Some Things Rub Me The Wrong Way

It has always gotten on my nerves when someone says anyhoo instead of anyhow.

I Learned Empathy From That Part One

In 2001 I had a day that started out nearly like all the rest. The only difference was I felt a little off- just tired I thought. I slept on the way to work thinking I'd feel great when I got there, but when we got there I felt worse and had vague chills.

It was my day to run the clinic where I worked, taking in new cases, doing appointments and making referrals. A couple of different people asked if I was OK- I shrugged it off.
I'm a guy and a nurse- what do you expect?

Just an hour into the clinic I went to the bathroom. Blood came gushing out. I was so weak and feverish I could barely make it back to the office where I handed my work off and called my wife.

"I think I need to go to the hospital." She knew something was wrong for me to say that so she dropped everything and came for me. In some ways it seemed like she was nearly there instantly in another way it took forever. Blood was dripping out of me.

"Where do I take you?" "Just the closest one it doesn't matter." "What's wrong? I don't know. I'm bleeding out and feverish."

The triage nurse staged me to be seen immediately due to my elevated temp. and low blood pressure. Another nurse bullied him into downgrading me. I watched street people walk back smiling and carrying on with the nurses going back to get their shots for their STDs or whatever.

I put my head against the cool stainless chair frame and tried to put away the pain. I was deliriously thirsty from the blood loss, but knew better than to drink anything assuming surgery was pretty likely. I don't want to sound too melodramatic, but I really did think about telling my spouse all those things you need to say before you die, but I was beyond caring even though yes, I was pretty sure I might be expiring.

The ER doc was a kindly looking man with gray hair who had a student physician with him. He began to show her how to take an occult blood sample from the rectum. As he did so blood gushed out of me. I heard multiple feet shuffle back from me and the girl doc said, "Oh, my God."









To be continued.

Rodeo Report

• Went to the 67th annual Frontier Days Rodeo in Parker County night before last.







• Bull riders continue to be insane and clowns funny.







• Can chasers (barrel racers) continue to be annoying, but their time to shine was mercifully well managed so they did their thing and were back to their eleventy billion dollar trailers before my eyes rolled out of my head or I got dain bramage from face palming.







• The sound system was very good and music great.







• Due to my contacts in the rodeo underworld I only had to look over one persons head and when a bull would put on a good spin dirt would fly past us and spatter on the signs in front of us.







• That means we had good seats.







• I didn't stay for the band, I did not know a single competitor and multiple successful old friends were sponsors: three reminders you're getting old.

Raising Zachary

The other day in the pool Zachary started chatting up two women getting some sun in the pool. He asked one,"What's that?" pointing to her bikini top. "Oh, that's my swimsuit top." "No, that thing in the middle." he said pointing to a buglike decoration in the middle between the cups. "Oh, I guess that's just a decoration- it looks like a bug or butterfly or something." Can it get wet?" he asked. "Well, yes." she said. "Show me." he dared.





She laughed and said,"OK" and dutifully dipped her upper body into the water. He busted out laughing.





I think I'm in trouble.

Perspective Is Good

Monday's Missives

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  Females in Iraq war zone.




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  When I was in Iraq at Camp Cedar II there was a platoon of gun trucks that ran convoys to different area bases. They had 6 trucks and of these trucks 4 were gunned by females- 3 of whom were smoking hot and there wasn't anything wrong with the fourth. It was so obvious when they would park near the chow hall guys would swarm them and get their pics made with them. I remember Italian soldiers in particular just mobbing them.




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  All the Italian soldiers looked like Mexican soap stars.




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  Last night I got just a little too warm under the covers and after kicking some off felt great. Then a couple of hours later I got a little chilly and felt great when I slid back under the covers.




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  Is there anything better than that?




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  I'm easy to please.

Everything I Know About Women Chapter One