tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400 2009-11-17T02:15:12Z Movable Type 3.36 tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.221606 2009-11-17T02:13:06Z 2009-11-17T02:15:12Z

I have heard some unintentionally funny announcements, but the one I heard last night on the Acela going from Washington DC to New York was a doozy. I was returning from visiting my mother, and was almost asleep in my...

Kaity Tong I have heard some unintentionally funny announcements, but the one I heard last night on the Acela going from Washington DC to New York was a doozy. I was returning from visiting my mother, and was almost asleep in my seat when the speaker crackled, and a conductor says the following: “Riders, please listen carefully to what I have to say. If you are using one of our restrooms, do NOT….I repeat, do NOT…..push the red button on the wall. It is NOT the flush button. If you push the red button, we will assume you are in trouble, and we will come in to save you. So, please, please do NOT push the red button if what you want to do is flush the toilet.” Now you have to understand that the poor guy repeated this announcement maybe three times in a clearly rattled manner, though he tried hard to sound composed. But who could blame him. Clearly, he and other members of the train crew had been put in an embarrassing, untenable position. Breaking open a restroom door only to find…someone trying to flush and not expecting to be interrupted in that endeavor. He also went on to say that because of this, we would be a little late coming into the station. I can’t tell you how much this announcement made me laugh. Not just what he said, but the way in which he said it. Poor guy. But to be fair, I have to say those modern train bathrooms are confusing. Once you close the door, you are in basically a large metal box. Everything seems to be made of metal. And frankly, it IS hard to figure out right away where the flush button is. That’s because it is a big metal button about the size of a small pizza that is flush (pardon the expression) against an identical metal wall. It actually took me a moment to figure it out. If ever there was a need for a pictogram or at least a sign FLUSH posted clearly on this button, this would be it. And you can understand how someone might be confused and see the only thing that stands out in the room….a RED button….is the right thing to push for what it is you’re trying to accomplish. Actually, when you think about it, when those train conductors rushed to what they thought was something dire taking place inside that restroom, they were right. The person probably turned to them and said, “Thank God you guys are here! This is an emergency! How do you flush this thing???!!!!” tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.220285 2009-11-06T02:49:21Z 2009-11-07T01:10:08Z

The sun will be shining tomorrow as the victorious Yankees celebrate their World Series triumph...again. For the 27th time. Reminds me of covering the victory parade thirteen years ago. The 1996 Yankees World Series win. It was cold and sunny...

Kaity Tong The sun will be shining tomorrow as the victorious Yankees celebrate their World Series triumph...again. For the 27th time. Reminds me of covering the victory parade thirteen years ago. The 1996 Yankees World Series win. It was cold and sunny that day, too. Jack Cafferty and I were among the horde of anchors and reporters sitting check to jowl on hastily rigged risers, with City Hall behind us. Just like tomorrow, that is where the Yankee victory parade will end up, with a big celebration on the steps. The wonderful and very much missed Bobby Mercer was our commentator. How lucky we were to have him. Because frankly, neither Jack nor I were baseball afficionados, though we were as excited as anyone to be there. I recall the monitor on which we were supposed to watch the parade as it came down the Canyon of Heroes live was on the 'fritz'. From where we were sitting, there was no other way to know what was going on. It would have worked out really well, except that the monitor, just moments before we went on the air, started acting up. We could only see what the pool camera was shooting of the parade and the crowds lining the streets every once in awhile. It could have been a total disaster, but we got caught up in all the excitement, kept throwing to Sal Marchiano out in the crowds, just talking and of course, the great Bobby Mercer saved the day. In fact, after the event was over, as we worked our way back to the truck to take us to the station, Bobby was stopped almost more than anyone else, as Yankee fans recognized him, wanted to say hello, shake his hand. Bet he's smiling down at these 2009 winners, so many of whom saw him as a hero and mentor. Anyway, the sporadic monitor, which the engineers worked on throughout the event, did present a problem for following the actual parade. The monitor had rabbit ears with I believe, tin foil wrapped around them. And they weren't working so well! I found myself leaning over to see what was in the monitor in front of Chuck Scarborough and Sue Simmons, who were seated right next to us. I think Sue finally slapped me on the head to get me to stop! Still, it was great. Derek Jeter was a rookie shortstop, and everyone was in love with him. I remember a little third grader wrote him a letter that he should date her teacher. That somehow made it into the news, and that little girl got a lot of coverage, including pictures with the very gracious Jeter. Wade Boggs was a part of the team then. He’s mostly remembered for jumping on the back of a police horse at the end of the Series winning game, and riding it around the stadium to the roar of the crowd. Actually I think he hit in a couple of runs during the game, also. No more time, gotta run. Jim and Lolita are covering the parade for us tomorrow. I will be watching from the comfort of my home. Hope you tune in too! tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.220111 2009-11-05T01:40:00Z 2009-11-06T21:28:56Z

