Monday's Missives

Why yes, the neighbors cat nearly decapitated Zac and yes- it now sleeps with the fishes, why do you ask?











• There was a surprising number of people at the park having picnics and fishing during the dust storm that came through today (1 22 12). I've told people you can't let the weather dictate too much what you do for outdoor activities in Texas- or you'd never get anything done waiting for that perfect day, but man- there were white caps on the lake and dirt and leaves were blowing everywhere.



• I distrust square plates, clear coffee cups and gold flatware.



• Recently two patients came in together wearing the most ridiculous looking pairs of matching shoes I've ever seen. They looked like black moon boots with bright white soles, pink and blue accents and neon green straps that wrapped around the ankles. It caught me off guard and I just nearly burst out laughing.



• I never fail to misspell guard.



• I get all...numb When she sings it's over Such a strange numb And it brings my knees to the earth And God bless you all For the song you saved us... I won't draw a line in the sand and say if Minerva isn't your favorite Deftones song you can't be my special friend anymore, but you should consider making it yours- so you'll be a better person.

Sunday'sSituation

• If you offer a drink to someone from a very primitive culture I see in my clinic frequently they'll take the can and drink the contents without ever letting their lips touch the can. I assume it may be because they're so used to drinking from a communal cup, but I'm not sure.


• It's nothing these days for an SNL host to be somebody I've heard of, but have know idea who they are, however recently, at least twice there have been hosts whom I have no idea who or why they are and no idea what they do. Also, a recent musical guest was so terrible I thought her performance was a goof- part of a skit.


• Zac wasn't here today (252012) to help with the laundry. The thought of doing it without his help was such a bummer I was tempted to wear dirty scrubs to work tomorrow and call it good, but they're washing now.


• I tried to work hospice some Friday and Saturdays after my regular work hours, but it never worked out- a nurse was almost always needed for more than 2 nights and when I was offered something for those 1 or 2 nights I'd inevitably have Zac. For now those days are over I guess.


• I miss it.


• One of my favorite movies- Little Big Man


• Wazzzzzzuuuuuuup!

Saturday's Situation

• The other day I set my nearly completely consumed bowl of oatmeal in my office sink with a little water so it wouldn't fossilize. A little while later I walked down the hall to the break room to wash it out so I wouldn't violate my policy of No Foodstuffs Down My Office Sink Drain. A clerk looked down at the bowl as I walked by and ask, What is that? Uh, it's leftover oatmeal- I'm going to wash it out in the break room. Oh, I thought maybe you got sick in there. Yeah, 'cause you know me- always vomiting in bowls and carrying it around my workplace...



• I'm wacky that way.



• It had to happen since the world is such a small place, but recently a patient was admitted to our clinic whose grandfather I cared for in hospice when he died. It was a good death and I was suited for the family and they responded well to me. The funny thing that stands out that I remember? One nurse refused to go there when she heard the address and another lied when she figured out where it was on the way and called off- saying her car broke down on the way and got herself replaced. The family even asked me if I was afraid to be there.



• I like that things like this can still happen in this crazy, mixed up world we live in.

Friday's Dispatch

Adding insult to injury- this pooch has that market cornered.

• I took off early yesterday since I worked late the night before and then I predictably crashed as soon as I got home, so now I'm wide awake at 430 in the morning.





• Tuna and large glass of orange juice- it's what was just for breakfast.





• After talking to a girl at work about the music I like she told me to put some of it on CD so she could give it a try.





• Remember mix tapes?





• A weird feeling: recently I spoke to somebody that all things being equal and in another time and place I could have been attracted to. She seemed OK enough and was nice and funny. The only things I did notice was she is very underemployed for her age and she was for lack of a better term, quirky. Another day I saw her wearing a Dora The Explorer backpack and thought, Well, she is quirky... It hit me later- she's highly functioning, but probably mentally retarded.

Thursday's Thoughts

• I like this: "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad."




• Secret to good coffee- always put a bit more grounds than recommended, use cold water (I don't know why this makes a difference, but it does) and use 2 filters.




• Recently someone took offense that I do not like Vietnamese food after asking me if I liked it. I do not understand that.




• When I was a boy my brother had old detective shows, mysteries and sci fi radio programs on 33 1/3 LPs and would start a stack of them on the record player in our room for me before he went out at night and I would fall asleep to them. Simple times- very good memories.




• Nasty sounding headline: "Aguilara explains leg drip".

Information Superhighway Circa 1950

"June 6, 1950. Pembroke, Ontario. "Vis-O-Matic department store." A variation on mail-order shopping, the Vis-O-Matic system used color slides to display merchandise to potential customers, with orders placed by Teletype and delivered to your door.

Two of at least 200 photographs taken by Bernard Hoffman at retail magnate Laurence Freiman's newfangled catalog store in Pembroke, Ontario. The cards were an index of merchandise on color slides viewed by customers on rear-projection screens.

"Vis-O-Matic department store." A Vis-O-Matic spokesmodel, or perhaps even the queen of Vis-O-Matic, the Canadian catalog store whose slide-projection system of displaying merchandise was like a Buck Rogers premonition of online shopping. The Vis-O-Matic phenomenon seems to have been short-lived, with hardly any documentation online aside from these photos in the Life archive, and no word of its fate. Photo by Bernard Hoffman Life Magazine Image Library"

Text adapted from Shorpy.com

Wednesday's Digressions

• Somebody I know has a thing for short guys with big, weird looking heads. Really, she's married one like that and has had multiple boyfriends fitting that description. I'm not sure what's going on there, but it's true.




• I'm tempted to drive to Stephenville for a pork chop at Hard Eight BBQ.




• Zac is napping.




• If Santorum is the Republican nom. for President you better get your mind wrapped around four more years of President Obama. Maybe, you're cool with that- and that's OK, but it's a natural fact it will happen.




• Most of law enforcement efforts to curb the illegal drug trade only make the drugs exponentially more expensive, guaranteeing new property and violent crime to get the money for people to obtain the drugs.




• I push my fingers into my eyes it's the only thing that stops the ache, but it's made of the things I have to take.