ouch
Mood:  on fire
Now Playing: Fellowship of the Ring
Today I took Sara and went to the State Fair of Oklahoma.

All in all, we did have a good time. Sara's uncle paid for her wristband so she could ride with her cousins. I didn't have any extra money... She rode tons of gut churning rides. I got sick just watching her. She also played some of the overpriced games. She won a pink gorilla and a fabric rose.

I think this is the last time we will go there. It is now $7 per adult and $4 per child just to get in. Then, of course, the kids want to ride the rides. 3-4 dollars a pop or you can pay $25 for a wristband to ride all day. If you get thirsty, it's at least $2 for a water bottle. None of the fountains work.

It was so hot today. I knew better, but I didn't wear sunblock. I now have a scorching sunburn on my back and chest. And my forearms. And my face. Hence the name of this post. OUCH.

The Fair was fun, but we just can't afford it anymore. Sad...It used to be a family thing, but most families can't afford it. I could spend the same amount and take my family out to dinner and a movie and still have some left over.

Sigh...and ouch.

Difficult patients
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: Happy Days
Someone please explain this to me.
Someone makes an appointment to see the doctor. They tell the doctor the problem which is being short of breath and having swollen legs. The problem can be taken care of with proper diet and exercise. Patient decides this is not what they want to hear. Patient yells at doctor that they are not stupid and they are not lazy.
OMG!
Is there a pill for stupidity?

Screw sticks and stones...words do hurt...
Mood:  sad
Now Playing: Laverne and Shirley
It's amazing how, no matter how good of a job I think I'm doing, one negative comment from a someone will just cause so much self doubt.
I thought I was doing a good job. My job isn't hard. I wait for the patients, I weigh them, I get their blood pressure, I find out their meds, and then I tell the PA the patient is ready. I know I'm still slow at it, but I am working on it. Anyway, the nurse I work with told me that Nicole asked her to work with me on my speed.
It really did hurt to hear that. I would have hoped she would talk to me about it first. I told her to just let me know if I am doing anything wrong. It ruined the rest of the day for me. That is my fault of course...I shouldn't let this bother me. I do wonder why she couldn't talk to me about it.
I don't know...I am so muddled now.

nuthin...
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: Watching the weather...
It's been a couple of days since I posted. Nothing is happening here...LOL.
Ooooh...I know...I wrote some letters! No one ever seems to write anymore. It's all e-mail and blogs and the like. I think it's a dying art form. Of course our we have such a throw away society anymore that I am sure no one noticed. I still love to write. I'm not very good at it, but I try.
I am exhausted so I am gonna make this short.

Old friends
Mood:  cool
Now Playing: 13 Going on 30
I graduated from high school in 1989. That's 16 years.

For the past few weeks, I had a friend on my mind. Tammy is her name. I thought of her off and on for years. I had lost touch with her after graduation. She and I were in German class together. I don't think either of us learned a thing for those 2 years. I take that back. We learned that we talk too much.

During school, and at graduation, we always say that we will keep in touch. That nothing can tear us apart.

Then life happens.

She went her way and I went mine. We didn't have a fight, we didn't have any kind of falling out, we just lost touch.

Karen is another friend from high school. I had a rough time during high school. I was painfully shy with horrible self esteem. Needless to say, when anyone made an overature of friendship, I was suspicious. I could never figure out why they would want to talk to me. I had nothing to offer, I wasn't attractive, I wasn't popular, I didn't make good grades, etc... I obviously didn't have many friends. Karen, however, was a friend. She was always there for me. Our senior year, her family was transferred to Seattle and we lost touch. Karen helped to bring me out of my self imposed prison and open my eyes to new things. She helped me to realize that I am worth knowing.
Karen and I lost touch when she moved. A friend of a friend finally got us back in touch with each other.

And Karen got me back in touch with Tammy.

I managed to send off an e-mail to Tammy a few days ago. Tammy called me today. We talked for an hour and a half. Our lives are very different, but we were still able to talk and talk. Just like german class again.

Tammy is coming back to Oklahoma next weekend.
Amazing how things work out. The timing couldn't be much better than this.

Simple things..
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: College football...Texas A&M and Clemson
As I sit here typing, I am enjoying a bowl of ice cream. What's odd about this is that I am normally an ice cream snob. I want my ice cream to be good. I love butter brickle from Braums, and natural vanilla bean from Blue Bell. I won't look twice at the gallon buckets of "ice cream" stocked at the bottom of grocery stores.
Well, we are obviously in a huge money crunch with gas prices they way they are and the new day care bill we have to pay. Money is incredibly tight.
Back to the ice cream. What I am eating right now is not from Braums or Blue Bell. It is the generic, bottom shelf, neapolitan ice cream that I look down my nose at...and I am actually enjoying it. I had forgotten about how good these three flavors are together. I remember as a child how my brothers and I always tried to get more of the chocolate ice cream and the strawberry was always left over. Not this time. I carefully got all three flavors in my bowl and I am thoroughly enjoying them. I am even enjoying the pink, artificially flavored "strawberry". Will wonders never cease.
Another thing that struck me today was how much smells impact our lives. Sitting in the living room at my mothers house, I was instantly transported back in time. I could smell onions and mushrooms sauteing (with dill of course). This is an aroma that I had somehow forgotten about. I have never been able to duplicate it in my home so I guess it had been buried deep in my mind. Supper tonight brought those memories of Autumn nights, football, and childhood back to the surface. I think that's why I am so fascinated with the neapolitan ice cream tonight...LOL
Some odors bring back such good memories for me. The smell of pipe tobacco always make me think of my Daddy. I am so grateful he is alive. Celery cooking always takes me to Thanksgiving at my parents house. Burning leaves sends me to Colorao, and the smell of gasoline on a cool morning reminds me of many vacations with my family.
Some smells take me to bad places too.
Polo cologne always makes me think of a college boyfriend who was not so nice. Anytime I smell it, my heart starts racing and I get panicked. Maybe I should get some for my husband to wear so I can start to associate it with him instead. That's a bad one for me.

