31 October 2006
Recipe Shows of the Robotic Future. And BOO!
If the food network ever becomes like THIS, with commercial interruptions, then it means that the "modern era" has passed, and we are in a new era - the "monotone era of metric roboticism."
Here's that link again. Click here. Thanks.
Today was my day off, and it was Hallowe'en. I forgot to buy candy, because I didn't think ahead and figured I would be at work. Also, for the past two years I lived in an area where our closest neighbour was about 1/2 mile away, so trick-or-treaters were rather sparse. So this year, I did the noble thing - I turned off the lights and took a nap.
Halloween sucks when you have a dog, too. Especially a dog who goes crazy when someone knocks on the door. It's not a good thing to have a dog who jumps children in costumes. Although maybe the extra costume material would protect them a bit.
Also, my house is cleaned up on the outside, but it looked so scary before. It was probably the one place that the children of Hermansville skipped when they went out on their "begging spree." I wouldn't expect any less of them this year either. The house looks better, but there's still a big mountain of construction rubble and dirty mattresses in the back yard.
I did catch the very beginning of the pre-set trick-or-treating session, which I believe was 4:30-7:00pm here. There were kids out in their scary outfits, and their mothers (or fathers - sorry - I'm really not racist) were driving alongside very slowly. What the heck?
When I was a kid, the only thing my mother worried about when I went trick-or-treating was that I would get cold. So, she would make me wear a jacket, which always made me angry because it covered my hallowed costume! She didn't drive alongside - she sat at home and gave out candy, like mothers were supposed to (I don't remember what the fathers did; I do remember that some hid behind bushes and jumped out at the passing kids. That would probably get you arrested today.). And we would go out on the town for what seemed like 8 hours, hitting all the nicer neighborhoods where we figured the candy would be best. Then we would get home, sit on the floor, and sort through our 28 pounds of candy. Ah, the early 80s. The rolls of Sweet Tarts were always cast aside, and there were hundreds of them. I don't know of anybody who really likes SweetTarts. But that was what everyone gave out back then.
Of course, I'm probably just looking back and romanticizing. We probably only tricked/treated for an hour, and I just remembered it seeming longer. And costumes were just terrible back then. Remember them, in their cardboard boxes with the clear fronts? Mine was usually something skeery like the Count from Sesame Street. The costume "kit" was comprised of a face-smothering mask with two teensy nostril holes, and you just secured it to your face with the attached rubber band, which pulled your hair. The other part of the costume was sort of like a plastic apron, printed with your alter ego's body. Do the stores still sell those things? I think they were sort of fazed out when I was about 10 or so. Probably because a lot of kids died from oxygen deprivation, or they just didn't like getting their hair tangled in that rubber band.
I wonder what the children of past days meant when they originated the term "Trick or Treat?" Did it mean that, if you didn't want to pass out candy, you could do a card trick or something? Or some sort of exotic dance? That would be fun. I can do a little bit of a generic English jig. Or I could get a "Sweatin' to the Oldies" video, dress up as Richard Simmons, and really put on a show. I bet the children of today would love to see a man covered in body oil and glitter, wearing a sequined tank top and terrycloth shorts, dancing wildly to the tune of "Surf City." Step-and-clap-and-jazzy-hands.
God, I hope there's no toilet paper to clean up in the morning. In a community as small as this, every household is probably muttering tonight, "that new sonuvabitch didn't even bother to hand out candy."
(If you think my long, neurotic rant on halloween customs is bad, wait until Christmas comes around. Good night.)
Here's that link again. Click here. Thanks.
Today was my day off, and it was Hallowe'en. I forgot to buy candy, because I didn't think ahead and figured I would be at work. Also, for the past two years I lived in an area where our closest neighbour was about 1/2 mile away, so trick-or-treaters were rather sparse. So this year, I did the noble thing - I turned off the lights and took a nap.
Halloween sucks when you have a dog, too. Especially a dog who goes crazy when someone knocks on the door. It's not a good thing to have a dog who jumps children in costumes. Although maybe the extra costume material would protect them a bit.
Also, my house is cleaned up on the outside, but it looked so scary before. It was probably the one place that the children of Hermansville skipped when they went out on their "begging spree." I wouldn't expect any less of them this year either. The house looks better, but there's still a big mountain of construction rubble and dirty mattresses in the back yard.
I did catch the very beginning of the pre-set trick-or-treating session, which I believe was 4:30-7:00pm here. There were kids out in their scary outfits, and their mothers (or fathers - sorry - I'm really not racist) were driving alongside very slowly. What the heck?
When I was a kid, the only thing my mother worried about when I went trick-or-treating was that I would get cold. So, she would make me wear a jacket, which always made me angry because it covered my hallowed costume! She didn't drive alongside - she sat at home and gave out candy, like mothers were supposed to (I don't remember what the fathers did; I do remember that some hid behind bushes and jumped out at the passing kids. That would probably get you arrested today.). And we would go out on the town for what seemed like 8 hours, hitting all the nicer neighborhoods where we figured the candy would be best. Then we would get home, sit on the floor, and sort through our 28 pounds of candy. Ah, the early 80s. The rolls of Sweet Tarts were always cast aside, and there were hundreds of them. I don't know of anybody who really likes SweetTarts. But that was what everyone gave out back then.
Of course, I'm probably just looking back and romanticizing. We probably only tricked/treated for an hour, and I just remembered it seeming longer. And costumes were just terrible back then. Remember them, in their cardboard boxes with the clear fronts? Mine was usually something skeery like the Count from Sesame Street. The costume "kit" was comprised of a face-smothering mask with two teensy nostril holes, and you just secured it to your face with the attached rubber band, which pulled your hair. The other part of the costume was sort of like a plastic apron, printed with your alter ego's body. Do the stores still sell those things? I think they were sort of fazed out when I was about 10 or so. Probably because a lot of kids died from oxygen deprivation, or they just didn't like getting their hair tangled in that rubber band.
I wonder what the children of past days meant when they originated the term "Trick or Treat?" Did it mean that, if you didn't want to pass out candy, you could do a card trick or something? Or some sort of exotic dance? That would be fun. I can do a little bit of a generic English jig. Or I could get a "Sweatin' to the Oldies" video, dress up as Richard Simmons, and really put on a show. I bet the children of today would love to see a man covered in body oil and glitter, wearing a sequined tank top and terrycloth shorts, dancing wildly to the tune of "Surf City." Step-and-clap-and-jazzy-hands.
God, I hope there's no toilet paper to clean up in the morning. In a community as small as this, every household is probably muttering tonight, "that new sonuvabitch didn't even bother to hand out candy."
(If you think my long, neurotic rant on halloween customs is bad, wait until Christmas comes around. Good night.)
29 October 2006
It's Fun To Share...
Did you know that there are millions of websites? Have you ever tried to explain to someone what the internet is? My mother, for example, has no clue as to what the world wide web entails. My friend Mary has just discovered it, and I have tried to show her some "new stuff" to get her going, along with teaching her the protocols of emailing (don't send stupid forwards, don't open spam, etc.)
Anyway, I always get excited when I come across a website that sparks my interest in a way that it hasn't been sparked before. Even the most ridiculous premise for a site can often be something that is interesting to spend 5 minutes a day looking at, or one hour, or whatever.
So here's a list of some interesting websites that I have discovered over the years. You may know some of them, you may see one that you think is insane, or you may not even care to look. But I think that, if you use the internet for nothing but email and looking for love, you are missing out.
Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive
This is one that I have known for years, and I hardly miss a day without checking it. If you don't like astronomy, you won't like this site, and I don't understand how anyone wouldn't like astronomy. Or maybe I'm just a dork.
Google Maps
Or Google Earth, which is a program. They are both very amazing. Even though it frightens me to think that there are cameras floating over the earth taking constant pictures, it's still too cool to pass up looking at your house from space.
Cockeyed.com
A bunch of twenty-somethings who carry out mundane science experiments. How long a box of spaghetti is if you lay it out end-to-end, for example. Very important stuff.
ilovebacon
5 minutes of daily weekday fun.
Disturbing Auctions
Exactly what you think. It's not updated often, but oh the insanity.
Feathersite.com
For those of you who know that I raised chickens for two years. I miss my chickies.
High-Speed Photography
Yep, that's what it is.
HowStuffWorks
For the genuinely curious.
Personality Tests and Tools
Find out just how crazy/normal you are.
The CIA World Factbook
Yes, the CIA. If you ever want to know something about a country, such as the number of cellphones in Finland, this is it.
