration of what I can do as opposed to what I can’t do.  

There are millions of people battling and/or dying every single day of some type of medical illness and even accidents.  But I have come to understand that these arrogant attitudes come from many men and women who for decades never suffered any more than a mere cold or flu.  These same people, if they have a family member or friend that they truly loved that was born with some type of medical condition but were fully functional and capable to live normal lives, wouldn’t ever think they weren’t good enough for anyone.  I didn’t ask for Sickle Cell Anemia.  My parents certainly did not.  There is always that one or two persons who would be ignorant and selfish enough to feel, if not say, ‘That’s not my problem.  It’s not my fault either that you have Sickle Cell Anemia.’  All I can say about these people is that I hope they never become ill with the various illnesses privy to all and shunned by others in perfect health with the exact same attitude.

  There is no such thing as perfection.  Everyone is defined by that 80/20 rule…my 20 being that I am not of perfect health.  But since when those with illness considered the lowest on the totem pole with all the problems that people have?  Oh wait…since the beginning of time when people including parents abused, abandoned, ostracized or even killed their children/adults who turned out to be flawed physically and mentally.  Cheaters, liars, felons, gamblers, deadbeats, the irresponsible, even funky personalities are somehow more appealing to mate with than someone who has a medical condition.

One thing I feared in relationships is when a man says he loves me but fails to move forward with me only because he feels he wouldn’t have someone he can depend on to consistently assist him in bringing home the bacon.  Although, there are men who support at-home wives, these days, there are many, many more that do not wish to do so, either out of preference or necessity.  Second thing I feared in relationships are those around him who may feel that he should not move forward with me, even if he already accepts all that I am.  There are those who choose to be blind to how love can be unselfish enough to transcend any perceived flaws because of who that person is, even if they are perhaps guilty of this very thing themselves.   Or maybe, they do not fully know or understand what love truly is.  Love is truly indiscriminate.  To live is to struggle. To love is to sacrifice.  Struggle and sacrifice is for what and whom you feel is worthy.  Each person defines that for themselves.  It is what makes life worth living.  That includes those of us who live with Sickle Cell Anemia.

I too, struggle and sacrifice to live and love.   I am worthy of respect.  I am worthy of love. I am worthy of life.  I am worthy simply because I am.  Thankfully, I have been greatly blessed with a wonderful man who believed I was worth the chance at love; worth the risk of embarking on a relationship with and worth the sacrifices he proudly continues to make to claim me as his wife.  My fiancé accepts and loves me even if no else thinks I ought to be.  And in this life, that is really all that matters.

 

An online SCD community-The Red Lane: http://theredlane.ning.com

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Epiphany

8. May 2009 by LadyChi.

He proposed.

Friday the 13th of March, a day that is considered an omen, a stroke of bad luck, was just the opposite for us and his favorite number. He asked me to be his wife over two set plates for breakfast of slightly burnt pancakes, undercooked sausage patties and cereal. It was absolutely the greatest day of my life. As I looked on in shock-nearly choking on a piece of pancake then a drop of the head and suddenly overcome with emotion that I can’t to this day describe, but rooted in happiness……. a realization…..a dawning….. in his hand…….. a beautiful brown box……the resolute mission written upon his face…..the pumping of my heart…..the increased roundness of the orbs of my eyes….the hope in his….the soft sigh of submission in his voice…the moment my heart stopped so I could do the same…. was every bit for me worthy of the title: epiphany.

I accepted.

Friday the 13th of March is the day that has changed me forever. With his heart in my hands, he ringed my finger as I stood up to greet him and exploded in such happiness. It seemed like a thousand times I said, “Yes!” How could I not? He is the man that I have loved, cherished, respected, and grown with for three and a half years. Encouraged to move forward by the warmth of each other…the possibility of we. I have entered into a spiritual union founded on complete trust, loyalty, respect and pure love……an agape love……an unconditional love. A lost rib I was and now I have been found……near his beating heart is where I’ll always belong.

Here is where our love story ends and our saga begins.

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WCHI: In the Event of Motherhood

20. October 2008 by LadyChi.

Welcome to WCHI from the Chi!

