***Happy National Rehabilitation Week! ***
Life is distracting. Especially when you have lots of things going on at once. Teenage kid getting hormonal. People at work being uncivil. Weather being unusually warm. Such is my life in RehabLand.
I've been finding and cataloging some great articles I've run into about these subjects, so here are a few of them. Hope you enjoy! I am, since it's helping me to stay sane as I get ready for the last week of travel for this year (I hope!) I'm looking forward to more learning, sightseeing and a Philly cheese steak while I'm hanging out with a whole bunch of other rehab nurses from around the country.
It may be from July, but KevinMD never fails to deliver some compelling content from nurses. I have to say if I were going to put something together, I'd be anonymous, too. The truth hurts, but hopefully, more folks will learn from the examples given in this article.
While it's not health related, if you are a foodie, and you love fried chicken, like Dahey (it's a genetic thing) you won't want to miss this article on the best fried chicken in the US. I swear he's still alive because of it. Dahey was a regular many moons ago when he lived down the road from Hattie's first storefront.
Finally, in light of national rehab week, take it from a former rehabber himself (who I just met, along with his parents, on one of my trips recently), ASK. People in wheelchairs, in many cases, can talk and advocate for themselves. Don't be afraid to ask, or you too, might miss a golden opportunity. Thanks Charlie for reminding us.
Hope you enjoy your weekend wherever you are!
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Monday, September 12, 2016
Patriot day + 1 reflection
Yes, it's the 12th of September and I feel like 15 years ago and one day, were almost a blink of an eye, and a lifetime all at once.
I remember that day. Much is blurry, but the terror is real--the unknown, the ruthlessness, the destruction are unnerving. I still see that today.
I lived another life, and when I go near where I used to work on September 11, I even see people who used to work in my building. We're not friends, but I still recognize them. They still work at the same place. They've aged just like me.
But occasionally, I come in costume in my scrubs, when the local food trucks pull outside and I'm in the neighborhood. My job now warrants a weekly trip from one campus to another, so it's on the way back and I stop for lunch. The building have new names. The company I worked for has been bought out multiple times.
If I close my eyes, I still remember that life.
The world has changed, and so have I. I don't worry anymore about what could have been there. I realize that life is living and I'm doing it every day.
Fifteen years and a day, I pray still.
More later....
I remember that day. Much is blurry, but the terror is real--the unknown, the ruthlessness, the destruction are unnerving. I still see that today.
I lived another life, and when I go near where I used to work on September 11, I even see people who used to work in my building. We're not friends, but I still recognize them. They still work at the same place. They've aged just like me.
But occasionally, I come in costume in my scrubs, when the local food trucks pull outside and I'm in the neighborhood. My job now warrants a weekly trip from one campus to another, so it's on the way back and I stop for lunch. The building have new names. The company I worked for has been bought out multiple times.
If I close my eyes, I still remember that life.
The world has changed, and so have I. I don't worry anymore about what could have been there. I realize that life is living and I'm doing it every day.
Fifteen years and a day, I pray still.
More later....
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Everything old is new again
When they send an e-mail at the end of the day, one of my colleagues at the Hotel says, "it's usually not good."
The latest e-mail: one of the most hated medical administrators is back. Apparently, he/she came out of retirement to take a job in our internal medicine service, the largest service in our system.
Frankly, I just hope the rest of them stay retired.
Enjoy your weekend wherever you are. Stay tuned...
The latest e-mail: one of the most hated medical administrators is back. Apparently, he/she came out of retirement to take a job in our internal medicine service, the largest service in our system.
Frankly, I just hope the rest of them stay retired.
Enjoy your weekend wherever you are. Stay tuned...
Thursday, September 8, 2016
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.
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.
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