Observations

1. When you follow policy and procedure to ask for a schedule change, expect it to take exactly as long as the policy says, because, "Well, you know, people do go on vacation in the summer."

As if it really matters when you ask...

2.  Gomerblog (one of my favorite spots on Twitter) is so dead on for this one. I used to keep track of how many people actually darkened our door just to get Viagra for free...

3. I'm on a quality committee related to issues the Hotel has regarding discharges of folks from rehab.
Just wondering if I should take this diagram to work. It might help us get people out quicker.

4. Finally, since I've decluttered a lot recently, I'm finding more time to do other stuff, like exercise. I have to admit, it's way better for my sleep than vegetating on the couch immediately after dinner every night.

They may just be right about that Healthy Nurse thing this year!  While I was not at the gym today, I managed to get some great walks in all over the mall and the nearest Target doing my back to school shopping. Thank goodness for activity trackers that show how many calories you burn for an exercise it tracks.

Hope you enjoy what's left of the weekend, wherever you are. Monday will be here before you know it.

Reality bites

Yes I'm still recuperating from my recent travels. It was fun, but tiring.

I did my presentation to lots of applause (along with my partner). Being scheduled after lunch is entertaining, since you get an upfront view of everyone in the room falling asleep. "No one was nodding off while you talked," my traveling partner said.

"Au contraire," I said. "You'd have seen them all snoozing from my seat." Luckily, she got some action shots of my speaking partner and I fielding questions at the end.

I got to see lots of people I haven't seen lately, including some folks who retired. They came for the CEUs.  We had a big group of folks go to dinner at one of these Food Channel-famous joints. It was interesting. After taking a stealth photo of the namesake owner talking to my traveling partner, I was waiting for security to come and throw me out. Needless to say, we're not famous, so said proprietor was not keen on a photo with us or my traveling partner, who told Mr. Big how excited she was to be there. Bubba, however, was impressed. (After watching all those episodes of MasterChef and MasterChef Junior, in addition to all the other food shows I miss...)

Thankfully, one of the folks who attended and works in a satellite office, knew that it was Restaurant Week in town and got us the "special menu" (similar to a prix fixe in normal places). It was good. The only thing that was annoying was the overcharging on the alcohol. I paid $14 for a glass of chianti when my traveling partner and I could have bought a bottle for the price of two glasses.

However, the happiest part of the trip, besides hanging out with my speaking partner and talking to the chief of staff of the organization (he/she was our main speaker one day), was escaping a hurricane. Despite Dr. H's insistence that he survived many a hurricane during his years in Florida, I was not keen on adding one to my own bucket list, thank you.

I made it home in time to do some chores, check my packed suitcases, then go out West with Bubba and Dahey to Dahey's niece's wedding. She's a sweet girl who was a guest book assistant at our wedding many years ago. Since then, she must have liked weddings, since she went into the wedding business herself. Needless to say, she had a whole lot of stuff and events. It was a busy weekend. Lots of food, drink and hanging out with the relatives, in-laws, and outlaws.

We even went on a horseback ride near one of the local wineries with the bride's Uncle Beau. Beau's brother, Bob, a professional rodeo star, had a party at his house for us when we were done. Bubba wanted nothing with riding a horse on the trails, so he went with the older folks on the wagon ride. However, he did ride the rodeo star's favorite horse, Biff at his house. We have lots of photos of Bubba smiling on Biff and he kept saying no, every time Uncle Beau asked if he wanted to get off. Thankfully, the other kids were busy playing in a water slide and didn't notice Biff was busy after a while. Despite keeping him up late, looking at those photos made him smile.

Thankfully, we didn't encounter any rattlesnakes or wild pigs in Bob's front yard as we were leaving. It was really dark and we could see the stars on a clear night. It was fun.

The day of the wedding we rested after all the excitement, because it was a long night. We went to the wedding at 5, had drinks after, then dinner, speeches, and dancing. Since everything was outside next to a famous creek side hotel, we also saw some wildlife. Mona, one of Dahey's relative's wives screamed when she saw a huge beetle on her side of the table. I wish we had a video of the encounter, because all of a sudden one of the flower girls appeared on scene. The bug rescuer was Dahey's five year old niece, Ella. She promptly rescued the flightless beetle and released him on a tree near the creek. She was smiling from ear-to-ear. Her father said, "Just call her my Crocodile Dundee."

After all the wedding excitement, we got up early and saw the Grand Canyon. It was clear, pretty and windy. Bubba was most impressed with the ambulance we saw about halfway through our hike. We heard no screams or saw any hysterics, so we kept moving along, since help had arrived. That definitely was one of the bucket list items I got to check off my list.

We returned home at the end of the holiday, then I went to work. It was tiring. I'm finally feeling like I'm not jet-lagged anymore.