Errowid's Psychoactive Vault
A huge database of info on every mind-altering drug out there, illicit or not. Did you know you can trip on nutmeg? Well, you would if you looked at this site. (No, I've never tripped on nutmeg.)
The Original Fannie Farmer Cookbook
If you like to cook. This resource from 1918 demonstrates how the culinary arts have progressed over the years.
Bible Gateway
Just about every bible in existence, in their full texts, in one spot. A good reference if you're hungry for a strange exotic meat, and you don't know if Moses approves - just look for Leviticus.
The Museum of Unnatural Mysteries
Fun stuff - ghosts, monsters, etc.
The Smoking Gun
If there's a celebrity scandal going on, you'll find it here. And lots of celebrity mugshots.
Snopes - Urban Legends Reference Pages
Probably the most useful site on the web.
The Straight Dope
My favorite site ever. Like one of those bathroom books, but on the web.
Engrish.com
If you don't know what Engrish is, you will soon. Just click.
Gizmo Richard's Tech Support Page
Very useful computer stuff.
airtoons
You know those cards on airplanes explaining how to use the barf bag, in pictures?
America's First Look into the Camera: the Daguerrotype
A most beautiful site. Hundreds of old, beautifully preserved photographs from the Library of Congress.
Create your own South Park Character
2 minutes of amusement.
Worster Album Covers Ever
You'll never see worster album covers. Ever.
The Barrow, Alaska Sea Ice Webcam
Updated hourly. There's something so intriguing to me about the northernmost town in the United States.
The Top Ten Best Ghost Photographs - Ever
Or at least, they're the best in his opinion. Anyway, they're skeery.
That's a few. Share your favorites too.
Douglas Modlin
Patient Access Representative
Dickinson County Healthcare System
(where I work)
Anyway, I always get excited when I come across a website that sparks my interest in a way that it hasn't been sparked before. Even the most ridiculous premise for a site can often be something that is interesting to spend 5 minutes a day looking at, or one hour, or whatever.
So here's a list of some interesting websites that I have discovered over the years. You may know some of them, you may see one that you think is insane, or you may not even care to look. But I think that, if you use the internet for nothing but email and looking for love, you are missing out.
Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive
This is one that I have known for years, and I hardly miss a day without checking it. If you don't like astronomy, you won't like this site, and I don't understand how anyone wouldn't like astronomy. Or maybe I'm just a dork.
Google Maps
Or Google Earth, which is a program. They are both very amazing. Even though it frightens me to think that there are cameras floating over the earth taking constant pictures, it's still too cool to pass up looking at your house from space.
Cockeyed.com
A bunch of twenty-somethings who carry out mundane science experiments. How long a box of spaghetti is if you lay it out end-to-end, for example. Very important stuff.
ilovebacon
5 minutes of daily weekday fun.
Disturbing Auctions
Exactly what you think. It's not updated often, but oh the insanity.
Feathersite.com
For those of you who know that I raised chickens for two years. I miss my chickies.
High-Speed Photography
Yep, that's what it is.
HowStuffWorks
For the genuinely curious.
Personality Tests and Tools
Find out just how crazy/normal you are.
The CIA World Factbook
Yes, the CIA. If you ever want to know something about a country, such as the number of cellphones in Finland, this is it.
Errowid's Psychoactive Vault
A huge database of info on every mind-altering drug out there, illicit or not. Did you know you can trip on nutmeg? Well, you would if you looked at this site. (No, I've never tripped on nutmeg.)
The Original Fannie Farmer Cookbook
If you like to cook. This resource from 1918 demonstrates how the culinary arts have progressed over the years.
Bible Gateway
Just about every bible in existence, in their full texts, in one spot. A good reference if you're hungry for a strange exotic meat, and you don't know if Moses approves - just look for Leviticus.
The Museum of Unnatural Mysteries
Fun stuff - ghosts, monsters, etc.
The Smoking Gun
If there's a celebrity scandal going on, you'll find it here. And lots of celebrity mugshots.
Snopes - Urban Legends Reference Pages
Probably the most useful site on the web.
The Straight Dope
My favorite site ever. Like one of those bathroom books, but on the web.
Engrish.com
If you don't know what Engrish is, you will soon. Just click.
Gizmo Richard's Tech Support Page
Very useful computer stuff.
airtoons
You know those cards on airplanes explaining how to use the barf bag, in pictures?
America's First Look into the Camera: the Daguerrotype
A most beautiful site. Hundreds of old, beautifully preserved photographs from the Library of Congress.
Create your own South Park Character
2 minutes of amusement.
Worster Album Covers Ever
You'll never see worster album covers. Ever.
The Barrow, Alaska Sea Ice Webcam
Updated hourly. There's something so intriguing to me about the northernmost town in the United States.
The Top Ten Best Ghost Photographs - Ever
Or at least, they're the best in his opinion. Anyway, they're skeery.
That's a few. Share your favorites too.
Douglas Modlin
Patient Access Representative
Dickinson County Healthcare System
(where I work)
27 October 2006
Of course....
I can't sleep. I had a day off, and now I'm out of whack again, and I can't sleep. Of all the humans on earth, I must be among the very elect few who can lay in bed for two hours and NOT fall asleep, and then sleep through the alarm for two hours.
This is why I've always been nervous about having daytime jobs, and why I'm glad that I only have two days left of getting up at 5am. Then my regular workday will start at 3pm, which is a much more pleasant time for me. In the meantime, I have two alarms set, plus an alarm on the computer that goes off very loud.
I am addicted to webcams right now. No, not what you're thinking! I mean webcams that are perched in various exotic places around the world, and that update every few minutes or so. I guess the appeal is that it's like you're there - witnessing the weather, the traffic, or whatever, in almost real time. Among my favorites - Barrow, Alaska (the northernmost city in the US. It is very dark and snowy there right now) and the Mount St. Helens webcam. You can find webcams like that everywhere - from Baghdad, to Stalingrad, to some dad's bedroom in North Carolina. No, I don't sit and stare at webcams for hours - I just like to check in on them from time to time. Try it - it's fun.
I have to do something about my water situation. I live in town, albeit in a very sparsely populated one. We don't have such a thing as "city water" here - it's all well water. My well is a "shallow point" well. That basically means that, once upon a time, somebody took thick pipe with a perforated point on it, and pounded it in to the ground until they hit water, and then hooked it up to the house. The average well is about 70 feet - mine is about 20. Anyway, my water might be safe, but I haven't risked it. It smells a bit like wet leaves - like what you'd smell alongside a little creek. And it has a tinge of yellow-red to it, and it is VERY HARD. The first time I used it for bathing was after I'd been here for a week or so - I had to install some new plumbing and a new pump to get it flowing, and then I had to repair all the seals in the bathtub/shower combo (it was gross.) Anyway, I've always used bar soap in the past - "body washes" just make me feel unclean, and bar soap is dependable and doesn't tip over. Well, I don't use bar soap anymore. My water is so hard, that the soap just sort of curdled - it didn't foam at all. My skin felt burnt, and after the shower there was a layer of cottage-cheese-like pellets of soap all over the bottom of the bathtub. Anyway, I compromised and gave in to using body wash, but I picked a manly kind called "Suave for Men". And I had to give up on showers, because it was like being pelted with hot snow pellets, so now I take all baths with a bit of Calgon mixed in (which is a water softener). I don't mind that too much, because I love baths.
But as far as drinking the water - nope, never going to happen. I've been lugging in water for two months now, and I haven't got a good system yet. I've thought about going for the whole "Culligan man" deal and having it delivered, but it's not cheap. But neither is buying a gallon at a time. Norway Spring is an option - it's an artesian well in Norway which just bubbles up through a rock formation and out a pipe, and the water is very good and everyone drinks it. But I never remember to bring jugs, and soon it will be frozen up.
Blah blah blah, as I try to make myself ready for some sleep.
Today was beautiful, but I think that's a sign that winter is heading in. It was 52 degrees, sunny, and just pleasant. Tomorrow is supposed to be snow with 40 mph winds. We have already had some snow, so it just seems like winter is going to be early this year, although they are saying it should be milder than normal. One nice thing about this area of the UP is that, though it is colder, we get less snow than along the shorelines. When I lived in Negaunee, which is about 80 miles north, we got 300 inches of snow one winter. Here we only average about 80 or so. Some of you are probably gasping - it sounds like a lot, but it kind of settles and packs down. Even still - that winter we had the 300 inches in Negaunee, the snow along the roadways was probably 8 feet deep, and I had to park in my front yard, so I shovelled EVERY FRICKING DAY and my car was basically parked in a tunnel by February. It snowed from October all the way through April - almost every day. I don't miss that. But I must say that I love a good snowstorm, as much as I love a thunderstorm. I wish we had more of those here.