Counting my blessings
Mood:  lucky
Now Playing: Keane--Hopes and Fears
Been thinking a lot about everything in my life lately. Funny how national tragedy can make people (me) so introspective. I think every one of us takes our lives for granted.

Anyway, I am so lucky. I have a husband that loves me. He has been off work this week and while I know he has really been pining to go on a vacation, since I am working, there is just no way. I can't take time off work a month after starting. Does he sit around the house with the girls and mope? No, my darling husband has been doing the Autumn cleaning! How many guys do you know who would use their vacation time to clean the house? I mean really clean. Not just throw the excess stuff into the closet...really clean. He has done laundry, SCRUBBED the stovetop and all the counters, dusted all surfaces, re-arranged the living room, moved the computer into the bedroom, and anything else you can think of...

When I woke up this morning I found 2 notes...

1. In the bathroom, on the towel rack, the first note was about the fresh towels on the rack for me.

2. In the kitchen, the note was about the coffee being ready to go.

Both were decorated with hearts and other pretty pictures.

How sweet is my husband? I am very lucky.
We have had some hard times, but after 11 years of marriage, I think we are gonna make it.

Anyway, I am blessed to have a house to live in, 3 healthy girls (even with Shelby and her hydrocephalus), air-conditioning, clean water to drink, and my family. I enjoy my job for the most part, and I also have some really good friends.

I also never seem to mention that I have an Awesome God that watches over me.

I just don't know...
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: Big Brother 27
All day long it has been coverage of New Orleans.
I have to say that I believe the government really dropped the ball on this one. So much more can be done right now. Where is everyone? People are dying and need help. I just cannot watch anymore tv.
sigh

No, the world doesn't revlolve around you!!
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: crickets outside...love warm weather sounds..
Ok, I thought I was going to stop complaining about my job. I really do love it. I love the PA I work for, I like most of my co-workers, and the patients are, for the most part, quite nice.
Today, we had a few doozies, but the worst was the last patient of the day.
She was supposed to be there at 4:30. The clinic has a policy of 15 minutes late and you have to reschedule. I think 15 minutes is plenty of time. I would only give 10 because late patients cause the entire clinic to run behind, but I'm not in charge. Patients seem to hate when doctors are late. I don't blame them. I don't like to wait forever at the doctors office. Anyway, back to my gripe.
4:30 appointment. Lady calls and says she is running behind. No problem, just make sure you are here by 4:45. You may be the last patient of the day, but we aren't going to wait until 5:00. No overtime is allowed. I digress...
By 4:45, I call the front desk to see if she arrived and maybe they just forgot to check her in. No, she isn't here. Well, she has to reschedule. I make absolutely sure that we have waited the 15 minutes. Yup, it is now 16. Ok, I close out my chart and inform Nicole that our last patient isn't here. She ok's the need to reschedule. I call the desk.
She's here.
She's here too late.
She has to reschedule.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh and is she ever mad about it.
Her argument is that she is only 2 minutes late.
"No, I'm sorry, but our policy is up to 15 minutes late or you have to make a new appointment."
"But, I'm only 2 minutes past the 15..."
"Well, then, that makes you 17 minutes late doesn't it? You are going to have to make a new appointment."
"I have to make a new appointment when I'm 2 minutes late?"
"No, you have to make a new appointment when you are more than 15 minutes late."
What part of this conversation is she not understanding???
She chose not to reschedule.
Now don't get me wrong. If she were having chest pain, or any other potentially life threatening problem, we would have absolutely worked her in somehow. We have a doctor that stays until 6:00 or sometimes 7:00 most nights. He could have seen her if it were necessary. I can't say why she was wanting to be seen, but let's just say it was definately NOT life threatening.
Wow, I am not in a very generous mood today.

HIPPA...A rant...
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: Monday Night Football...Rams at the Lions..
OK, being in the health care field, we are all drilled about a law called HIPAA...something like the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act. A well intentioned but poorly carried out law.
Basically, information about an individual cannot be released to anyone. This is good for privacy, but baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad for families, friends, etc...
For example;
This afternoon, a man called regarding his mother. She lives with her husband in the city. The son lives in Texas. He was calling because he saw a commercial (<-bane of health care workers) about a neurological condition. His mother has many of these symptoms. Basically she may have Alzheimer's and increased cranial pressure. Because she is cognitively challenged, she is unable to fully express her needs to her sons. He is understandably concerned but is not able to convince them to move near him. He is also frustrated that we are unable to discuss his mothers condition with him. In order to discuss anything about his mother, we must have a release of information in our hands. She may very well have signed it, but unless we have it where we can physically see it, there is no way we can release any information to him. The fines for releasing information range from $100 to $250,000 and can include jail time. I am just going to say here and now that I would rather have a disgruntled family member than pay up to $250,000! Not gonna happen. Even just telling him test results could land me and the clinic a huge fine! OUCH...
I had to sit on the phone and explain to this poor man why I can't even tell him if she is a patient at our clinic. He basically has to convince her to sign this piece of paper that allows us to talk to him. He can't talk to his father about this because that sweet man is trying to protect his wife and acting like everything is fine.
All I feel is frustration that I can't get this man information to help him to help his mother.
There are some good aspects to this law, but think about it. How is this law helping this particular family?