Check it, as my peeps know, I suffer from a hereditary blood disorder called Sickle Cell Disease. Well, you can imagine how I was feeling when CEO told me about 10 days ago that he was going to get tested for the trait of Sickle Cell. Why? Because if BOTH parents have this abnormal gene, there is a 1/4 chance you will have a child with the disease and a 2/4 chance that they will be healthy but inherit the trait to pass on and a 1/4 chance they will be healthy and NOT have the trait to pass on to any future children (This is my younger brother, fortunately). This was in our talk for quite some time. Although, he felt that he didn’t have the Sickle Cell Trait because he had no family history of it, he got it done nevertheless. *blows CEO a loving kiss*

There are two reasons why he did so…one, there are many who do not have any family history of it, at least not that they know of, until they usually pair up with someone else who has the trait and don’t even know it. So, Blacks (1 in 12 has the trait and 1 in 500 have the disease), Hispanics, Greeks, and Middle Easterners (and a sprinkle of Europeans) must test themselves to know if they have the trait. And if so, they must get their partners tested before they have a baby. The second reason was so that the day my S/O and I decide to have children we will know what our options are and/or what we are dealing with beforehand. When both parents have the sickle cell trait, there’s a 25% chance that a child will have sickle cell disease. But when one potential parent is carrying the trait and the other actually has the disease (me), the odds increase to 50% that their child will inherit the disease. WTF?

I thought about the worse case scenario and started to panic because I could never see myself going through this and looking at our child going through the exact same thing I go through…I’d die. No bullsh*t. My spirit would break and if that ever happened it might as well be physically too because that would soon go next. I didn’t have a childhood; grew up way before my time, became extremely strong and was given limited choices in life….so hell no. I played the hand that I was dealt with no complaints nor excuses because in some way and thankfully so, I was ‘built to last’ mentally, spiritually and emotionally but our child(ren) may have a completely different personality than mine. HELL NO. Not only that, but the other side of the coin is my S/O possibly dealing with two loved ones of his family going through this. A TRIPLE H*LL NO.

Well, to my ultimate relief, my S/O is NEGATIVE for having the sickle cell trait. Talk about tears after hearing the confirmation after waiting on pins and needles for the results. The most that our children will have is the trait to pass on and will be physically free of this health issue….Of course, our children will be tested so they will know if they have the trait so that when they, in turn, decide to have children, they can get their partners tested too to make sure they are not spinning that ‘Wheel of Atrocity’ blindly-my parents didn’t know. When I was born they had JUST figured out what this issue was and gave it the name Sickle Cell Disease, which in my case, Sickle Cell Anemia-which literally means tired…shit, tired as hell. But mami’s a rider, a soldier and a roller…it’s all I know…

But y’all know that I thank God and the stars for sparing me, what I know would have been the hardest of the hardest of roads I have and continue to travel….

In other good news…Got the results from all my hardwork in grad school for the Spring semester…ended my first year with a 4.0 grade average… Now it’s time for two more classes over the summer for five weeks…and I’ll be half way done..only six classes more to go next year at full time (3 classes per semester). Also, doing volunteer work at a library over the summer months. I even interviewed for a part-time internship at the library for the next school year, my chance seemed strong…..but just in case, y’all pray for me or put some ma-ma-say, ma-ma-saah, ma-ma-cu-saah or whatever you want on it, lolol…I would really appreciate it.

And that’s whassup…this is Lady Chi in the Chi from WCHI signing off with that hip-hop throwback….Keep-Keep-Keep Risin’ To The Top….give it all ya got…give it all ya got…give it all ya got…

~Lady Chi

 Note: BTW, I got that position.

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Needles, Highs, and A Miss (Remiiiiiiiix)

20. October 2008 by LadyChi.

Just be
From all the pain and misery
Doctors on a mission 4 a temporary relief
A lot of trying out this or that tests
That didn’t work so let’s try this next
Hammering that feels like
It’s trying to fold me in
Pulsing in intensity
Through my body like
Cattle being prod
It’s enough to make U chant
Oh my God
Believe
This is not said in vain
You reach out for Him to take this pain
Pain so bad U can’t even talk,
Barely breathe
Pain so bad you can’t even eat or sleep
Pain so bad that if I could reach
And transfer it to you like
Electricity U’d crumble
And yell out mommy, daddy
Somebody help me please!