Time for bed.............have to be up in six hours - wish I had some Ambien.........
This is why I've always been nervous about having daytime jobs, and why I'm glad that I only have two days left of getting up at 5am. Then my regular workday will start at 3pm, which is a much more pleasant time for me. In the meantime, I have two alarms set, plus an alarm on the computer that goes off very loud.
I am addicted to webcams right now. No, not what you're thinking! I mean webcams that are perched in various exotic places around the world, and that update every few minutes or so. I guess the appeal is that it's like you're there - witnessing the weather, the traffic, or whatever, in almost real time. Among my favorites - Barrow, Alaska (the northernmost city in the US. It is very dark and snowy there right now) and the Mount St. Helens webcam. You can find webcams like that everywhere - from Baghdad, to Stalingrad, to some dad's bedroom in North Carolina. No, I don't sit and stare at webcams for hours - I just like to check in on them from time to time. Try it - it's fun.
I have to do something about my water situation. I live in town, albeit in a very sparsely populated one. We don't have such a thing as "city water" here - it's all well water. My well is a "shallow point" well. That basically means that, once upon a time, somebody took thick pipe with a perforated point on it, and pounded it in to the ground until they hit water, and then hooked it up to the house. The average well is about 70 feet - mine is about 20. Anyway, my water might be safe, but I haven't risked it. It smells a bit like wet leaves - like what you'd smell alongside a little creek. And it has a tinge of yellow-red to it, and it is VERY HARD. The first time I used it for bathing was after I'd been here for a week or so - I had to install some new plumbing and a new pump to get it flowing, and then I had to repair all the seals in the bathtub/shower combo (it was gross.) Anyway, I've always used bar soap in the past - "body washes" just make me feel unclean, and bar soap is dependable and doesn't tip over. Well, I don't use bar soap anymore. My water is so hard, that the soap just sort of curdled - it didn't foam at all. My skin felt burnt, and after the shower there was a layer of cottage-cheese-like pellets of soap all over the bottom of the bathtub. Anyway, I compromised and gave in to using body wash, but I picked a manly kind called "Suave for Men". And I had to give up on showers, because it was like being pelted with hot snow pellets, so now I take all baths with a bit of Calgon mixed in (which is a water softener). I don't mind that too much, because I love baths.
But as far as drinking the water - nope, never going to happen. I've been lugging in water for two months now, and I haven't got a good system yet. I've thought about going for the whole "Culligan man" deal and having it delivered, but it's not cheap. But neither is buying a gallon at a time. Norway Spring is an option - it's an artesian well in Norway which just bubbles up through a rock formation and out a pipe, and the water is very good and everyone drinks it. But I never remember to bring jugs, and soon it will be frozen up.
Blah blah blah, as I try to make myself ready for some sleep.
Today was beautiful, but I think that's a sign that winter is heading in. It was 52 degrees, sunny, and just pleasant. Tomorrow is supposed to be snow with 40 mph winds. We have already had some snow, so it just seems like winter is going to be early this year, although they are saying it should be milder than normal. One nice thing about this area of the UP is that, though it is colder, we get less snow than along the shorelines. When I lived in Negaunee, which is about 80 miles north, we got 300 inches of snow one winter. Here we only average about 80 or so. Some of you are probably gasping - it sounds like a lot, but it kind of settles and packs down. Even still - that winter we had the 300 inches in Negaunee, the snow along the roadways was probably 8 feet deep, and I had to park in my front yard, so I shovelled EVERY FRICKING DAY and my car was basically parked in a tunnel by February. It snowed from October all the way through April - almost every day. I don't miss that. But I must say that I love a good snowstorm, as much as I love a thunderstorm. I wish we had more of those here.
Time for bed.............have to be up in six hours - wish I had some Ambien.........
26 October 2006
Gruel
I always loved that word, "gruel", especially the way they say it in the movie "Oliver!" Not the new "Oliver Twist" movie, because I haven't seen it and don't know if and how they say "gruel" in that one. My grandma used to say it but it didn't sound like it does in that movie.
Anyway, today was grueling. Is that the same root usage of that word? Am I even making sense in "English grammar speak?"
I have learned that Emergency Department work is a lot like pizza delivery (which I have VAST experience in.) You never know when it's suddenly going to get busy. Today we had waves of business, if you would call it that in "hospital speak." Several admits from ED to inpatient; several outpatient O/B patients. Poor little old ladies with weakness, and the hordes of people with sore toes and sore throats. And for each of those people, there is an initial amount of paperwork that would fill a small three-ring binder. And then more paperwork is added by the nurse, and then by the doctor, and then by the HUC, etc. Computers don't reduce the paperwork - they add to it. I bet the ED department goes through the equivalent of about 3 boxes of copier paper a day. And that is not an overstatement.
In ED admission, we primarily use a program called MSA, which is an interdepartmental program with many levels of usage. Basically it's a DOS-type program, probably from the mid-80s, and it's horrendous. It's nice and fast, because of course we have much faster computers now than in the days when this program was invented. But when you are used to Windows (or Mac) and you have to learn a whole program based on function keys and dot-file and different shift-key functions, you might as well have started with no computer experience whatsoever.
And insurance in this country is a nightmare. Just absolutely ridiculous. Michigan has about 30 different Medicaid programs, and there are Medicare policies mixed with Blue Cross, and Wisconsin Blue and Wausau this and Humana that. In the healthcare business, you can't just take an insurance card, enter the number, and automatically get what you need. You have to know EXACTLY how each benefit program works (or how you work that program) and everything has to be entered exactly, letter for letter, or else there's a problem. At least, that's what I'm being told.
And medical terminology, which I know quite well since EMT class, is nothing compared to insurance terminology and hospital speak. I still don't know the difference between a "Physician Biller Copy" and a "Physician Copy", or whether the "Medical Records Copy" gets stapled to the "ROI" or to the "Consent to Treat:" form. I was never good with paperwork, because when my eyes look at a paper full of codes and data, they tend to glaze and cross. And I still misfire on the damn automatic stapler.
Working in the ED is fun though, and can be humorous, gross, and educational all at the same time. When you sit down to register a young lady and the nurse hands you their triage form, which says "Possible Foreign Body Embedded In Vagina", you can't laugh, you can't wince, and you can't say "ouch!" You have to just be sincere and pleasant, and act like you're selling a t-shirt or something. And believe me, I have nothing but sympathy for a girl of 19 years old, who comes into the emergency room in pain (or perhaps itchy) because she might have something stuck up her hoo-hah. I just can't react to it. Which isn't hard most of the time. Except I do sometimes have a little devil in my head saying "you're gonna laugh! You're gonna smile! Ha ha ha ha haaaa haaaa........" and I know that devil is going to come out from time to time and taunt me.
People come into the Emergency Department with all sorts of afflictions and complaints, and about half of those are ridiculous. Ridicuolous because if you go to Emergency with a sore throat, your bill is 800 dollars, base, no matter what. If you go to your family doctor, you can probably save about 740 dollars. If you go to Walmart and buy Sucrets and generic Tylenol, you can save an even further 55.
And I know I have run myself to the ED before with a sore throat. So I'm an idiot too. But it feels so important! I have to go to bed. Good night.
Anyway, today was grueling. Is that the same root usage of that word? Am I even making sense in "English grammar speak?"
I have learned that Emergency Department work is a lot like pizza delivery (which I have VAST experience in.) You never know when it's suddenly going to get busy. Today we had waves of business, if you would call it that in "hospital speak." Several admits from ED to inpatient; several outpatient O/B patients. Poor little old ladies with weakness, and the hordes of people with sore toes and sore throats. And for each of those people, there is an initial amount of paperwork that would fill a small three-ring binder. And then more paperwork is added by the nurse, and then by the doctor, and then by the HUC, etc. Computers don't reduce the paperwork - they add to it. I bet the ED department goes through the equivalent of about 3 boxes of copier paper a day. And that is not an overstatement.
In ED admission, we primarily use a program called MSA, which is an interdepartmental program with many levels of usage. Basically it's a DOS-type program, probably from the mid-80s, and it's horrendous. It's nice and fast, because of course we have much faster computers now than in the days when this program was invented. But when you are used to Windows (or Mac) and you have to learn a whole program based on function keys and dot-file and different shift-key functions, you might as well have started with no computer experience whatsoever.