Day 52 of our new 6:30 PM newscast. About six weeks now. It’s a kick to do, so different from our News at Ten. Have you had a chance to check it out yet?...

Kaity Tong Day 52 of our new 6:30 PM newscast. About six weeks now. It’s a kick to do, so different from our News at Ten. Have you had a chance to check it out yet? It opens with Jim standing at a giant wall of monitors, taking the toss from Deborah Norville’s Inside Edition. It’s the top 11 local stories making news that day, and Jim talks to a hand held camera that moves around as he moves about on the set. Reporters appear on the wall behind Jim if they’re out in the field or they’re in the studio and talk about what they’re working on, standing next to the big guy. And where am I, you ask? Well, I have my own little niche off to the side that we call the ‘coffee bar’. Why, I’m not really sure. It is kind of kidney- shaped and maybe the Morning Show crew uses it to drink coffee to stay awake. I really don’t know. That’s just what it’s called. Anyway, after the first four stories, Jim throws to me and I handle the next four. My spot has a completely different look from where Jim is standing. Because of the angle, sometimes you catch a glimpse of my knee, especially during the toss at the end of the first quarter hour. That is shot on a hand held camera as well, and well, the photographers seem to like seeing my knee! No big deal. Now this newscast is where my height has come into play. The big wall is huge, and because Jim’s a big and tall guy, he isn’t dwarfed by it. Me on the other hand, I would need to stand on an apple box, which would work if there weren’t so much movement involved. I can just see it now. One minute you see me delivering some serious news story, next minute I disappear. As I fall off the apple box. Funny, but not very authoritative. Anyway, the show never stops moving In fact, there is so much movement and so many changes in this half-hour show, one of our veteran stagehands said “I’ve worked Broadway shows that had fewer scene changes!” So, if you haven’t had a chance to see our 6:30, do check it out! And even if you have…..tell us what you think about what we’re trying to do. We’d love to hear from you. tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.218997 2009-10-28T00:15:46Z 2009-10-28T00:57:49Z

Last night Jim, my partner in crime here at PIX, wrote a blog about getting a kitten for his three little boys. Got me thinking about my cat, Jake. Or rather, my son’s cat. We got him from Bide- a...