Needles, Highs and a Miss

High, high, so high
Visit to the dark side
Every four to six hours
It gets to be all too much
Disoriented, spent, out of touch
Hallucinating, nightmares you
Wouldn’t believe
Hands folded in a tight clutch
Trying to keep dialogue with reality
Without coming across like a damn nut
Why am I telling you my story?
To seek Ur understanding
Facillitate your awareness
Nothing more
Nothing less
With no cure
Steady suffering
Quick to be dismissed
By the masses
Because it’s not affecting
Enough people
Not that I’m blaming the lack of press
But then again, yes, the hell I am
As a matter of fact,
I’m pissed about the whole gotdamn scheme of things
But let’s be clear, overall I’m at peace
Grateful and happy that I’ve been blessed to make it past
My roarin’ twenties
On the mission to not only inform…but awake the Black diaspora
Fighting my way to a ripened, golden age somewhere in my 90’s
Yeah, some days it may kick my ass all day and night and into the next week
But trust me, I’m its nemesis…it’s the soldier in me
*chuckles* Now ain’t that some truth, Sickle Cell Disease

Needles, Highs and a Miss….

by Lady Chi © 2005

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SCD: A Survivor’s Voice of Victory

20. October 2008 by LadyChi.

I’m first and foremost me, then a ‘Sickler’ but ultimately a survivor. But do I see myself as one? Ironically, I do not. I’m always in the moment, taking each day one at a time, and if I’m having a good year, week to week. Nbetween is where I regroup and come back out fighting for each extra day I’m blessed with by the Most High.

I have Sickle Cell Anemia which is one of several types that fall under the umbrella of Sickle Cell Disease. It’s a hereditary disease that is passed genetically from two parents who have what’s called the ‘trait’. This trait is a genetic mutation in the survivors of Malaria over two centuries ago in the marshland areas surrounded by countries such as Africa, Greece and the Middle East. This disease is most prevalent among Black Americans, Latino Americans, Africans, Greeks, Middle Easterners and a few Europeans.

Most parents do not know they have this trait for they are totally healthy and most have no reason to test for it. My parents were unaware of this condition when I was born because it was in the early 70’s when it was first diagnosed and given it’s name. It was estimated during that time, that I would not live pass eighteen years of age (now the average is 45 years of age). The word ‘Sickle ‘ is used because some of the afflicted red blood cells are starved of oxygen and they shrink into a crescent shape, much like an old wheat cutting tool, called a sickle. Or in these modern times we say, shaped like a crescent moon. The odds of a child developing S. C. D. (Sickle Cell Disease) with both parents with the trait is 1 in 4. There is a 2 in 4 chance the child will inherit the ‘trait’ like the parents have or end up with a 1 in 4 chance of being totally healthy in addition to not inheriting the trait to pass on through the generations. Sickle Cell is a very painful and debilitating condition that wears on the immune system, bones and organs in the body over time. Although ‘Sicklers’ share all these symptoms, no case is exactly the same. It’s like having your very own medical fingerprint.
I had been knocked off my feet in the beginning of my career after a successful college career. Nbetween a professional career that I wasn’t so sure I would be able to get back to, I took the time to focus on my health, mentally, spiritually, as well as physically. During this time, I re-focused my energies and reflected on how far I’d come from the little girl, who was always in the hospital and was considered a casualty and a social reject before she had even begun.

Nbetween hospitals.

Nbetween treatments.

Nbetween classes.

Nbetween friends.

Nbetween memories.

Nbetween love.

Nbetween careers.

Nbetween talents.