And insurance in this country is a nightmare. Just absolutely ridiculous. Michigan has about 30 different Medicaid programs, and there are Medicare policies mixed with Blue Cross, and Wisconsin Blue and Wausau this and Humana that. In the healthcare business, you can't just take an insurance card, enter the number, and automatically get what you need. You have to know EXACTLY how each benefit program works (or how you work that program) and everything has to be entered exactly, letter for letter, or else there's a problem. At least, that's what I'm being told.
And medical terminology, which I know quite well since EMT class, is nothing compared to insurance terminology and hospital speak. I still don't know the difference between a "Physician Biller Copy" and a "Physician Copy", or whether the "Medical Records Copy" gets stapled to the "ROI" or to the "Consent to Treat:" form. I was never good with paperwork, because when my eyes look at a paper full of codes and data, they tend to glaze and cross. And I still misfire on the damn automatic stapler.
Working in the ED is fun though, and can be humorous, gross, and educational all at the same time. When you sit down to register a young lady and the nurse hands you their triage form, which says "Possible Foreign Body Embedded In Vagina", you can't laugh, you can't wince, and you can't say "ouch!" You have to just be sincere and pleasant, and act like you're selling a t-shirt or something. And believe me, I have nothing but sympathy for a girl of 19 years old, who comes into the emergency room in pain (or perhaps itchy) because she might have something stuck up her hoo-hah. I just can't react to it. Which isn't hard most of the time. Except I do sometimes have a little devil in my head saying "you're gonna laugh! You're gonna smile! Ha ha ha ha haaaa haaaa........" and I know that devil is going to come out from time to time and taunt me.
People come into the Emergency Department with all sorts of afflictions and complaints, and about half of those are ridiculous. Ridicuolous because if you go to Emergency with a sore throat, your bill is 800 dollars, base, no matter what. If you go to your family doctor, you can probably save about 740 dollars. If you go to Walmart and buy Sucrets and generic Tylenol, you can save an even further 55.
And I know I have run myself to the ED before with a sore throat. So I'm an idiot too. But it feels so important! I have to go to bed. Good night.
First, read this news article - apparently this woman shot herself in the stomach to perform her own abortion; she was charged with illegal abortion which was dismissed...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter/story?id=2585102
I found it linked to from ilovebacon.com.
Anyway, abortion isn't one of my "issues" that I think about much (just like the issues that I worry about don't worry the pro-life people.) But this one was a full-term pregnancy, and just the brutality of it makes it bizarre and different than your average clinic abortion. I'm too tired to think much about it now, but I just thought it was worth passing on, to see how it would affect people's opinions to see something like this.
Personally, I would have to say that this woman was legally INSANE anyway, so that would prove her to be not guilty. Anybody with a drop of sanity in their head isn't going to put a gun to their swollen stomach and pull the trigger. But that isn't even why the charge was dropped, which makes it even more bizarre. Coat hangers are one thing, but a bullet is quite another.
Anyway, I'm tired, I gotta sleep, but I thought I'd put that one out there. Good night kids........oh, I got caught in a lie today - kinda funny - I gotta stop doing that...........
p.s. Sometimes this myspace thing works so crappy. Hey, did anyone catch Bush speaking today about how he uses "the Google" and "the internets" and really didn't have a clue what he was talking about? Rather funny...
I found it linked to from ilovebacon.com.
Anyway, abortion isn't one of my "issues" that I think about much (just like the issues that I worry about don't worry the pro-life people.) But this one was a full-term pregnancy, and just the brutality of it makes it bizarre and different than your average clinic abortion. I'm too tired to think much about it now, but I just thought it was worth passing on, to see how it would affect people's opinions to see something like this.
Personally, I would have to say that this woman was legally INSANE anyway, so that would prove her to be not guilty. Anybody with a drop of sanity in their head isn't going to put a gun to their swollen stomach and pull the trigger. But that isn't even why the charge was dropped, which makes it even more bizarre. Coat hangers are one thing, but a bullet is quite another.
Anyway, I'm tired, I gotta sleep, but I thought I'd put that one out there. Good night kids........oh, I got caught in a lie today - kinda funny - I gotta stop doing that...........
p.s. Sometimes this myspace thing works so crappy. Hey, did anyone catch Bush speaking today about how he uses "the Google" and "the internets" and really didn't have a clue what he was talking about? Rather funny...
25 October 2006
Oh My F'ing God Almighty
I don't know if I can stay in this country much longer. I have never seen as much hatred as I have today online about Michael J. Fox and his ad in Missouri. Just evil, mean-spirited hatred. Many of these people claim to be Christians too. It makes me feel dirty that I live in a nation with so many people who claim themselves to be "freedom lovin'" while at the same time they spread pure hate. Repulsive.
If you disagree with his ad, that's great! Just don't be fucking indecent.
If you disagree with his ad, that's great! Just don't be fucking indecent.
24 October 2006
Dreary
As much as I should just accept winter as a reality of living up here, I always dread it. This year, we have had an early, rude welcome to it; the last three days have been miserably cold, windy, and SNOWY. We aren't even halfway through October and I have about an inch of snow on my back porch. Saturday is supposed to be in the low 40s but still snowy/rainy, and Sunday should be nice - 50 and sunny.
The first night that it was cold - I believe on wednesday - the temperature was about 25. I got home at 6:30am and could see right away that my house is extremely DRAFTY - probably from the settling (a nice way of saying my house is crooked.) I did a quick inspection to figure out where all the cold air was coming in, and found that all around the baseboards, there is a draft. I did a temporary "fix" by taking dirty clothes and piling them along the base of the walls, so that my bedroom wasn't refrigerator-like. My front door has a crack all the way around - sun pouring in - and I stuffed that with plastic bags. Anyway, later in the day, after some much-needed sleep - I went to Home Depot and purchased some insulation foam tape and went around the baseboards, and I still have a lot of work to do in the area of insulating.
Anyway, all these weather problems have hindered my house renovations. Apart from the fact that it has been too cold and wet to paint, it has also been cold, ugly, and windy, which just makes the thought of working outside unbearable. Thursday I was going to continue sealing around the base of the house, and put the siding on the front of my "playhouse" (my little outbuilding, which I have yet to find the right name for), but once I started a project, it either didn't work out because of the cold, or else I myself was about to freeze. Early in the season, I always feel like a wuss because it takes me some time to adapt to the cold. Come February, a day where the high hits 30 degrees will feel balmy. Right now, it feels like death.
All this is complicated by the fact that I was offered, and accepted, a new job which starts next wednesday. It is at the hospital - a full-time position as a Patient Access Representative (registration) in the Emergency Department. It is a 3-11pm job, which fits my lifestyle pretty well. The job pays well - about 2 dollars an hour more than my present job to start - and it comes with every benefit you can think of, because it's union. I get free health insurance, 2 weeks of paid time off my first year, inconvenience pay for all sorts of things, and I will be generally much better off financially.
Anyway, I am happy about this, and I am also extremely unhappy. I love my current job. It's my favorite job ever. But there is a problem - I am only part-time. And not only just part-time, but "special part-time", which just means that I am part time but without any benefits. I do still get a yearly bonus (this year I got 420 bucks, whereas the full time people got as much as $5000) but that's the only benefit. And it always has seemed that it would be a long time in the waiting to get a full-time job there. And like the hospital, the benefits of full-time at Northpointe (my current workplace) are pretty good - not quite as good as the hospital's - but good.
The day after I put in my 2-week notice, a new job was posted for the house I work at - full-time. It was a new position created because I was leaving, and I guess my boss was given permission to add another full-time staff to our house. I didn't know what to think at first, but I did end up applying for it. I am not first in line for that job, but I do have some merit above some of the people above me, and it's not IMPOSSIBLE that this position could be offered to me. The decision will be made on the 16th, which is the day before my last day there.
ARGGHHHH!!!! I really want to stay put at Northpointe, and I'm in a quandry. Several people have said they would put in a good word for me to stay and get the new position. I mentioned to my sister that there was this new opening - she said she would be embarassed if i backed out of the hospital job. My mother just got mad. So my happiness is less important than their embarassment and me making lots of money. Ho hum.
Anyway, all of this is just preliminary - I went and had all my testing (drug and blood) today and did my paperwork, so I am all set to start working this next wednesday. And if I should happen to get offered the job at Northpointe, I don't know what I'll do. I am established there - been there for 3 years - and most of my friends are at that job. I've had to start over so many fucking times in my life, and I wasn't planning on doing it again. But so it happens, and so I go nuts. Come wednesday, my future is going to change, and I'm not prepared for it.