Kaity Tong Last night Jim, my partner in crime here at PIX, wrote a blog about getting a kitten for his three little boys. Got me thinking about my cat, Jake. Or rather, my son’s cat. We got him from Bide- a Wee in Manhattan, a tiny little orange ball with big green eyes. Philip, who was five at the time, named him Jake immediately, after the Disney movie, The Cat From Outer Space. We watched a lot of those old movies when Philip was growing up. Anyway, Jake it was, and from the start, he was a very unusual cat. He was both independent and strangely needy. Like a lapdog, he would climb onto the lap of anyone who sat down on the couch, and just curl up and purr. We loved it, but thought that cats didn’t behave that way. That was more dog behavior, we thought. But Jake liked laps. If we closed the door to our bedroom once in awhile for privacy, Jake would do this crazy thing. He’d take a running start and then FLING his entire body against the door. No subtle hints like meowing or scratching at the door. Oh no. Full body contact ….BAM…hitting the door about halfway up. Over and over. Needless to say, it worked. We’d open the door, and Jake would stroll in triumphantly. And proceed to make himself comfortable on the bed. Sometimes on our heads, as we tried to sleep. Another thing of his that used to freak us out, was how much Jake liked heights. We have a loft apartment with a ledge overlooking the living room about 13 feet up. The ledge is only a couple of inches wide. Yet, that’s where he liked to perch, or run back and forth. The first time we saw him up there, peering down at us on the living room couch, we got so nervous for him, we didn’t know what to do. But every time we ‘rescued’ him from the ledge, he’d just go back up there again. He liked it and he never once fell. Eventually, he trained us. We got used to it. Sadly, I developed a terrible allergy to him. I took pills and shots because the last thing we wanted was to give Jake away. But we finally were forced to, because the shots and pills were not working, and I was getting to the point of not being able to breathe. Jake was with us for about 5 years. We reluctantly gave him away to a good friend who lived nearby, so Philip could visit Jake and vice versa. Then we got a dog. But that’s another story. tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.218286 2009-10-21T22:05:21Z 2009-10-21T22:16:32Z

The New York City marathon coming up! Mr G is running something like his 28th consecutive one. Okay, he did skip last year, and maybe one other year but my point is he’s run a hell of a lot of...

Kaity Tong The New York City marathon coming up! Mr G is running something like his 28th consecutive one. Okay, he did skip last year, and maybe one other year but my point is he’s run a hell of a lot of marathons. And he’s always among the first…..oh, 20,000 or so to cross the finish line. Just kidding G. Jeesh, he’s so sensitive. I’ve been to a few marathons myself. Reporting on them. Live, from the comfort of a director’s chair. My Name is Kaity. Ms. Tong if you’re Nasty.” The way my name has been butchered over the years made me feel sorry that Kaity Tsui had to go through what I did. Though, truly, you just have to have a good sense of humor about it. I’ve been called everything from Connie Chung to Katie Dong and Witey Long. My all-time favorite, though, is the fan letter addressed to me this way: Dear Tiny Tongue….. I still have that letter somewhere. Anyway, Kaity Tsui, good luck on your first NYC marathon. I know you’ll do our name proud. ]]> tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.217026 2009-10-13T00:55:09Z 2009-10-13T20:32:03Z

Okay, could not pass this one up. Story yesterday about a legislator wanting to ban ‘fish pedicures.’ I never even heard of such a thing before. Apparently, women put their crusty calloused feet into a bowl filled with tiny fish...

Kaity Tong Okay, could not pass this one up. Story yesterday about a legislator wanting to ban ‘fish pedicures.’ I never even heard of such a thing before. Apparently, women put their crusty calloused feet into a bowl filled with tiny fish with teeth that literally eat away all that nasty skin around your toes! Hope you’re not having dinner while reading this. It made me sick, too. here to read all the grim, disgusting details if you so desire. Who comes up with this stuff? ]]> tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.216808 2009-10-10T00:29:05Z 2009-10-10T01:44:38Z

So there I am, looking through my email and see a message from an old friend at Channel 4. He says something like “Good thing it’s not prom season. Read about your spotty face in the Daily News today!”...

Kaity Tong ]]> KUNG-PAO HSIA-REN or SHRIMP WITH RED PEPPERS 1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined. 1 cup cold water ½ tsp salt MARINADE: 2 tsp cornstarch, mixed with 4 tsp water ½ egg white ½ tsp salt ALSO: 2 tsp chopped scallion 1 tsp chopped ginger 1 tsp chopped garlic 4 dried red chili peppers SEASONINGS: 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water 2 TBS soy sauce 1 tsp white wine 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper PREPARATION: Rinse the shrimp in a cup of cold water, until shrimp turns a little white Make the marinade. Beat in egg white and salt. Mix with shrimp. Let stand 20 minutes at least. Chop onion, ginger, garlic, cut off tops of peppers, shake out seeds, chop Mix the seasonings. Heat the oil, drain excess marinade, stir fry for only about 15 seconds. Shrimp should curl. Remove and drain. Add more oil, heat. Then add peppers till almost black. Add onions garlic, ginger. Stir fry a bit. Return the shrimp, stir quickly, add seasonings. SERVE AND ENJOY! Good with any kind of rice. ]]> tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.216512 2009-10-08T01:30:39Z 2009-10-08T03:04:59Z