That is my life for over 3 decades. Me against the world. But now, even though I’m still standing nbetween everything that’s old and new, I’m on the precipice of yet another breakthough. A comeback. But this time, I’m out front and center and taking no prisoners. It’s my time.

by Lady Chi © 2007

An article featured @ nbetweenmag.com

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The 411 On Sickle Cell Disease

20. October 2008 by LadyChi.

Sickle cell anemia is a common inherited blood disorder that causes chronic anemia and periodic episodes of pain and other complications. In sickle cell anemia, the red blood cells become rigid and shaped like crescents, or sickles, rather than being flexible and round. This change in shape prevents red cells from getting into small blood vessels. As a result, the tissues do not get enough oxygen. These changes are usually followed by attacks of pain in body organs and joints as well as in the hands and feet.

Sickle cell anemia gets its name from the change of shape (sickling) that happens in the red blood cells. The sickling is caused by an abnormal type of hemoglobin (an iron-protein compound in red blood cells that transports oxygen) known as hemoglobin S.

This disorder is common in the African-descended population of the United States and Canada. It affects millions of people around the world, mainly those whose ancestors come from sub-Saharan Africa, Spanish-speaking regions (South America, Cuba, Central America), Saudi Arabia, India, and Mediterranean countries (Turkey, Greece, and Italy). Approximately two million Americans (including 1 in 12 African Americans) carry the sickle cell trait, but won’t have major symptoms. One out of 100 African-Americans will become ill with sickle cell anemia.

Causes

Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disease, so those affected have inherited one gene for hemoglobin S from each parent. Those who have only one copy of the gene are carriers of the sickle cell gene and may have deformed red blood cells. They usually won’t have symptoms, except possibly at high altitudes, such as during an unpressurized airplane flight. At high altitudes there is less oxygen available, so red blood cells may become more fragile and deformed, increasing their tendency to sickle and break up (hemolysis).

Sickle cell anemia developed from a genetic mutation that occurred thousands of years ago in people who lived in parts of Africa, the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East, and India. At that time, malaria was raging and a lot of people died from it. In areas where malaria was a problem, children who inherited one sickle gene - and who, therefore, carried the sickle cell trait - survived the malaria epidemics, unlike the children who had normal hemoglobin genes. When they had their own children, they passed on the gene for sickle hemoglobin. As populations migrated, the sickle cell mutation spread. When the people with the mutation arrived in countries such as the United States where malaria wasn’t a problem, it no longer provided a survival advantage.

The basic cause of sickle cell anemia involves hemoglobin, a component of the red cells in the blood.The hemoglobin molecules in each red blood cell carry oxygen from the lungs to organs and tissues and then bring back carbon dioxide for removal by the lungs. In sickle cell anemia, this process is disrupted. After the hemoglobin molecules give up their oxygen, some of them may cluster together and form long, rod-like structures that become stiff and assume a sickle shape. Unlike normal red cells, which are usually smooth and doughnut-shaped, the sickled red cells can’t squeeze through small blood vessels. Instead, they stack up and cause blockages that deprive the organs and tissues of oxygen-carrying blood.

Unlike normal red blood cells, which last about 120 days in the bloodstream, sickled red cells die after only about 10 days to 20 days. Because they can’t be replaced fast enough, the blood may become chronically short of red blood cells, a condition called anemia.

Symptoms and Complications

The main symptoms of sickle cell anemia include:

fatigue, breathlessness, and rapid heartbeat (as in other anemias)
possible delayed growth and development
frequent infections, the result of damage to the spleen from the sickled red cells that in turn prevents the spleen from destroying bacteria in the blood (infants and young children are especially at risk for bacterial infections, which can be fatal)
skin ulcers on the lower legs
vision problems when the retina is affected
Emergency symptoms that can occur once or even numerous times a year may include:

attacks of pain in organs and joints, caused by blocked blood vessels, that may last from a few hours to several weeks (sickle cell crisis)
aplastic crises, in which there is a large drop in the number of red blood cells
symptoms of severe anemia - severe shortness of breath, fatigue, and lightheadedness, particularly on standing
Other problems include pain and swelling in the hands and feet due to blockages in the small blood vessels of bones and joints. Fever may also be present. This combination may be the first sign of sickle cell anemia in infants. Eye problems can occur when the retina, the “film” at the back of the eye that receives and processes visual images, doesn’t get enough nourishment from circulating red blood cells and begins to deteriorate. Damage to the retina can be serious enough to cause blindness.