The first night that it was cold - I believe on wednesday - the temperature was about 25. I got home at 6:30am and could see right away that my house is extremely DRAFTY - probably from the settling (a nice way of saying my house is crooked.) I did a quick inspection to figure out where all the cold air was coming in, and found that all around the baseboards, there is a draft. I did a temporary "fix" by taking dirty clothes and piling them along the base of the walls, so that my bedroom wasn't refrigerator-like. My front door has a crack all the way around - sun pouring in - and I stuffed that with plastic bags. Anyway, later in the day, after some much-needed sleep - I went to Home Depot and purchased some insulation foam tape and went around the baseboards, and I still have a lot of work to do in the area of insulating.
Anyway, all these weather problems have hindered my house renovations. Apart from the fact that it has been too cold and wet to paint, it has also been cold, ugly, and windy, which just makes the thought of working outside unbearable. Thursday I was going to continue sealing around the base of the house, and put the siding on the front of my "playhouse" (my little outbuilding, which I have yet to find the right name for), but once I started a project, it either didn't work out because of the cold, or else I myself was about to freeze. Early in the season, I always feel like a wuss because it takes me some time to adapt to the cold. Come February, a day where the high hits 30 degrees will feel balmy. Right now, it feels like death.
All this is complicated by the fact that I was offered, and accepted, a new job which starts next wednesday. It is at the hospital - a full-time position as a Patient Access Representative (registration) in the Emergency Department. It is a 3-11pm job, which fits my lifestyle pretty well. The job pays well - about 2 dollars an hour more than my present job to start - and it comes with every benefit you can think of, because it's union. I get free health insurance, 2 weeks of paid time off my first year, inconvenience pay for all sorts of things, and I will be generally much better off financially.
Anyway, I am happy about this, and I am also extremely unhappy. I love my current job. It's my favorite job ever. But there is a problem - I am only part-time. And not only just part-time, but "special part-time", which just means that I am part time but without any benefits. I do still get a yearly bonus (this year I got 420 bucks, whereas the full time people got as much as $5000) but that's the only benefit. And it always has seemed that it would be a long time in the waiting to get a full-time job there. And like the hospital, the benefits of full-time at Northpointe (my current workplace) are pretty good - not quite as good as the hospital's - but good.
The day after I put in my 2-week notice, a new job was posted for the house I work at - full-time. It was a new position created because I was leaving, and I guess my boss was given permission to add another full-time staff to our house. I didn't know what to think at first, but I did end up applying for it. I am not first in line for that job, but I do have some merit above some of the people above me, and it's not IMPOSSIBLE that this position could be offered to me. The decision will be made on the 16th, which is the day before my last day there.
ARGGHHHH!!!! I really want to stay put at Northpointe, and I'm in a quandry. Several people have said they would put in a good word for me to stay and get the new position. I mentioned to my sister that there was this new opening - she said she would be embarassed if i backed out of the hospital job. My mother just got mad. So my happiness is less important than their embarassment and me making lots of money. Ho hum.
Anyway, all of this is just preliminary - I went and had all my testing (drug and blood) today and did my paperwork, so I am all set to start working this next wednesday. And if I should happen to get offered the job at Northpointe, I don't know what I'll do. I am established there - been there for 3 years - and most of my friends are at that job. I've had to start over so many fucking times in my life, and I wasn't planning on doing it again. But so it happens, and so I go nuts. Come wednesday, my future is going to change, and I'm not prepared for it.
22 October 2006
Subject Things I don't understand
I was driving a lot today, like always, so of course I did a lot of thinking, like always. My mind is just like a tornado - twisted and storming......
Anyway, I was thinking of things that people do, or believe, or whatnot, that I just don't comprehend. I mean, we all have our personal opinions, and of course I respect that. I can also listen to other people's opinions from a very objective stance and not even try to come up with an argument.
But some things - hmmm, I don't know.
So......
I don't understand -
People who have been internet-savvy for more than a year or so, and yet they still send forwards and spam, and crap like that! It is worthless crap, and you are not going to get rich if you forward a "shining leopard angel" to 10 people. And your phone won't ring.
People who say "I'm an easy-going person" in their profiles. Because I've come to realize that those are the people who are NEVER easy-going.
People who name their pets names like "Oreo" and "Snickers" or any name this is not a name. If you can't think of a name for your pet, just make one up! Something like Pokalongo would be nice, and there's always nicknames, kids.
On the subject of pets - people who say they don't like cats! I can understand if you have a severe allergy, or were traumatized by a panther-like beast at a neighbor's house as a small child. But cats are, in my opinion, sweet, soft, and easy. If your cat isn't, then you did something wrong.
People who can still listen to something that comes out of George W. Bush's mouth and say to themselves, "Hmmm, I really like where this guy is coming from!" Truly baffling.
People who enjoy wearing flip-flops. To me, they are weird-feeling, and I always feel like I'm walking faggy or something. And that noise is just plan wretched.
How anyone can work a job that is essentially the same thing every day, all day, for years and years. I don't mean just your average boring job, because ALL jobs are boring in some way or another. I mean a job where someone pushes a button, pulls a switch, take it out, push button, pull switch, take out, etc., etc. I have known people who worked the same factory job for 15 years or more, and I don't know why they are still sane and living.
Anyone who can sit with a remote control, flipping, and find some movie they have never seen, or an hour-long drama, and start watching it RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. This one really bugs me, because then I feel like I have to sit and work in my head, trying to figure out what was happening before I started watching. Argh.
Women (and some men, too) who dye their hair constantly, changing colors, until it appears sort of blue-tinted, purplish-blond with brown highlights and lays flat like egg noodles. Or men who don't shave between their eyebrows if they REALLY need to. Maybe I just want that level of self-esteem....
People who can drive slow, all the time. Being defensive is okay. But here in the U.P, where there is no such thing as interstate highways, people (older people generally, but all types) will go 50 mph down the highway, while the traffic just bogs up behind them, and not realizing they are pissing off at least a few of those people!
Anyone who hasn't gotten over the "country" style of 80s decorating. Or, for that matter, people who give candles to everyone as gifts.
People who can take cheese out of the refrigerator, and see that there's mold on it, and then cut the mold off and still eat the cheese! I have read that there are "roots" that grow from mold, deep into the cheese. Or maybe someone was fucking with me, I don't know. It's still gross.
People who can go all day, or for hours and hours, without having something to drink. Water, coffee, pop, whatever. My mouth would feel like it was full of powder and toothpaste mixed together, ugh.
Anyone who thinks that "profile jewelry" or "glitter graphics" are pretty, or cool, or whatever. If you don't know what I mean, then look it up. It's repulsive.
That's it for the day. I have to try to wake up by 5 in the morning to go to work, and I'm skeered, because I don't do well with mornings. Good night.
(yes, it's a glitter graphic. Poopy ucky.)
Anyway, I was thinking of things that people do, or believe, or whatnot, that I just don't comprehend. I mean, we all have our personal opinions, and of course I respect that. I can also listen to other people's opinions from a very objective stance and not even try to come up with an argument.
But some things - hmmm, I don't know.
So......
I don't understand -
People who have been internet-savvy for more than a year or so, and yet they still send forwards and spam, and crap like that! It is worthless crap, and you are not going to get rich if you forward a "shining leopard angel" to 10 people. And your phone won't ring.
People who say "I'm an easy-going person" in their profiles. Because I've come to realize that those are the people who are NEVER easy-going.
People who name their pets names like "Oreo" and "Snickers" or any name this is not a name. If you can't think of a name for your pet, just make one up! Something like Pokalongo would be nice, and there's always nicknames, kids.
On the subject of pets - people who say they don't like cats! I can understand if you have a severe allergy, or were traumatized by a panther-like beast at a neighbor's house as a small child. But cats are, in my opinion, sweet, soft, and easy. If your cat isn't, then you did something wrong.
People who can still listen to something that comes out of George W. Bush's mouth and say to themselves, "Hmmm, I really like where this guy is coming from!" Truly baffling.
People who enjoy wearing flip-flops. To me, they are weird-feeling, and I always feel like I'm walking faggy or something. And that noise is just plan wretched.
How anyone can work a job that is essentially the same thing every day, all day, for years and years. I don't mean just your average boring job, because ALL jobs are boring in some way or another. I mean a job where someone pushes a button, pulls a switch, take it out, push button, pull switch, take out, etc., etc. I have known people who worked the same factory job for 15 years or more, and I don't know why they are still sane and living.
