Sunday funnies

Disclaimer: I am one of those people who enjoys reading obituaries and wedding announcements. (A trait I inherited from both my parents, for whom this was a sport).

Some obits are sober and fact-filled. Others are downright entertaining. We occasionally have a good one here in RehabLand's Old Reliable News, but for regular reading, I always check the New York Times.

So needless to say when I read this lawyer and dentist's wedding announcement, at first, it looked pretty typical. However, when you read it all the way through, you see what is really important in life, even for a dentist.

Enjoy your day wherever you are! Remember, life is short, so make it memorable.

More later...

My mother really was a saint

Momma had coal black hair and eyes just as dark against her Celtic skin. Yes, she looked like those black Irish ancestors sans the blue eyes that Granny had.

She suffered lots of stress in her life: getting married "late" (at 25), not having kids right away, and when she had them, she nearly died.

Momma was stubborn, though. (Dad loved her for that.) After nearly dying and losing her first baby, she kept going until the rest of us were born. She finally was where she wanted to be: a mother of four children, just like all of her siblings (except for her old maid sister Maisie). Granny was pleased with all 24 grand kids. Momma was her baby, and she finally had her own brood of kids. Gramps and Granny absolutely loved being overrun by little (and big) kids at their house.

But, the happiness was short lived. In the prime of her life, Momma found out she had a terminal disease, something she would not get now, but then, they didn't know how to prevent it.

Momma died in her 40s. We were very sad. One of Momma's friends ran a local newspaper and published a long, sweet unofficial obituary for her, which I still have here somewhere. I couldn't bear to read it more than once, so I put it away.

However, I cannot imagine being a child who would have to write this obituary. We had much sadness in our home, but we were loved so much, and so rich in comparison.

I mourn not for the dead lady, but for her children.

Thanks for penciling that in

Sometimes people make mistakes, and thankfully, there are some astute folks who follow them, recognize the mistake and make the appropriate changes.

I really enjoyed this story in the obituary of Lindy Boggs, former congresswoman, who died recently at 97 years old.

As a woman, I have been fortunate to be a beneficiary of that event.

Godspeed, Ms. Lindy.

Patients, positivity and a liberator

I loved this post a psychiatrist wrote about his patient who passed away. Today, a Buchenwald liberator died, and what stories he had to tell in his 95 years.

And my favorite, because I need positivity  in my work and home life, was this one from Shawn Achor of Waco, Texas. So many funny quotes about life, applying (and getting accepted) to Harvard on a dare, and dealing with life.

The quote: "The absence of disease is not health." So true.

My kind of gal

Yes, I'll admit it. I really enjoy reading some obituaries. I particularly liked reading this one in the New York Times recently about a children's author.

Her mother told her to never get a tattoo or she'd regret it. She got one anyway, and it was a great story.

Makes me think about the patient who had a four leaf clover on his hip. He got it just because he always wanted to have one...

The ultimate irony

Dr. Richard Olney was an ALS researcher.

The irony: Dr. Olney died of the disease he fought to eradicate. RIP Dr.Olney. May your clinic (and your dreams) live on.

Shoulda gone to Rehab

Not mine, but down the way. In some ways, drug rehabilitation is way harder than physical rehab.

RIP Amy Winehouse.  Death is a horrible way to get rid of the demons.

Nuggets for April 21

Oh yes, it's Nugget time again. Here's a few items I've found in my recent meanderings on the internet and visiting various blogs. Hope you enjoy!

From the blogosphere

Check out these treats from far and near in the blogosphere.

• Maha solves problems in the ER with tricks she learned at the salon in Bet they didn't teach that in med school
• Dr. Grumpy's got the power to check up on you if you're shopping for narcs, kiddies. Look out!
• Parents of pre-teens, you'll never think of this the same way again once you read ER Doc from Serenity Now Hospital's story called Does your 12 year old little girl shave? Just gives me the creeps...and slight homocidal feelings if that were my kid!
• I really enjoyed AtYourCervix's Lost and Found recently. One of my recurring nightmares often involves losing something valuable at work...and having to dig to find it.
• She's not a nurse, but Pissed Off Patient has some interesting things to say about life with chronic illness. Go on over and check her out!
  

The office
So many things to talk about...and sometimes there are things you'd just rather not know about your coworkers. Bowel habits, shaving preferences, reasons why they divorced xx spouse and the list could go on and on. This Yahoo!Finance article called Spare the Details is just the ticket. That boss in a Speedo image makes me thankful one of my bosses is not my Facebook friend.

School
It's a classic you'll hear about again in a few weeks, but I've loved this column since it came out. From the archives of the Chicago Tribune, just remember to wear sunscreen.

Brain training
Yes, I've bought those brain training games and used them to no avail. They're cool at first, but end up boring. Check out this article from www.forbes.com called Becoming a Memory Whiz for a few tips on sharpening your memory.

An eye-opener
Many RNs already know about the contentious nature of the DNP credential in healthcare. My good friends from Ye Olde State Nurses' Association hooked me up with this interesting article written by an actual MD, Dr. Bernadine Healy, called The New Doctors in the House.

Did you know
Robert Pound, the physicist behind everyone's favorite noisy and claustrophobia-inducing diagnostic machine, the MRI passed away recently. As it turns out, Mr. Pound was a great British car buff. I really enjoyed the last line of his obit.

"Others recall that when confronted with a mechanical problem in a laboratory setting, he often gave the same advice as he would in the garage: “Did you try whacking it?” "

One brave woman

She wasn't a brave, but Wilma Mankiller was one amazing woman. I really enjoyed a quote of hers below:

"Friends describe me as someone who likes to dance along the edge of the roof," she wrote. "I try to encourage young women to be willing to take risks, to stand up for the things they believe in, and to step up and accept the challenge of serving in leadership roles."

May we all be so brave, even if we never happen upon the edge of a roof.

Thankful

Although my co-workers and I kvetch, whine and moan about the least little things, today, I have put aside the slights of some of them and I am thankful. We stopped b(^t$%ing about the people we can't change.



I am most thankful that I work at the Hotel Madison. Many of my classmates this holiday season have to take low census (from their vacation if they want to get paid) or get docked because their hospitals need to save a buck. Thank you Uncle Sam for that no low census thing! I can use my vacation for what it was intended...actual vacation...when I want it!



I am thankful I woke up today. It sure beats pushing up daisies as I told K., one of my coworkers. It's been a little depressing seeing some of my old patients in the obituary section of the newspaper lately, but I'm getting used to it, not numb necessarily, but more aware.


Today was a pleasant day. One patient went home to see his family for the weekend and the other was very laid-back and relaxed. No admissions and no time stress today.

I'm off tomorrow, so check out Change of Shift. Back to prepping for Thanksgiving dinner! Stay tuned...