need some serious advice about a close friend

hey there punks and kittens~
i need some advice, help, something. a friend that is very very very dear to me, (we have been friends, literally, since before i can remember), found a lump in her armpit/breast area. she said it has been very painful. she does not have insurance, so she has been hesitant about going to the doctor. well, i adore this little lady and tried and tried to get her to just go, and we would figure out how to pay the doctor bills later. i didnt feel this was something to be taken lightly. a couple of weeks went by, and she still didnt go to the doctor. so, i called one of my doctors, pretended i was her, asked if they were taking mew patients, and made an appointment. i was able to get her to go to this appointment (prolly because i rode with her and wouldnt let her out of it). doctor said that there are actually 2 lumps. she said with the sick kids in the house, maybe she could have swollen lymph nodes. but that with the length of time they've been there, she should have a mammogram and possibly further testing. doctor said that the mammogram would be quite expensive without insurance, so she told her of a couple place that will do it based-on-income or free. well, it has been 45 days (since the dr appointment) and she has not been to any of these places for a mammogram AND she canceled her follow-up appointments with my doctor. i dont know what to do. she claims that one of the lumps seems to be gone. i just dont know what to do. when i was out this morning, i saw one of our mutual friends, and she asked about the results. i told her what is written above. i told her that if she could mention it or do anything to help me convince her, please help! do any of you have ANY thoughts or words of advice for me? i dont know if she is scared or what, but she has always been around to harp on me about getting myself healthy, so i dont understand why she wont take her own advice?! please please please if you have any ideas, i'll gladly hear them all! might i add, there has been a history of this sort of thing in her family. from what i understand, one of her cousins has had 4 lumps removed (over time) from the same area.
thanks so much for taking the time to read this and if you can offer any thoughts, advice, prayers... we would be so very grateful!
also, PLEASE, if you know who i am talking about, PLEASE DO NOT MENTION HER NAME IF YOU LEAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT! i am trying to respect her privacy... but if you see her in person, i wouldnt stop you if you mention that you care about her and she should get help. also, i will prolly print any comments i get, and show them to her. ah ha! intervention?! we'll see how far this goes.
thanks again!
much love!
be well!
~angela

angeLA vacation

hey there punks and kittens~~
i know, i know, that was a cheesy subject line...
but i thought it was clever--or cute...

i am attempting to plan a trip to lovely los angeles, california. i have never been there. my roommie is going with me for the last leg of the Nine Inch Nails tour.
arriving tuesday september 1 and leaving sunday septmber 6th.
(please see more details on the map below)

if you are in the LA area or know anything about LA, please by all means, dont hesitate to fill me in on ANYTHING that you can think of !!!

we will be renting a car. i think that'll be the smart bet.

stuff i (we) would like to do while in LA:

visit Pablo! (and Dangerbird)
Nine Inch Nails shows (of course, that's why we're going!)
Comedy Store and any other great comedy you can suggest.
Music!
Hollywood Sign
Chinese Theatre / Walk of Fame
Farmer's Market

i'm sure there is much more that i have not thought about yet... so if you think of anything, send it my way!

thanks in advance for all of your help and suggestions! much appreciated!
much love.
be well.
~angela