Anyone who can sit with a remote control, flipping, and find some movie they have never seen, or an hour-long drama, and start watching it RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. This one really bugs me, because then I feel like I have to sit and work in my head, trying to figure out what was happening before I started watching. Argh.
Women (and some men, too) who dye their hair constantly, changing colors, until it appears sort of blue-tinted, purplish-blond with brown highlights and lays flat like egg noodles. Or men who don't shave between their eyebrows if they REALLY need to. Maybe I just want that level of self-esteem....
People who can drive slow, all the time. Being defensive is okay. But here in the U.P, where there is no such thing as interstate highways, people (older people generally, but all types) will go 50 mph down the highway, while the traffic just bogs up behind them, and not realizing they are pissing off at least a few of those people!
Anyone who hasn't gotten over the "country" style of 80s decorating. Or, for that matter, people who give candles to everyone as gifts.
People who can take cheese out of the refrigerator, and see that there's mold on it, and then cut the mold off and still eat the cheese! I have read that there are "roots" that grow from mold, deep into the cheese. Or maybe someone was fucking with me, I don't know. It's still gross.
People who can go all day, or for hours and hours, without having something to drink. Water, coffee, pop, whatever. My mouth would feel like it was full of powder and toothpaste mixed together, ugh.
Anyone who thinks that "profile jewelry" or "glitter graphics" are pretty, or cool, or whatever. If you don't know what I mean, then look it up. It's repulsive.
That's it for the day. I have to try to wake up by 5 in the morning to go to work, and I'm skeered, because I don't do well with mornings. Good night.
(yes, it's a glitter graphic. Poopy ucky.)
20 October 2006
Watch out for falling prices! ouch
Today was payday, so I went to Walmart. The two go hand in hand - I get money, and I go to Walmart to buy things. Not to buy GREAT things, but just things. Like toilet paper, printer paper, dog food, me food, etc.
Anyway, when I left Walmart, I felt like I had just been raped. In more ways than one. First, half my paycheck was gone. Granted, it was for things I needed and/or wanted - I finally bought an all-in-one printer because I desperately needed to print out some documents for my emt license. And I just wanted a printer.
Second, it was PAYDAY. For more than just ME. Apparently the whole city of Iron Mountain gets paid the same day, and heads to Walmart. Not only that - today must've been "Bring your oldest relative or someone in a wheelchair to Walmart and you'll get a 2 percent discount" day. I know - I'm super mean. But honestly, I haven't seen that many seniors and quadriplegics in a lonnggg time. And those two subtypes of human beings like to take their precious time. I am a horrible shopper. I know what I want, I go get what I want, and I leave. But today that was impossible, and I feel raped.
And Walmart didn't have ANYTHING I wanted today. I do not like to buy clothes there, except for under-t-shirts and things like that. Well, I really wanted a couple long-sleeve white t-shirts, to wear underneath other shirts. I really like that combo. There was not a single white long-sleeve t-shirt in Walmart. OK, I take that back. There were three of them - one medium, and two 3XL. I require a large. Grrrr.
So I finally thought to myself, hey, ok now. Calm. I will just kick myself in the head, and go forth with the plan that has been stored in my brain for years - to boycott Walmart and go elsewhere. Really, I would LOVE to do that. And I actually tried it today. I went to JcPenney (not my favorite store, but we are limited here.) There were no long-sleeve white t-shirts. I did buy a pair of Haggar khakis and a shirt for 2.97. Then I went to Shopko (the "Wanna-be-Target" of the upper midwest.) They had no long-sleeve white t-shirts either. I bought a hoody.
So how do we get around this evil, corrupt Walmart beast? I guess the only way to do it here, in the forest, is to go to stores which are slightly more user-friendly, but just as crappy. I almost went to this store today called CJ's Ultimate Outlet. They sell odds and ends of 'designer' merchandise at huge discounts! So they say. One time I went there, and I looked at a set of pots and pans, and almost vomited when I noticed there was food burnt onto the bottom of one of them. I can't imagine what is lurking in their clothing.
My main reason for wanting to boycott Walmart is their policies toward their workers, and their total lack of disrespect and almost mafia-like control over the manufacturers of America (and the world, for that matter.) When the Supercenter was built here, about 3 years ago, they were hiring new staff on at $5.30 an hour. Wages are low up here, but for the richest corporation in America to pay employees less than the fast food joints (McDonald's was paying over $6.00 to start) is just a crime. And sadly, many people had no choice but to go and apply there, because the job market up here is always bad.
Walmart does their deposit every night, and an armored truck comes and takes that deposit straight to Arkansas, and nothing is left here. They make contracts with companies like Levi-Strauss, and demand a low-quality product at a price so low that it has to be made in one of the poorest nations. They drill into the American public through their ads that they are user-friendly, eco-friendly, concerned about the USA and the World, concerned about the poor and needy, and trying hard to do their best. But the lines are always too long. Never enough people working. And when they get sued by their own over-extended employees, they keep the litigations going forever so they don't ever end up paying anything out. A Walmart Supercenter moves into a town, makes everyone happy for a month, then turns into Harriet Oleson and closes down the competition. (A bad analogy - because I actually love Harriet Oleson.)
In other words, they rape us. All of us. And keep us going back with those cute, bubbly little "falling prices." When Garth Brooks sold out to Walmart, I just about threw in the towel. But now it's like war, where a soldier gets so used to seeing death that they don't even react to it anymore. Nothing Walmart does now would ever surprise me.
Why do I rant? At almost 3 in the morning? By the way, Happy Birthday to John Krasinski, actor on "The Office", which is the best show ever. Scene!
Anyway, when I left Walmart, I felt like I had just been raped. In more ways than one. First, half my paycheck was gone. Granted, it was for things I needed and/or wanted - I finally bought an all-in-one printer because I desperately needed to print out some documents for my emt license. And I just wanted a printer.
Second, it was PAYDAY. For more than just ME. Apparently the whole city of Iron Mountain gets paid the same day, and heads to Walmart. Not only that - today must've been "Bring your oldest relative or someone in a wheelchair to Walmart and you'll get a 2 percent discount" day. I know - I'm super mean. But honestly, I haven't seen that many seniors and quadriplegics in a lonnggg time. And those two subtypes of human beings like to take their precious time. I am a horrible shopper. I know what I want, I go get what I want, and I leave. But today that was impossible, and I feel raped.
And Walmart didn't have ANYTHING I wanted today. I do not like to buy clothes there, except for under-t-shirts and things like that. Well, I really wanted a couple long-sleeve white t-shirts, to wear underneath other shirts. I really like that combo. There was not a single white long-sleeve t-shirt in Walmart. OK, I take that back. There were three of them - one medium, and two 3XL. I require a large. Grrrr.
So I finally thought to myself, hey, ok now. Calm. I will just kick myself in the head, and go forth with the plan that has been stored in my brain for years - to boycott Walmart and go elsewhere. Really, I would LOVE to do that. And I actually tried it today. I went to JcPenney (not my favorite store, but we are limited here.) There were no long-sleeve white t-shirts. I did buy a pair of Haggar khakis and a shirt for 2.97. Then I went to Shopko (the "Wanna-be-Target" of the upper midwest.) They had no long-sleeve white t-shirts either. I bought a hoody.
So how do we get around this evil, corrupt Walmart beast? I guess the only way to do it here, in the forest, is to go to stores which are slightly more user-friendly, but just as crappy. I almost went to this store today called CJ's Ultimate Outlet. They sell odds and ends of 'designer' merchandise at huge discounts! So they say. One time I went there, and I looked at a set of pots and pans, and almost vomited when I noticed there was food burnt onto the bottom of one of them. I can't imagine what is lurking in their clothing.
My main reason for wanting to boycott Walmart is their policies toward their workers, and their total lack of disrespect and almost mafia-like control over the manufacturers of America (and the world, for that matter.) When the Supercenter was built here, about 3 years ago, they were hiring new staff on at $5.30 an hour. Wages are low up here, but for the richest corporation in America to pay employees less than the fast food joints (McDonald's was paying over $6.00 to start) is just a crime. And sadly, many people had no choice but to go and apply there, because the job market up here is always bad.
