I look on

This Friday the 13th is definitely memorable. I got home, plopped down on the couch for a few moments and then I saw it. Another group of terrorists attacked a large city and mercilessly murdered people just enjoying the beginning of their weekend. People having a drink, enjoying a soccer game, eating some food.

Later, I found out a nurse who worked with one of my classmates overseas, a father, an all around good guy, was also killed by terrorists recently, in another large city.

It just makes me wonder why people say, "They were killed because..." I think of my own "becauses": woman, white, wrong neighborhood, wrong car, wrong hair color, too much money (or sometimes not enough). I feel vulnerable.

The rationale doesn't make sense anymore. Evil and defense are uncomfortably overlapping with lives of people not bothering anyone, just trying to live, make a living and exist.

I pray for peace, because that's the most basic thing we are sorely lacking. A little extra insight for everyone wouldn't hurt, either.

Peace to you all, and may you live (safely) wherever you dare go.

God bless us everyone.

A mes amis en France: je t'aime tous.

Never a dull moment

Bubba likes to tell me he's a "preteen". He's growing up.

So to get ready for the those awkward years, I bought this book, geared to 10-12 year olds.  He was not even remotely interested in it. It's written by folks from the American Medical Association, who have over 2600 other titles there.

Today he decided to take it to school, and it was promptly confiscated, after he showed it to another kid.

I explained that it was not his job to educate his classmate. My job is to educate him, and that was not a choice I would have made.

We shall see how this goes. So far, no note from the teacher or phone call.

The movie in health class is scheduled for March right before spring break.

More later...

The relief...for a moment

Ah, thankfully the technological gremlins ran away early. I got my deadline material submitted ahead of time.

Yes, RehabRN is hitting the road again. I'll be playing a hotel conference center to talk about my job in the SU. Some of the folks are impressed, but I'm just hoping I don't have any flight delays, because if I do, I could be very grumpy before I talk.

For fun, a couple of my grad school classmates and I are getting together to take our own collective show to Vegas. (that deadline is soon, too)

It should be fun to see if they take us up on the offer.

More to come...

Sunday vegetating

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.~ Bertrand Russell

Sometimes I just have to remember Bubba is growing up. He makes me laugh so much. He really is becoming a tween before my very eyes.

We plan on having lots of fun jumping in piles of leaves and doing nothing today with Dahey.

I need a little break after a marathon conference call  with my classmates yesterday.

Stay tuned...

I get the last laugh

Nitwit, the co-team lead for the last part of the semester with Silent Bob (he was too often quiet) drove me crazy during most of the semester. He/she thinks him/herself to be the world's greatest writer, which would be like saying Tattoo from Fantasy Island was the world's tallest man.

Nevertheless, Nitwit, who had always been looking for ways to thwart everything (and I mean everything) I put into our projects, decided he/she didn't want me to mention a particular industry tool in my section of the paper.

Much comment ensued, Nitwit went all ghetto (which is hard when you look like you just came from the Swiss Alps)and took out the information and substituted another generic info bit.

Needless to say, I was pretty perturbed last night. Since we have to write evaluations for the team leaders after each section, I was prepared to skewer him/her in them.

I decided not to today, as I was reading our classmates submissions and then re-reviewing ours.

Nitwit might have thought he/she removed all references to this item, but he/she missed one.And I chuckled to myself, "One day he/she will learn the proper ways to use find and replace in Word."

Karma's a bitch, baby, and she's got puppies...just sayin'!

You know you're in another world when...

Someone asks you what the KISS principle is. If you're feeling diplomatic in your grad class, you say it's Keep It Short and Simple.

Otherwise, if your inner nerd comes out, you tell the truth, and run like the wind.

More high drama later...

Some things I wish I didn't know about...

1. An older nurse at work and her sexual escapades with other staff and patients. Surprisingly, she's still working with us, which is a whole other ball of wax as my Grandpappy used to say.

2. What happens when a prostate cancer patient has a bowel impaction and you have to digitally remove it.

3. That my favorite classmate from nursing school has cancer. I wish I could just make it go away.

More later...

Truly lucky me

 Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.  ~Theodore Roosevelt

One of my friends pointed out that nearby big city made it to this list: Worst Cities for Finding a Job.It's just one big reason I am thankful this Thanksgiving.  Another is that I am actually going to meet one of my classmates this semester and potentially another when both are nearby for the holidays and business. Taking online classes is fun, but I do miss meeting your classmates in person. Hope all of you out there have plenty of blessings and things to be thankful for this year.

I'm also reminded of the sign one of my supervisors used to have on her desk: Be thankful for the things you didn't want, and didn't get.

Stay tuned....

I pinch myself

Every day, when I realize the caliber of  my classmates, and even more so when one, with many years of experience, asks me for advice.

Thank you  S., for your confidence in me, even though, I feel like these guys...