Wednesday's Digressions

• If you're a girl don't fall in love with me just because I introduced you to this great show.



• If you're a guy well, just don't fall in love with me.



• Seriously, any show with,"They aren't doctors- they're retards." as a line has a chance at least of being pretty awesome.



• Your goofy joke for the day: A turtle gets robbed by two snails. The police show up and begin asking questions. When asked,"What did the two subjects look like?" The visibly shaken turtle responded,"I don't know, I just don't know- it all just happened so fast."



• Cutting animal carcasses down to the smaller sizes during processing is called disassembling. That has a funny- disconcerting even, connotation doesn't it?
• I really wonder (and worry) about us some times. People are still I'm sure at this time arguing over their cities and counties right to not lower their flags to half staff out of respect for Senator Kennedy. He was a US senator and anyway, showing a modicum of respect for anyone doesn't mean you agree with anything they ever said or did- or liked them.
• How long before John Voigt plays Kennedy in a movie?



• My children's great grandfather after spending several days in the hospital while the doctors tried without success to figure out what was wrong with him suddenly lifted his leg and passed gas like no one else in the in the history of the world has- ever - with two docs, his wife and two of his daughters standing at the bedside. He then threw the sheet back and sat up on the side of the bed and began taking off his hospital gown. To cries of," What are you doing daddy?" He said,"I told ya'll when you brought me into this place I felt like I just needed to cut a big old fart- I've done it, now I'm ready to go home!"



• It took some effort but, they talked him into staying until some lab results were in the next morning.

This Just In-

Zac falls and takes a header according to reliable inside sources who wish to remain anonymous. This happened in spite of him being told eleventy billion times to not run in the house.

Update: This morning he took off at a run while getting ready for school then suddenly stopped and slowed down while saying,"No run. No run house!"

There's hope after all.

Get It While It's Hot, I Don't Do This Often- A Political Rant!

• The visit by Muammar Gaddafi to New York to speak at the UN has people in New Jersey in an uproar over his intention to stay in a tent on property owned by his country. They are concerned about his culpability in the Lockerbie bombing among other problems. And their own governor is leading the way in opposition. The first things that come to my mind?


• Libyas entire WMD program has been suspended- yes sanctions factored but, he could have been recalcitrant and obnoxious to the point of starting a war.


• Has paid restitution to Lockerbie victims families.


• Has turned over information to the west regarding nuclear materials black markets.


• That property is owned by his country.


• A "hero's welcome" for the guy released from the Scottish prison? Oh, come on- in a country where for the 40th anniversary of his rule the fest included 1000 camels, 40 hot air balloons, the largest tent in the entire world, thousands of tons of materials flown in from around the world, entertainers from around the world, and on and on, how many people where there to greet that plane- 200?


• Incidentally- that guy wouldn't have served a day in prison if Libya hadn't turned him over for trial.


• Ostensibly the sanctions we imposed on Libya in the past were to "end their isolation and bring them into modern civilizations fold". my paraphrase- take your pick of source


• Yes, I know it was to make sure they didn't do bad things to westerners but, the end goal was suppose to be something like I said above.


• Most of these thoughts are off the top of my head things and also what is public knowledge- before we even start talking about oil and political realities where a relationship with Libya would help us and things that may not be public knowledge.
• Don't think Bin Laden on this issue and don't focus on today. Think some years in the future. Think about Germany and Japan- although a good relationship with Libya may prove even more important than ours with them at a tiny fraction of cost in dollars and lives.


• Why would any pariah-esqe leader anywhere in the world do anything to alter any of their policies or practices at our behest after seeing the way he's being treated?


• Why would we be surprised if he says (said by the time this publishes) something provocative during that speech?
• What grounds do we have to stand on to respond if he does? Oh,"We demand absolutely, demand an apology and won't rule out miltary action if we don't get one- this man was rude to us after: we embrarrased him, killed his daughter, shot down one of his nations airliners in their airspace killing 290 people, he made very sweet deals with us for his countries oil, gave us information regarding nuclear black markets..."