So now it's almost the weekend. Hope you enjoy yours wherever you are. Hug your family members (human and furry) today. Life is short.

Miles to go

I feel like it. I have run a good race this week at the Hotel. I have set goals and attained some. Others make me want to beat my head into the desk. No way that's happening!

And I volunteered for a computer setup job tomorrow with one of my elderly relatives.

But I still have to get through Friday. Then I pack for not one, but two trips, for three people (because I have men who would pack socks and the computer (along with some allergy meds) and forget the rest.

I feel like I'm living that "miles to go before I sleep" line.

Stay tuned...

Thank goodness

It's almost time for vacation again. Surprisingly, I'm partaking of a little office escaping for one week for not one, not two, but THREE months in a row. In the computer, it's not vacation (I'm actually going out on the road for conferences, etc.) but to me, any day outside of the Hotel is freedom. I'll take it! Traveling partner and I get to have a reunion, too, which is even better.  Look out folks, as we shop and eat in interesting places in our off time (plans are underway...)

This week was a full moon. Somehow, I didn't realize this until I was driving home one night from an event. The sky was hazy but relatively cloudless. There it was: the big monster sturgeon moon right up there. It explained the craziness that was this week.

I work with technology that helps patients see their providers from home, so in theory, I shouldn't have people not show up. In a week with a full moon, don't count on it. One patient couldn't make it (we always call to check) because he had last minute visitors, or patients (he/she's also a healthcare professional). This happened last week, too, but that patient is a sweetheart and invited his/her guests to see us and talk to us before he/she completed our assessment. We dispensed with the usual formality, got the visit done post haste and wished them all well until the next visit.

Besides the fun at work, I'm doing plenty of work in advance for a committee that audits nurses' training and continuing education. What does this mean? I look at a lot of CEU certificates. My favorite one this week was a CE class on humor in healthcare. It is worth 20 CEUs. I thought to myself: if I could market a 20 CEU experience here in the Hotel, I'd bet I could make some money too. If that's too expensive for you, however, the author does belong to this group you can check out for free.

Now that Bubba is being a typical teenager, it's driving me nuts. Pray we survive...

Stay tuned...

The drought is over...

But the heat is still on here in RehabLand.Yes, it's always hot here this time of year, but you don't really appreciate it until you're out in it. Since I'm officially escaped from the Hotel Rehab for an ENTIRE week, I'll be back shortly with more interesting stuff.

Right now, I'm still recovering from the last two days out and about. More on that later.

Stay tuned. You'll be surprised, and yes, amazed.

It's coming

Vacation, that is. For me, and a lot of people around the Hotel. Many folks are gone the month of July, so it makes things interesting. I was going through my junk mail and actually learned that vacation accrual, etc., is usually related to state laws. As usual, here in RehabLand, little is legislated about vacation: except they don't have to give it to you in certain cases.

Bubba is going to an overnight tech camp, and we're going to take a couple of days roaming around. After that, we come back and Bubba goes to day camp. All day every day for a week won't be nearly enough! He's been bored. The week before school, he gets to see his band buddies at band camp.

I can't wait until school starts.

More later...

Back to reality

It was fun, but too short. Yes, vacation is nearly over. It was fun though, spending time with Bubba and Dahey and some of the other assorted relatives who were roaming around Rehab Land.

I saw some movies. Between Redbox, our local library, the movie theatre and cable TV, I saw lots of stuff: things I haven't seen in years (Elf, Scrooged), things I see every year (It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story) and movies I wanted to see this summer (Trainwreck, Inside Out).

My trip to the movie theatre was not for Star Wars (I was busy being an elf while that was going on) but with Bubba to see Daddy's Home. While it's not for everyone, it is a good one for kids, and per usual Will Ferrell movies, there is a big dance scene.

I wanted to see more holiday lights, but the weather of late has not cooperated. Tornado watches and rain ruined any chances of that.

Being away, however, when you are with people you want to be with, is priceless. While it was a lot of work, it was worth it.

I hope you enjoy your holiday season and the new year to come.

Stay tuned.

Inspection day

Yet again, it's that time of year. Why they decided to come back early: didn't like coming in the snow (truth). Ugh!

I really need to take two weeks of vacation at a time next year. Glad I got to rest up for this one.

Stay tuned...

Fun, fun, fun

So much fun on my last day of vacation. Visited my sister, went to lunch with Bubba, got his favorite treats, saw a new art exhibit and went to a local history museum, which had a new exhibit on one of my favorite things: coffee, and included samples.

Life is good. Here's hoping next week is good as that cold brew they served (freaking amazing).

More to come...

Everything IS great

It's vacation. And it IS approved.  All I ever wanted, especially after the crazy week I've had.





Here's hoping for nothing crazy or any weird snacks. See you next month!

Best laid plans

Oh, it wasn't Monday, it was the day after a holiday and I could tell. People who were gone all week this week are buried on their return to the Hotel. (Yes, vacation is nice, and so is having that extra day until you return).