Yellowing of the skin and eyes may occur due to the rapid breakdown of red blood cells. Bilirubin is the breakdown product of red blood cells and is cleared by the liver. If the red cells break down too fast, the liver may not be able to keep up with the elimination of all the bilirubin. The bilirubin backs up in the circulation and gets deposited in the skin, causing yellowing of the skin (jaundice). The shortage of red blood cells may result in delayed growth and puberty in children and a slight build in adults.

Because the defective hemoglobin damages the walls of the red blood cells, causing them to stick to blood vessel walls, a stroke can occur. Narrowed, or blocked, small blood vessels in the brain can cause a serious, life-threatening blockage of blood flow to the brain. This type of stroke occurs primarily in children.

Acute chest syndrome is a life-threatening complication of sickle cell anemia that is caused either by infection or by trapped sickled cells in the lung. Symptoms are chest pain and fever; a chest X-ray will be abnormal if you have this condition.

Many people with sickle cell anemia are in reasonably good health much of the time and live productive lives. In the past 30 years, their life expectancy has increased and many now live into their mid-40s and beyond.

Sickle cell anemia is a chronic condition that makes people more vulnerable to infection, so it’s important that they do what they can to avoid getting infections. If an infection sets in, it must be treated early. Regular and preventative health care is critical. Proper eating habits, good hygiene, plenty of rest, protection against infections, and avoidance of other stresses are important in maintaining good health and preventing complications. Regular visits to a physician or clinic that provides comprehensive care are necessary so that any problems can be found and treated early and quickly.

Those who carry the sickle cell trait but don’t have the disease won’t experience any negative effects, except in situations of low oxygen levels.

Making the Diagnosis

Early diagnosis of sickle cell anemia in children is extremely important. A simple, inexpensive blood test, called hemoglobin electrophoresis, can be used on newborn infants to screen for the condition. This test is done at the same time and from the same blood samples as other routine newborn screening tests. It shows if hemoglobin S is present. If the hemoglobin electrophoresis test is positive, the test is repeated to confirm that the child carries the sickle cell trait.

Treatment and Prevention

Unfortunately, there’s no cure for sickle cell anemia. Doctors can do a great deal to help sickle cell patients, however, and treatment is constantly improving. During painful crises, medications can reduce pain and help avoid complications, and extra fluids can prevent dehydration. Oxygen can be provided if there isn’t enough in the bloodstream.

Often, iron stores are depleted in people with sickle cell anemia, and so daily oral supplements of iron and folic acid are often recommended.

Blood transfusions are sometimes the best way to treat and prevent some of the complications of sickle cell anemia. Transfusions increase the number of normal red blood cells and fight anemia. They may also be used to treat an enlarged spleen in children before it becomes life-threatening. Regular transfusion therapy also can help prevent recurring strokes in children who are at high risk of crippling nervous system complications.

Oral penicillin given twice a day beginning when the child is about three months old has been shown to prevent pneumonia, a serious complication of sickle cell anemia. Recently, however, several new strains of pneumonia bacteria that are resistant to penicillin have emerged. New vaccines are now available that cover the types of Pneumococcus that are more common in children. The old vaccine did not contain those types.

In adults with severe sickle cell anemia, daily doses of the anti-cancer drug hydroxyurea* may reduce the frequency of painful crises and of acute chest syndrome. Those taking the drug also need fewer blood transfusions. The long-term side effects of hydroxyurea and its effects in children with sickle cell anemia are still being studied.

It’s common for people with sickle cell anemia to get severe chest or back pain that prevents them from breathing deeply. An incentive spirometer, a small plastic device shaped like a tube with a ball inside, may be used to help avoid potentially serious lung problems. The person must breathe into it hard enough to force the ball up the tube, so using it helps the patient breathe more deeply and expand the lung despite having pain. Oxygen and, usually, opioid (narcotic) pain relievers can also be helpful.