I know all of you noticed I wasn’t on the air last Thursday night. What, you didn’t notice? Well, let me tell you then. I wasn’t on the air last Thursday night. I got such a crazy allergy, I don’t...

Kaity Tong I know all of you noticed I wasn’t on the air last Thursday night. What, you didn’t notice? Well, let me tell you then. I wasn’t on the air last Thursday night. I got such a crazy allergy, I don’t know to what, that my face blew up, and there were red bumps and rashes all across both cheeks. Worse on the right side. Now, I suppose I could have gone on the air, because, trust me, makeup artists can do miracles. But I really didn’t think even severe spackling was going to make THIS face look normal. So, I called in sick. Explained my predicament to my boss, who kind of gasped and said something along the lines of…stay away! Took myself to the doctor….enduring the pitying and/or alarmed looks of passersby as I tried to hail a cab. A couple of cabbies slid to a stop, took one look and slammed on the accelerator. And they weren’t even off-duty! I guess it looked bad. Never figured out exactly what caused my face to blow up into Oompah Loompah proportions, but the treatment seemed to settle it down. I gotta tell ya. Allergies have been a big problem for me, since I was about nine. My dad had severe hay fever, so I guess I inherited that from him. Back in the day, we didn’t really have pills to take or shots to endure. We just suffered. I remember my eyes itching so badly that I would rub them till I flipped the upper lid back! I KNOW! Gruesome image. Sorry to inflict that on you. Erase it from your hard drive. And I would scratch my skin to the point of bleeding. It was pure agony. Happily, it only hit me in the summer, for some reason. And we did try calamine creams and other homemade remedies to stop the itching. But back to what I was talking about at the start of this posting. After three rash-free days, I woke up yesterday with my cheeks covered with little tiny red bumps. Again! Took myself to a different dermatologist, who told me no, not allergies. Adult acne! Do I need this? I think not. tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.215453 2009-09-30T00:36:31Z 2009-09-30T00:40:49Z

Well, here I go again. I’m thinking about buying a treadmill. Again. I’ve owned 3 of them in my lifetime, along with an exercise bike or two. You guessed it. Every one of those machines turned into clothing racks within...

Kaity Tong Well, here I go again. I’m thinking about buying a treadmill. Again. I’ve owned 3 of them in my lifetime, along with an exercise bike or two. You guessed it. Every one of those machines turned into clothing racks within weeks. And yet, here I am going onto various websites, checking out yet another treadmill. As if this time it’s going to be different. This time I am really going to use it. For exercise. Not bras and belts. Right. The reason is the same every time. I go through this phase where I join a gym, get a personal trainer, and actually show up at the place a couple of times a week. Then, for some reason or other (my back hurts, I don’t have time this week, blah blah) I stop. Then enters the phase where I am right now. Carrying my gym bag with me everywhere I go. Everywhere but the gym. I’m trying to fool myself into thinking I have every intention of going. I actually get to the door, then veer off in the direction of a nearby store or restaurant. I’m embarrassing myself. And of course, I’ve already blogged about how much I love exercise tapes. Another phase. I own about 50 of them…from Jane Fonda to Callanetics….and I have watched every one from beginning to end. Dressed in my gym clothes in front of the tv,with a bowl of something yummy. “Ooh that looks HARD! I bet I could do THAT, if I wanted to…..etc.” So what has possessed me that I am again contemplating a treadmill in the middle of my bedroom? Do I really think this time I am going to use it? How deluded am I? Every other machine I’ve ever bought, I gave away to a thrift shop or a friend, with hardly any mileage on it. Okay. There really is no more point to this blog. I’m exhausted. I need to lie down. tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.215004 2009-09-25T18:58:51Z 2009-09-26T01:16:00Z

A frustrating thing happened on the way to the office. It has to do with these little monitors they installed in the building elevators a while back. One per elevator. When they first appeared, I was annoyed. I swore I...