• Why would we be surprised if his country was responsible in the future for ______ (name your own atrocity).


• We are our own worst enemies.

From The Detritus Of My Youth

Have I shown these before? They are my marbles from when I was a kid. We found them when we cleaned out my moms garage (let the lost marbles jokes flow). I mentioned them to a friend a few years ago before they resurfaced sight unseen he said,"I'll give you a hundred bucks for them." Then I thought,"How can you put a dollar value on priceless memories? Now I think "Where's that dudes phone number?"

Not really, they are too cool to have around and I really did play with them a lot. Many of them were old when I won them, making them probably 70+ years old.

Mondays Morbid Missives

• I could walk into any families life at the point of a family members death and be able to give you a pretty accurate picture of that persons spiritual life based on the reaction of their family at the point of his death.



• Two thoughts occurred to me after my last patient expired: 1) What a relief it can be for the family when they are finally gone- I mean a palpable, visible and total relief- a release even. 2) When a big, physically and imposing in demeanor person is sad and really lets go and sobs why does the situation always seem so much more sad?



• I slept for 15 hours straight after that case.



• Apparent deep sleep doesn't necessarily indicate comfort in the terminal patient- in fact the person who appears in a deep sleep may be in agony and sleep an attempt of an overwhelmed brain to give a patient some relief. Look instead at the persons expression: do they look peaceful or is there a pinched or grimaced look? Are their blood pressure and pulse elevated way above normal? Certain conditions are inherently terribly painful and frequently under medicated, a few that come to mind are, bone, stomach, pancreas and liver cancer. Is the person cold and clammy? Are they irritable when awakened? Have they turned their heads away and/or covered their faces?



• A recent patient who seemed to be "sleeping an awful lot' according to family and exhibiting some other symptoms made me think they were agony and not being properly medicated. After some convincing, the family allowed me to treat the patient with morphine. Not only was her overwhelming pain relieved but, due to morphines mechanism of action the breathing trouble she had been experiencing due to her failing heart was relieved and within 24 hours of starting continuous care she was up and about with assistance, eating well and in fact was decertified from continuous care and placed on routine care.



• When I commit to a family to stay with their loved one to the end it's like an uplifting beating. Does that make sense? I feel so good but, so much pressure.



• There are varying qualities of nurses in hospice just like any other nursing (or any profession) but, I really feel all in all hospice nurses are a cut above any other. In this vein this last patient and his family were very lucky (blessed?) to consistently have the best nurses I've ever encountered every day and shift from case managers to the night shift nurse who stepped up for one single night to provide coverage.



• I like to hear,"He would have loved to have known you." regarding patients whom I know I would have liked to meet when they were healthy.



• When providing foods for the family of a dying or dead person and wondering what to send you could do a lot worse than to send desserts and coffee or other caffeinated drinks. Both are very good to help sad folks feel better and inspire conversation and openness.



• Smells are very important to address as a person is dying for several reasons. When a person is emotional smells get locked into the brain and associated with memories and this can be used to advantage. If the dying is clean, comfortable, well presented and with a little of a nice cologne and maybe a scented candle in the room, as those left behind encounter these smells afterward throughout their life they will have good memories of the person who died.



• I use these thoughts when I lay them out here for simple expression, to get things off my chest and maybe teach a little. I hope I'm never seen as fishing for compliments.
• If you have a loved one who even just might be dying related to old age or a normally terminal illness I cannot stress with you enough how much it will help to request a hospice consult. The consult doesn't mean they will necessarily enter hospice services but, you'll be surprised how much the information you can gather may help. A fresh set of eyes and thought processes can help adjust medicines, recommend therapies etc. that will improve their lives no matter what.



• It means a lot when I care for a patient who is local although, I've still yet to care for anyone I've known personally.