Walmart does their deposit every night, and an armored truck comes and takes that deposit straight to Arkansas, and nothing is left here. They make contracts with companies like Levi-Strauss, and demand a low-quality product at a price so low that it has to be made in one of the poorest nations. They drill into the American public through their ads that they are user-friendly, eco-friendly, concerned about the USA and the World, concerned about the poor and needy, and trying hard to do their best. But the lines are always too long. Never enough people working. And when they get sued by their own over-extended employees, they keep the litigations going forever so they don't ever end up paying anything out. A Walmart Supercenter moves into a town, makes everyone happy for a month, then turns into Harriet Oleson and closes down the competition. (A bad analogy - because I actually love Harriet Oleson.)
In other words, they rape us. All of us. And keep us going back with those cute, bubbly little "falling prices." When Garth Brooks sold out to Walmart, I just about threw in the towel. But now it's like war, where a soldier gets so used to seeing death that they don't even react to it anymore. Nothing Walmart does now would ever surprise me.
Why do I rant? At almost 3 in the morning? By the way, Happy Birthday to John Krasinski, actor on "The Office", which is the best show ever. Scene!
19 October 2006
I am not a morning person
So I started this new job. Today was my second (and last) orientation session, which started at 8am. Being that my prior job was midnight shifts (10-6) I was rather nervous about the whole pre-sunrise thing. And I am not a morning person.
Anyway, yesterday I did fine - got up early, went to orientation, then, like the smart person that I am, came home and went to bed at 7pm. Very stupid, because I woke up at 11pm and was wide awake. Finally at about 4 I was asleep again, with the alarm set for the wee hour of 6:30.
I AM a very punctual person, so when I woke up at 7:30am, I had a fit. I don't know how I do it, but I can sleep through a screeching alarm clock for an hour without even budging. It takes me about 25-30 minutes to get to my new job, so I basically threw on some clothing and ran out the door. Which is disgusting. Because I hate leaving the house like that - first of all, I was unshowered. Second, I didn't even have a chance to properly wake up.
Luckily, I had an excuse to use. My sister was having her baby this morning. And I work at the hospital. I called en route to work, and was informed by my dad that my sister was going into delivery at that very moment (by c-section - it was a breeched birth.) So I had it all ready in my mind for when I walked in late - "Sorry, my sister is having her baby RIGHT NOW and I had to go see what was going on." Anyway, nobody even CARED that I was late, and when I did finally tell them (it came up in conversation) that was the subject of the day - my sister's baby. He (Oliver Quinn Tarchoun - I have a very pessimistic view of that first name) weighed 8 pounds on the dot, and was 19 inches long. I went and saw him, but through the window. He's very cute - I guess c-section babies usually are cuter than those born via the "tunnel", at least for the first few days. Less trauma. My sister was doing fine, although sore.
Anyway, I am starting to finally get a little excited about my new job. I'm not going to be rich by any exorbitant means, but I will be making quite a bit more than I was. And being that it is a union job (Patient Access Representative in the Emergency Department - my official title) it comes with some killer benefits - free health insurance, pension, what have you. The hours I will be working will be 3-11pm, which, for an emergency room, is the busiest time of day. I can wear my choice of dress-up clothes (yikes) or scrubs (yay), so I guess I can be all fancy one week, scrubby the next. I start regular shifts on monday, but the first week I am training on AM shift (7-3pm.)
So, this weekend I will be buying a new alarm clock. Maybe two.
I just deleted someone from my friends list, because they sent a bulletin that said something along the lines of this -
"YOU HAVE 99 SECONDS TO POST THE TOWN AND STATE YOU WERE BORN IN. IF YOU IGNORE THIS MESSAGE YOU WILL LOSE SOMEONE YOU LOVE OR WHO IS CLOSE TO YOU."
I deleted that "friend", because I am superstitious as all hell, and that sort of thing just scares my pants off! And I refuse to forward junk crap like that. Seriously, if I have a bad fight with someone, I will never wear the clothes that I was wearing that day again. That is one of my own made-up superstitious theories - that maybe my clothes started the whole fight. Damn clothes! We should just go naked. I am strange.
Anyway, yesterday I did fine - got up early, went to orientation, then, like the smart person that I am, came home and went to bed at 7pm. Very stupid, because I woke up at 11pm and was wide awake. Finally at about 4 I was asleep again, with the alarm set for the wee hour of 6:30.
I AM a very punctual person, so when I woke up at 7:30am, I had a fit. I don't know how I do it, but I can sleep through a screeching alarm clock for an hour without even budging. It takes me about 25-30 minutes to get to my new job, so I basically threw on some clothing and ran out the door. Which is disgusting. Because I hate leaving the house like that - first of all, I was unshowered. Second, I didn't even have a chance to properly wake up.
Luckily, I had an excuse to use. My sister was having her baby this morning. And I work at the hospital. I called en route to work, and was informed by my dad that my sister was going into delivery at that very moment (by c-section - it was a breeched birth.) So I had it all ready in my mind for when I walked in late - "Sorry, my sister is having her baby RIGHT NOW and I had to go see what was going on." Anyway, nobody even CARED that I was late, and when I did finally tell them (it came up in conversation) that was the subject of the day - my sister's baby. He (Oliver Quinn Tarchoun - I have a very pessimistic view of that first name) weighed 8 pounds on the dot, and was 19 inches long. I went and saw him, but through the window. He's very cute - I guess c-section babies usually are cuter than those born via the "tunnel", at least for the first few days. Less trauma. My sister was doing fine, although sore.
Anyway, I am starting to finally get a little excited about my new job. I'm not going to be rich by any exorbitant means, but I will be making quite a bit more than I was. And being that it is a union job (Patient Access Representative in the Emergency Department - my official title) it comes with some killer benefits - free health insurance, pension, what have you. The hours I will be working will be 3-11pm, which, for an emergency room, is the busiest time of day. I can wear my choice of dress-up clothes (yikes) or scrubs (yay), so I guess I can be all fancy one week, scrubby the next. I start regular shifts on monday, but the first week I am training on AM shift (7-3pm.)
So, this weekend I will be buying a new alarm clock. Maybe two.
I just deleted someone from my friends list, because they sent a bulletin that said something along the lines of this -
"YOU HAVE 99 SECONDS TO POST THE TOWN AND STATE YOU WERE BORN IN. IF YOU IGNORE THIS MESSAGE YOU WILL LOSE SOMEONE YOU LOVE OR WHO IS CLOSE TO YOU."
I deleted that "friend", because I am superstitious as all hell, and that sort of thing just scares my pants off! And I refuse to forward junk crap like that. Seriously, if I have a bad fight with someone, I will never wear the clothes that I was wearing that day again. That is one of my own made-up superstitious theories - that maybe my clothes started the whole fight. Damn clothes! We should just go naked. I am strange.
17 October 2006
Uh.........
Ok, I just did this demo thing on a website, where you upload a front-facing photograph of yourself, and they "analyze" it and then show you a list of celebrities who you resemble. Each is rated according to the most resemblance. Supposedly I look like Joe DiMaggio and Dave Navarro. I've heard the latter before, which is fine.
But according to this analysis, the celebrity I look the most like is THIS
woman......
Uncanny, isn't it?
I think I need to explore my roots a bit more...
But according to this analysis, the celebrity I look the most like is THIS
woman......
Uncanny, isn't it?
I think I need to explore my roots a bit more...
16 October 2006
Icky f-ing nasty weather and etc
This year, we had our first snow on October 12. What a joke this fall has been! We didn't even have a fall color season beyond a few days, because it got nasty and windy as soon as the leaves were turned, and they all blew away. I think I got one or two good photos, and that was it.
To tell the truth, I hate fall anyway. Everything dies. My pail of petunias, which were the only thing I cultivated this summer (after the big "breakup" that is) are still sort of hanging on, but they don't have much spunk left. And since I'm not used to the cold yet, sometimes I go outside when it's in the 30s and it HURTS. It takes some time to toughen up to it, and it only gets colder. Why civilization ever made it this far north is beyond me sometimes.
Anyway, all this shitty weather has interfered with my house renovations, which is okay anyway because I just haven't been in the mood. It seems like I start a reno-job, and then something happens, and then I just say "fuck it" and quit. Yesterday I was all set to put the siding on my shed, and then I realized I had lost the last driver bit for my drill, and never did find it. I got some other shit done, but not much. Although I did get the whole house primed, so at least it looks semi-ok. I mean, at least there's a layer of SOMETHING on it so it doesn't look like I live in an old barn.