Kaity Tong A frustrating thing happened on the way to the office. It has to do with these little monitors they installed in the building elevators a while back. One per elevator. When they first appeared, I was annoyed. I swore I would not waste my few precious moments of calm, reading whatever was flashing on that little screen. Well, you know where I’m going with this. It’s probably happened to you. Now, if I get into the elevator with other people, I find myself jockeying to get into the spot directly in front of the blasted thing. I think a few times I’ve actually shoved someone aside! Or kind of leaned in really, really close to whoever was occupying that precious position. This usually makes that person uncomfortable enough to edge away. And I feel no guilt. It’s that addictive! Today, I’m the only one in the elevator. But I still plant myself with my nose practically on the screen, to suck in whatever it wants to throw at me in the short time I have. Well, today, the item that gets my undivided attention is something about a new miracle patch for weight loss that makes eating painful! It goes on to say…’ find out what it is and why it’s stupid.’ Now that was something I wanted to know more about. But the screen blithely moved onto the next brain-washing thing just as the elevator arrives on my floor... and I didn’t catch the website name. I actually found my index finger moving towards the button to go back to the first floor and take the ride again, just so I could re-read the item when it came back around. I know. Ridiculous. That was when I knew it had gone too far. I needed intervention. But until someone stages an intervention, I am helpless. I confess I rode the elevator a couple of times during the day, not because I needed to get to another floor. No, because I was hoping to encounter that elusive little bit of trivial but attention-getting tidbit . Never saw that thing again. If you know what I am talking about....you know, some miracle patch that makes eating PAINFUL, contact me. Don't let me ride the elevators like an addicted lunatic. Save me. tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.214537 2009-09-22T23:55:17Z 2009-09-23T00:43:19Z

So I’m standing on the corner of 54th and Fifth. I am often standing on that corner, for reasons too complicated to go into right now. The point being, I could not get a cab. Why? Well, as any self-respecting...

Kaity Tong So I’m standing on the corner of 54th and Fifth. I am often standing on that corner, for reasons too complicated to go into right now. The point being, I could not get a cab. Why? Well, as any self-respecting New Yorker knows, you can’t GET a cab anywhere in Manhattan between 4PM and 5PM. That’s when, apparently, all cabs change shifts. Oh, you’ll see plenty of them cruising by. With their off-duty lights on, mocking you. As a longtime New Yorker, I know this, and yet, for some reason (Mercury in retrograde?) I found myself foolishly waving my arm at oncoming traffic. The drivers who, just a while ago, would have cut across fourteen lanes of traffic to get to you, now avoid eye contact. Or if you manage to get the attention of one by throwing your body directly in his path, the driver will slowly roll down his window, ask where you’re headed, and after you tell him, shake his head and speed off, narrowly missing your foot. And this invariably happens just as the ONE available cab in Manhattan at that hour drives past, while you’re dickering with this guy who takes his time telling you he’s not going to take you anywhere. But the point of this blog is not cabs. It’s pedicabs. It appears the city now wants to impose a lot of tough rules on these pedicabs. And that day, the only way I was getting off that corner at 54th and Fifth was to jump into a pedicab, pedaled by a young man who looked like he weighed less than me. And I don’t weigh much. I sat in back, watching my carrier (is that the correct term) pumping his tough sinewy legs for all they were worth, down Fifth, across 41st, finally weaving through tight traffic on Third. And I swear, he didn't even break a sweat. I actually found the ride quite fun and would have enjoyed it more if I weren't so uptight about getting to work on time. I don’t know how these guys do it. I have seen some of them hauling tourists who would challenge the horsepower of a full-sized taxi. And speaking of that, what’s with those cabs that look really big and roomy on the outside, but the minute you climb in, your knees are up under your chin. An illusion of space I have yet to figure out. But I digress. Those pedicab drivers are some of the toughest sons of a gun I have ever seen. What really astonishes me, is how they remain so friendly, after hauling ungodly pounds of human flesh through unfriendly New York traffic. And how so many of them look like they would break in a strong gust of wind. It cannot be easy work. And now, the city wants to regulate WHERE they can pedal. Up to now, pedicabs did a good business in Central Park. But now that they're actually making some money, the city wants to put up new rules that would require them to stay in the right lane of traffic, not use the bike lanes, and not pick up any tourists (because, let’s be frank, those are the folks who use this form of transport) where taxis normally pick them up. And no ads on the sides of the pedis while in the Park during hours taxis are allowed there. Huh? I mean, the Mayor himself has said pedicabs are a unique part of the fabric of this city. By the way, for those of you thinking, Kaity you lazy so and so, why didn't you just walk? Well, I often do. Just not that day. For reasons too complicated to go into right now. tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.213796 2009-09-17T00:21:36Z 2009-09-18T21:21:13Z