• I get requested personally by friends and family of previous patients and of course by nurses I've met in facilities as they lose family members, however I've been requested recently by name through my agency by people whom I've not encountered as far as I know- they've just heard of me. That's both complimentary and a little unnerving.



• A mother and daughter relatives of a lady I recently cared for are going to go to nursing school (I think) together as a result of our interaction, my suggestion, encouragement and education of how they could make it work.



• Two more lives I've ruined.

Music Video Extra Vaganza O Rama The Special Sunday Edition

A favorite music video for my favorite song by a favorite band. Fine Again- very good stuff by Seether.

It seems like every day’s the same

and I’m left to discover on my own

It seems like everything is gray

and there’s no color to behold

They say it’s over and I’m fine again,

yeah Try to stay sober

feels like I’m dying here

and I am aware now of how

everything’s gonna be fine one day

Too late, I’m in hell

I am prepared now,

seems everyone’s gonna be fine

One day too late,

just as well

I feel the dream in me expire

and there’s no one left to blame it on

I hear you label me a liar

‘cause I can’t seem to get this through

You say it’s over,

I can sigh again,

yeah

Why try to stay sober when I’m dying here

And I am aware now of how everything’s gonna be fine

one day Too late,

I’m in hell

I am prepared now,

seems everyone’s gonna be fine

One day too late; just as well

And I’m not scared now.

I must assure you,

you’re never gonna get away

And I’m not scared now.

And I’m not scared now.

No…I am aware now of how

everything’s gonna be fine one day

Too late, I’m in hell

I am prepared now

seems everyone’s gonna be fine

One day too late,

just as well

I am prepared now,

seems everything’s gonna be fine for me

For me; for myself.

For me, for me, for myself

For me, for me, for myself

Saturday's Summary

• I unintentionally wrote Zacs name as Zak on a post and didn't catch it until after I posted it.
• Very weird feeling when I read it.
• Zac is getting his first haircut soon. He is sO0oooo getting a mullet. I mean a one for the ages mullet.
• I've seen three women in as many weeks with a Kate Gosselin hairdo. Good grief.
• PS Jon or whatever your name is (was) I could have told you that marriage was kaput.
• The minute I saw the wifey showing showing off her toned, tanned, bikini wearing body and splashing around on some beach.
• No woman ever lost an ounce of weight, spent a minute in a gym or a tanning bed for her present man.
• File this one under if I'm lyin' I'm dyin'. I heated a cup of coffee in the microwave while putting this post together. I noticed an ant in the oven when I opened the door and thought I'd just clean its irradiated corpse out when my delicious warm beverage was ready. However, that was not to be as it lived through one minute on high setting and in fact fell off the side of my cup somewhere between the kitchen and my desk where I intended to take its picture on same for posterity.
• It's out there in the no mans land between the kitchen and my bedroom morphing and mutating...
• Got to stop drinking so much coffee and watching bad sci-fi when work messes my sleep schedule up.
• Heated came out eated the first time.
• "I eated"
• Doi
• People often ask,"How do I know whether to spell out numbers or just use the numeral?"
• Spell out single-digit whole numbers. Use numerals for numbers greater than nine. Examples: I need one hole in the head. I want 10 girlfriends.
• Regardless, be consistent throughout with the pattern you've chosen.
• True story. Was fondly recalling a trip to San Antonio I took with a woman- specifically being the last and only two people on the riverboat ride on which the guy made an extra lap and for which he did not even charge me and was about halfway through reminiscing when I saw the murderous- absolutely straight up, put a small caliber bullet in your brain and dump the corpse in a shallow grave- murder and never think twice about it look in her eye- and then, I realised she wasn't the woman I was with!
• D'oh!
• I thought I was going to choke on my tongue. I mean literally- it seemed to swell up, the room got smaller, definitely hotter and started spinning.
• No, that relationship didn't last much longer.
• We live and learn- right?
• Or don't.