Complications are treated separately. Infections must be detected quickly; antibiotics are used to treat and sometimes prevent infections. Immunizations for pneumonia, the flu, and Haemophilus influenzae (a common infectious bacteria) are often given. Laser coagulation and other types of eye surgery may be used to prevent further vision loss in those with eye problems. Surgery may be recommended for certain kinds of organ damage - for example, to remove gallstones or replace a hip joint. Leg ulcers may be treated with cleansing solutions and zinc oxide, or with skin grafts if the condition persists.

Sickle cell anemia can’t be prevented. Those who are carriers and are considering having children should make sure that their spouse or partner isn’t a carrier as well. If both parents carry the trait, there’s a one in four chance that their child will have sickle cell disease. Sickle cell anemia can be detected before birth, and couples who are both carriers may wish to consider prenatal testing for the condition.

There has recently been some progress in the development of drugs to treat sickle cell anemia and procedures that may cure it. The ultimate cure may be gene therapy. Scientists are in the early stages of examining whether correcting the faulty gene and inserting it into the bone marrow of people with sickle cell anemia will result in the production of normal adult hemoglobin. Other studies are focusing on the possibility of turning off the defective gene while at the same time reactivating another gene that turns on production of fetal hemoglobin.

http://scdca.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=26

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Who is Lady Chi???

20. October 2008 by LadyChi.

  I am a Black-American female from the South Side of Chicago.  I am thirty-four years old at the moment of this post. I am a daughter, older sister, cousin, niece, best friend, co-worker, student and teacher.

I am a certified early childhood teacher who is making moves to become a librarian with special interest in special needs, technology and children’s library.

I have had a health set back but with good doctors in my corner,  I have made plenty of progress and is back on the road pursuing my third college degree (a master’s) as a graduate student.

I have Sickle Cell Anemia; type SS.  I was diagnosed with this condition at approximately three months old.  I had two cousins roughly the same age, that were brother and sister, and they passed away from complications of Sickle Cell Anemia about four years apart, around 18 and 19 years old-R.I.P.   I have a younger brother, who does not have Sickle Cell nor does he carry the trait to pass on to any future children.  Was there any jealousy?  No.  Everyone has their own set of cards to play and they include good and bad ones.  ‘You just concern yourself with what’s in front of you’ was always my mindset.

I don’t get crisis as much as I used to as a child, teenager and young adult; things got better with age and I would have to say wisdom.  I learned my body; when to tough it out, when to quit and developed my own preventive measures including pain management. 

But later on, due to stress and being overworked in my last career, I developed Pulmonary Hypertension at the age of 29.  I was informed that Pulmonary Hypertension develops in approximately 40% of all Sickle Cell patients at or over the age of 30.  With more treatments, however, I have made slow, but steady progress.  In the interim, I was ultimately blessed to meet a great man who sees me above all else and is the love of my life. 

Five years ago, I opened a message board called ‘The Red Lane’ as a yahoo group eventually expanding into a message board and it is, as of late, a networking site for awareness.  But ultimately, it is a place for Source, Support and Socialization.  It includes your own profile, blogging, networking, promotion, and chat.   You can visit here. http://theredlane.ning.com

I am a poetess and spoken word artist.  I am also involved with two radio stations. I am co-host on The Chi and CEO Debate Radio Show http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thechiandceodebate   and The Mecca Lounge Radio Show http://www.blogtalkradio.com/themeccalounge .

This blog will be my personal thoughts, observations and/or opinions about Sickle Cell Disease and my life in general. 

I thank you for absorbing my words.

~Lady Chi.

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Helloooooo WORLD!!!

26. September 2008 by admin.

This is the first installment of The Ti-Gah Eye Blog, words, idea and whatever comes across the mind of some of those with sickle cell. The majority of these post will be done by the one and only LadyChi, of the LadyChi show. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thechiandceodebate However I may fire her, if she acts up. JOKING. But occasionally we may have guess post or even members of the foundation post as well.

They also are on myspace, and we all need another myspace friend so give them an add: http://www.myspace.com/thechiandceodebate.




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