And then there was the day director Sidney Lumet came to the Channel 11 studios. I couldn’t believe he wanted to use Jack Cafferty and me in one of the scenes of his new movie Night Falls on Manhattan. The...

Kaity Tong And then there was the day director Sidney Lumet came to the Channel 11 studios. I couldn’t believe he wanted to use Jack Cafferty and me in one of the scenes of his new movie Night Falls on Manhattan. The man is a god. Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, 12 Angry Men, Network. ]]> tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.212921 2009-09-11T01:28:05Z 2009-09-11T01:29:42Z

When I turned 13 my teeth turned against me. The =slightly= crooked teeth I had up until then, were just that. SLIGHTLY crooked. But somewhere along the way, they started becoming WAY crooked. To the point that my poor parents...

Kaity Tong When I turned 13 my teeth turned against me. The =slightly= crooked teeth I had up until then, were just that. SLIGHTLY crooked. But somewhere along the way, they started becoming WAY crooked. To the point that my poor parents decided I needed braces. They asked around and were directed to a dentist who was very inexpensive. Not an orthodontist. A dentist. Who was inexpensive, it turned out, for very good reason. I remember his shabby little office, and his slightly soiled dentist’s coat. He took molds of my teeth and told me to return in a week. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of a mouthful of steel, but I did want to have a pretty smile. My front teeth and front lower teeth were kind of a mess. A week later, I return to Dr. X. What he put into my mouth were retainers. One for my top teeth and one for the bottom row. Not braces. He told me to wear them all the time, and to come in for adjustments. Well, the thing about braces is….you can’t take them out. You’re kind of stuck with them until they’ve done their job. Not so with retainers. I think I wore those things for the first couple of days, as instructed, but from then on, I would take them out and put them back in and take them out and put them back in….pretty much constantly. Then, I stopped wearing them at all during the day because they hurt AND I didn’t like the way they looked. Again, with proper braces, you can’t do much about that. But with retainers…well, let’s just say they were off more than they were on. And if I saw Doug in the hall (the guy I had a big crush on pretty much from elementary school on) I’d stick them in my pocket and smile crookedly at him. Then forget to put them back on. Finally, it got to the point, I would put them on only when I knew I had a checkup with Dr. X. He’d always nod approvingly. Tell me how good my teeth were looking, and how the retainers were a much better idea than braces. He was pretty smug about it. And I’d rip them out as soon as I left his office. Did I mention it was shabby? Or I’d snap them into place my parents noticed. And take them off as soon as they stopped noticing. Well, you can pretty much guess what happened. Because of the erratic pressure, especially on my two front teeth…..which went on for nearly a year, the roots that anchor my two front teeth to my gums became unnaturally short. In other words, they’re barely hanging in there! My mother, when she found out, had a practical solution. Just yank those teeth out and put in dentures. WHAT?! Mom, I’m only 14 years old! She calmly informs me that when she was my age, that’s the way they fixed HER protruding front teeth…by pulling them out and giving her dentures. I had never heard this horrifying story before, and didn’t know my mother….who was a true beauty…wore dentures! Rest easy, friends. I did not follow the parental advice. I still have my original teeth. And I finally got serious and wore those damn retainers for another year. My teeth did end up looking better. But I live in fear of tripping and hitting my mouth because those teeth, as I told you, are just hanging on for dear life. Smile! tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.212713 2009-09-09T23:52:33Z 2009-09-10T01:15:52Z