I hoped to get one of our patients set up for a clinic visit. I was greeted by the gentleman who waters the plants in my temporary home. "Don't get him upset" was what one of my coworkers said.

It's nice to know the volunteers rate higher than the actual employees here. Did I want to be in "his space"? No. Do I work here? Yes. Do I rate higher as an employee trying to do my job in a temporary location? I should! I take care of ALL my assigned patients, not just the plant guy.

Unfortunately, I'm not the only refugee in the building. Our boss has decided to move one of my cohorts, too. He/she is not happy.

To top off my day, I was working with a patient and found out he got his new stuff from the Hotel to work with us. He just needed to download one little thing. We also found out (in doing our test) that the one little thing was discontinued...on Labor Day. Ugh! Glad he can use his adaptive equipment in other ways, just not for what we intended.

Time to go to Plan B....stay tuned.

Vacation: the inevitable

It's not close, but vacation will end. I know it. I still have a ton of things to do. Even if I were off for a month, I'm sure I'd harbor some regret for what didn't get done around the house, but I'm doing my best.

I continue to work on getting the outdoor work done: packing up yard waste for pickup, cutting down and mowing stuff. I haven't mowed in years, and yes, I have the mosquito bites to prove it (despite everything, they love me).

Bubba decided he really didn't want to go to the CityPark pool again with camp, so since he crashed into another kid yesterday and got a huge bump on his head, I decided to keep him home. The camp  forced me: they called in panic mode yesterday and made me pick him up. It worked out well that I told Dahey where I was going, because they called him at work when I didn't answer and he had to find me at the movie theatre where I was trying to be a grown up and watching a grown up movie (Amy, the documentary on Amy Winehouse). Luckily, there weren't too many other folks around (and I was able to get a voucher to come again).

Since Bubba was on sick leave, and I'm on vacation, we went on a placid stroll in town at the gardens, then we went to lunch and had cupcakes. He even went to a local house featured on Ghost Adventures. Thankfully, he was sufficiently scared by some of the stuff he saw for sale in the gift shop, that we won't be going back.

Now, I just have to take him to a boy movie (Ant Man) instead of Dahey. We're going to an interesting old theatre, and this time, I'll make sure to leave the phone on vibrate, just in case.

Stay tuned.

Vacation weekday 2: Cram session

How much maintenance can I cram into one day? Almost as  much as I crammed into this weekend.

So far, I'm clutterbusting while the HVAC tech checked my air conditioning (it's hot as blazes here in RehabLand, so that's good), the bricklayer is here to work on the chimney and the other estimator will be here soon.

To be continued,,,

Vacation

All I ever wanted. Free and escaped from the Hotel for more than seven days. That alone is enjoyment!

To start off this week of merriment, Bubba and I hopped in the Family Truckster (not an actual truck, we call it the big fat Silver Bullet) for a whirlwind trip to Memphis. Thanks to the fine Friendly Neighborhood Tire Store, the Truckster was cleared for takeoff, tires rotated and balanced and away we went.

Dahey got some important correspondence (aka the check the boss said was in the mail since the fourth of July) late Friday, so we left at 0800, since we had to visit our friends at the local bank. After that business was transacted, with our special mix of candy in hand (Swedish fish, saltwater taffy and Jolly Ranchers included), we took our time driving down the highway.

Some people used to count Slug Bugs when I was a kid, but not anymore. Bubba decided to bring the iPad along when he got tired of counting dead armadillos (still not too common in RehabLand) and use up all of my high speed data for the month (luckily, that message didn't come until we were nearly home). Sadly, we noticed 10 armadillos who died on their way to meet Elvis.

Our trip was uneventful and we made decent time, so we decided to head straight for the night's lodging. I decided to try something different, as the captain and chief hotel steward: we went for glamour and fun. As a result, since Bubba wanted to go to see Memphis's favorite pandas, Ya Ya and Le Le, we figured we'd better see some other famous critters while we are there. The Zoo has packages where you can stay at the famous Peabody Hotel downtown and see the ducks, in addition to tickets to see their zoo.

We took them up on it, and had a blast. Bubba was roaming around in the terry cloth robe looking like a Rockefeller wannabe. Thankfully, he didn't drink any of the expensive water in the room ($7) or take the rubber duck toy package home (a mere $9.95 plus tax). He wanted to keep the robe, but at $50, he didn't want to part with his allowance he had saved.  He was happy he had internet and the Travel Channel so he could watch Ghost Adventures.

However, we did leave the room. We are baseball fans, so who doesn't want to go out into a heat index of 106 and see Santa Claus? We did since it was Christmas in July at the ballpark. The players had an ugly sweater uniform (thankfully not wool), they played Christmas songs, and Kris Kringle himself was available for photos. Bubba looked funny and Santa had a good time holding his BBQ nachos (a park specialty). For a moment, I thought Santa might eat them.