Tonight is my last night at my job of 3 years, and I don't know how I'll handle it. I'm a little pissed off at the whole establishment in general, anyway, so in a way I'm leaving a little bitter. I wrote a nice 2-week notice, saying how much I'd miss the job and all, and I didn't even get a reply. Not even a "good for you Doug - now piss off." And I do believe I have put a lot into my work there that a lot of other people haven't, so I frankly feel like I'm leaving with the door hitting me in the head on the way out. But I do leave there with a lot of friends though, and it's not like I'm moving or anything - just changing jobs.
Anyway, the new job starts officially on wednesday, with two days of orientation. After that, I don't know any more details, except eventually I will be working 3-11, 5 evenings a week, in the emergency department. I worked one night in the ED when I was in emt training, and I didn't really enjoy myself, but then again I was just standing there watching for the most part.
Then there's all those stupid things that wander through my head. "Will they give enough cigarette breaks?" is one that is really dumb, but when you are a smoker, it really worries you! Goddamn cigarettes.
Anyway, as you can probably tell, I've been in a lousy, crappy, fuck-it-all kind of mood for the last few days. I guess I need a good dose of something. Too bad I don't enjoy drinking anymore! Anyway, enough rambling. I have to go get ready for my last hurrah at Pinewood.........I love anyone who read this whole thing! -D
To tell the truth, I hate fall anyway. Everything dies. My pail of petunias, which were the only thing I cultivated this summer (after the big "breakup" that is) are still sort of hanging on, but they don't have much spunk left. And since I'm not used to the cold yet, sometimes I go outside when it's in the 30s and it HURTS. It takes some time to toughen up to it, and it only gets colder. Why civilization ever made it this far north is beyond me sometimes.
Anyway, all this shitty weather has interfered with my house renovations, which is okay anyway because I just haven't been in the mood. It seems like I start a reno-job, and then something happens, and then I just say "fuck it" and quit. Yesterday I was all set to put the siding on my shed, and then I realized I had lost the last driver bit for my drill, and never did find it. I got some other shit done, but not much. Although I did get the whole house primed, so at least it looks semi-ok. I mean, at least there's a layer of SOMETHING on it so it doesn't look like I live in an old barn.
Tonight is my last night at my job of 3 years, and I don't know how I'll handle it. I'm a little pissed off at the whole establishment in general, anyway, so in a way I'm leaving a little bitter. I wrote a nice 2-week notice, saying how much I'd miss the job and all, and I didn't even get a reply. Not even a "good for you Doug - now piss off." And I do believe I have put a lot into my work there that a lot of other people haven't, so I frankly feel like I'm leaving with the door hitting me in the head on the way out. But I do leave there with a lot of friends though, and it's not like I'm moving or anything - just changing jobs.
Anyway, the new job starts officially on wednesday, with two days of orientation. After that, I don't know any more details, except eventually I will be working 3-11, 5 evenings a week, in the emergency department. I worked one night in the ED when I was in emt training, and I didn't really enjoy myself, but then again I was just standing there watching for the most part.
Then there's all those stupid things that wander through my head. "Will they give enough cigarette breaks?" is one that is really dumb, but when you are a smoker, it really worries you! Goddamn cigarettes.
Anyway, as you can probably tell, I've been in a lousy, crappy, fuck-it-all kind of mood for the last few days. I guess I need a good dose of something. Too bad I don't enjoy drinking anymore! Anyway, enough rambling. I have to go get ready for my last hurrah at Pinewood.........I love anyone who read this whole thing! -D
13 October 2006
10 October 2006
Blowing the Mind with Memory Gain
I just purchased some new memory for my computer (256 mb) and although I've done it before and am comfortable with installing it, it is an amazingly complicated pain in the ass to find out which kind to buy! I mean, everybody obviously knows the difference between DDR PC2700 and DDR PC3200 memory (duh), right? Oh good, I hoped not.
I woke up to 6 inches of snow tonight. Yes, I woke up tonight - I worked a midnight shift last night, and tomorrow I work at 9:30am. This means that I had a day off, but not a FULL day off, because I had to come home and sleep some, and tonight I have to sleep before going back to work. The problem is this - I went to bed at 8:30 this morning, set the alarm for 2:00; woke up at 2:30pm (2 snoozes); snuggled with the dog and cat(s) for a bit, and fell back asleep. So then I woke up at 6pm. A whole day wasted. Anyway, there was snow when I woke up - quite a bit of it - and I don't have a shovel yet. The average kitchen broom doesn't do a very good job on sidewalks.
Okay, so this is basically a crabby entry. We've all stepped in dogshit, right? Is there anything worse? I'm not talking about stepping BAREFOOT in dogshit. I mean, that's bad too - but a foot is easily washed. But when you step in canine fecal matter with a heavy-soled shoe, life is a bitch. Because I did it right before work last night, and I wanted to wear those shoes because they are my best ones, so I had to clean the shit off. And that is no easy process, no matter which way you cut it!
Anyway I had a quick discussion with Eddie (my dog) and told him to shit somewhere out of the walkway area. Yes, I should clean it up better, and I do clean it up. But this was fresh dog poo, obviously, because otherwise it would have been at least semi-frozen and wouldn't have squished its way so beautifully into the tread of my shoe.
Another blurb about snowstorms - I don't like them, in general. The only kind of snowstorm I really enjoy is one that is a whopper - 12 inches or more. And I have to be able to watch it snow. I slept through today's mini-blizzard, and so I didn't enjoy it. And any kind of snowstorm that is 3 inches or less is not fun - it's just an unpleasant pain in the ass.
I do have some fond memories of snowstorms. There is not much in life more pleasant than going outside at night, during a snowstorm that involves heavy snow but not a heavy wind or cold, cold temperatures. The gently falling snow, the darkness offset by the reflection of white snow, and the mysterious calm and silence of that kind of snowstorm - it's just so tranquil and, for lack of a better word, cool.
And of course, those heavy snowstorms cover up all that dogshit, so you can't step in it. One more plus...............
I woke up to 6 inches of snow tonight. Yes, I woke up tonight - I worked a midnight shift last night, and tomorrow I work at 9:30am. This means that I had a day off, but not a FULL day off, because I had to come home and sleep some, and tonight I have to sleep before going back to work. The problem is this - I went to bed at 8:30 this morning, set the alarm for 2:00; woke up at 2:30pm (2 snoozes); snuggled with the dog and cat(s) for a bit, and fell back asleep. So then I woke up at 6pm. A whole day wasted. Anyway, there was snow when I woke up - quite a bit of it - and I don't have a shovel yet. The average kitchen broom doesn't do a very good job on sidewalks.
Okay, so this is basically a crabby entry. We've all stepped in dogshit, right? Is there anything worse? I'm not talking about stepping BAREFOOT in dogshit. I mean, that's bad too - but a foot is easily washed. But when you step in canine fecal matter with a heavy-soled shoe, life is a bitch. Because I did it right before work last night, and I wanted to wear those shoes because they are my best ones, so I had to clean the shit off. And that is no easy process, no matter which way you cut it!
Anyway I had a quick discussion with Eddie (my dog) and told him to shit somewhere out of the walkway area. Yes, I should clean it up better, and I do clean it up. But this was fresh dog poo, obviously, because otherwise it would have been at least semi-frozen and wouldn't have squished its way so beautifully into the tread of my shoe.
Another blurb about snowstorms - I don't like them, in general. The only kind of snowstorm I really enjoy is one that is a whopper - 12 inches or more. And I have to be able to watch it snow. I slept through today's mini-blizzard, and so I didn't enjoy it. And any kind of snowstorm that is 3 inches or less is not fun - it's just an unpleasant pain in the ass.
I do have some fond memories of snowstorms. There is not much in life more pleasant than going outside at night, during a snowstorm that involves heavy snow but not a heavy wind or cold, cold temperatures. The gently falling snow, the darkness offset by the reflection of white snow, and the mysterious calm and silence of that kind of snowstorm - it's just so tranquil and, for lack of a better word, cool.
And of course, those heavy snowstorms cover up all that dogshit, so you can't step in it. One more plus...............
01 October 2006
A photomentary of my house in progress......
Here it is, as I first saw it......notice the missing siding around the window.
After some patching and scraping, ready for some paint......
The primer goes on...............
And on.........finally starting to look like, well, something.............
Next step - priming the other 3 sides! And the paint itself, which is a soft grey, with darker grey trim and a deep red accent (door).
Here it is, as I first saw it......notice the missing siding around the window.
After some patching and scraping, ready for some paint......
The primer goes on...............
And on.........finally starting to look like, well, something.............
Next step - priming the other 3 sides! And the paint itself, which is a soft grey, with darker grey trim and a deep red accent (door).
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