All this talk about President Obama’s health care plan got me thinking about the kind of health care my brother and I got as children. It was iffy, at best. Because we were poor, my parents could not afford to...

Kaity Tong All this talk about President Obama’s health care plan got me thinking about the kind of health care my brother and I got as children. It was iffy, at best. Because we were poor, my parents could not afford to send us to private doctors. I know they did not have health insurance. They could barely afford to pay rent. One of the scariest memories from my childhood of things medical was dental care. Nothing like the bright and comforting dentist’s office my son went to as a child. For him, video games in the waiting room, a dentist’s chair shaped like a spaceship, a screen on the ceiling to project the video of his choice, a relentlessly cheerful dentist with a degree in child psychology….and best of all, a dab of anesthesia on a Q-tip to numb the spot on his gum BEFORE he got the novocaine injection. Local anesthesia even for a cleaning, if that’s what your little darling wanted. For me and my brother, a radically different experience. Our dental care was at a teaching clinic because it was free for low-income families. You didn’t pay….at least not in dollars. By going, you agreed to be live subjects for students who hadn’t quite gotten the hang of a drill yet. So I guess, you did pay. In fear and pain. When our names were called from a waiting room filled to the rafters with potential victims, we’d be led into a huge room with row upon row of dentists’ chairs. You could smell that awful burning odor that drilling through enamel creates….hear the yelps and screams of other patients getting cavities filled without the benefit of anesthesia, and feel the firm grip of someone holding your shirt as you tried to make a getaway. I tended to be a bit more stoic that my little brother, who would yell bloody murder even before they touched him. He was no fool. He could see what was in store. I tried to calm him down by pretending to be calm myself. But believe me, looking up into the eyes of a young dental student who looked as scared as I was did not induce confidence. One time, I think I was about nine, I was told I had to get a tooth pulled. No such thing as a local injection. Nope. For that, I was put on a gurney, wheeled into a dark, scary room, and a mask soaked in ether was put over my terrified little face. I woke up, nauseous, with a bloody gauze shoved into the hole in my mouth. When I stopped hurling, I was walked out into the hall where my mother was waiting to take me to the bus stop to go home. She looked horrified, as blood was seeping out of the gauze and onto my clothes, and my eyes looked weirdly dilated. And in the distance, I thought I could hear my little brother….still yelling and fighting the team of wanna-be dentists trying to hold him down. Let me say, though, I am grateful for the care we did get…and if we did anything to help those scared students turn into accomplished professionals…..I STILL wouldn’t wish that on anyone! Oh, and when I needed braces….oh boy! Let's just say I am lucky to have my two front teeth. But I will save that story for another blog. It’s a doozy. tag:weblogs.wpix.com,2009:/news/kaitytong//400.212058 2009-09-03T23:43:34Z 2009-09-04T01:01:00Z

Have you seen our temporary set this week? It's the coffee bar used on our Morning News. It is kidney shaped and small, so we all feel quite cozy. The stools are really high, though, and again, I must sit...

Kaity Tong Have you seen our temporary set this week? It's the coffee bar used on our Morning News. It is kidney shaped and small, so we all feel quite cozy. The stools are really high, though, and again, I must sit on three pillows just so you can see me. Even then, I look tiny. My chin is practically on the desk. They have taller anchors in the morning! And look at how G looms over me, when he stands next to me! It's hilarious. ]]>