The other bonus to the hotel proximity: no driving to and from the ballpark. This was especially appreciated, since I chose to indulge in a couple of cold frosties while I was there. Also, since it was so beastly hot, I made sure to have some iced water at the top of each inning. Bubba ate a huge snow cone, so that helped him, and neither of us got dehydrated. Thankfully, the home team won, and after the game was over, we had fireworks. It was a fun time, even though Bubba missed Dahey a lot.

On Sunday, we finally got to make one of  Bubba's longtime dreams come true: he got to meet a panda. It wasn't like we expected (only one of two showed up in view), but he was happy he got his selfie with Ya Ya while she was behind the glass. Ya Ya must have had one heck of a Saturday night, because she slept right through our visit. As the keepers who do some education outside the exhibit mentioned, pandas like to eat, sleep and poop.  We got a great view of the sleeping part. Maybe next time we'll see the rest.

Bubba was happy to hit the road, but he was hungry and nothing looked good at the zoo. Never fear, our kid loves barbecue and the sides that go with it. He has yet to find a place that doesn't have mac and cheese as a side, so we ordered that as a side for the trip. We got a slab of ribs plate for two to take home for our dinner. They were excellent!

All in all, we had a fun time on the road. Just wish Dahey could have been along for the ride. He was busy this weekend keeping an eye on a coworker wandering over the border in Tijuana.

Stay tuned. Vacation continues...

The end of the week

This is almost the middle of July. I hear the siren song of summer, since here in RehabLand, Bubba and the other kids will be in school before Labor Day early in the morning (clutching pearls).

I have many warm memories of starting school in September (when it was still blasted hot) and one year, I dreaded going to school since my classroom was on the second floor. I was in fifth grade. I had horrendous headaches that year. I figured it was the ragweed (since all the windows were open way back when).

The Hotel was hopping this week, and so was I. I actually got to go out on a field trip. That part was fun. When I wasn't busy doing that, I was getting some groundbreaking work done. Since I volunteer for pilot projects (because our boss volunteers our department), I got to work with some new stuff. It was so cool to make care work anywhere! It also helps that the patients like it, too!

I'm going to stop here. It's time to relax and enjoy what I have of the weekend: housework and a little fun. Vacation is in sight. I can't wait.

Stay tuned!

Happiest of Fridays to you

I didn't run away. I've been busy cramming everything in, so I could have a day off. One project plan, three appointments, a consult, a specialty service visit, four phone calls, one patient portal enrollment, one transferred patient and a grand rounds presentation.

So today, I escaped.The sun came out after what seemed like weeks of clouds and rain. I found my sunglasses and wore them.What a day it was!

I visited friends I had not seen in a long time. I shopped and went out for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which meant no dishes for me to wash ALL DAY. It was like being on vacation at a hotel without leaving.

I also celebrated another birthday this week. It was fun. Health IS wealth, and I feel like a millionaire now that I am almost done with my antibiotics (from whatever URI I got around Thanksgiving.)

Hope you enjoy your weekend wherever you are!

More to come...

Getting older...

Not better if you feel like c#$p from headaches. Not to mention, these symptoms stink. At least, all the tests came back negative.

The week has flown by in a blur, which always seems to happen the week after vacation.

Friday won't get here soon enough.

Stay tuned...

Another t-shirt moment

I love conferences, since you get to see people you haven't seen in ages and learn new stuff.

But I really hate it when you are so tired, you want to pass out, because you've been trapped in freezing cold rooms and staying up late.

Thank goodness I convinced the boss I need time to recoup (aka vacation). I might not be going anywhere, but being stationary, is a very good thing.

Stay tuned.

Any day now...

Yes, the term (and the summer) will soon be over.

I won't miss the school part. Teaching has been a learning experience for me: lots of work for even less pay. That is all I will say.

Bubba and Dahey had a good time on our road trip, even though Bubba acted as if he had strep throat again (thank goodness he tested negative). I have had enough of communicable diseases, thank you very much!

We had fun traipsing around a historic playground, doing things we never do at home, and vegetating and enjoying nature. It was fun. I wish I would have felt like writing, because it would have been perfect.

One more class. A couple more days. I will perservere...and enjoy.

Stay tuned!

Some things aren't meant to be

This week there's been a lot of talk on the subject. Frankly, I'm glad this week is nearly over.

1. In the news, the Redskins lost their trademark protection.

2. They're redoing the parking lot (again) and we have a ton of traffic now. I can't wait to have some more!

3. My high school friend was at the far end of RehabLand with her daughter for a dance competition. Too bad I didn't have vacation. Said child one a first place in a national competition!

4. My attempts to get another side job foiled again. Better luck next time!

TGIF in advance!