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...

Two letters

In the grand scheme of things, it seems miniscule. To ask a favor for a friend who is dying. A friend you  shared stories and did wonderful things with, all while doing your job.

It's a small token, but worthwhile nevertheless.

I read this story today and so many memories of patients and last requests came back to me: watching the baseball game, seeing your son/daughter/sister/brother/mother (pick a relative), dreaming about going home, hanging out and laughing.

No fooling. Making these requests come true is a gift we can all give...if we get lucky enough.

More later.

Really spring?

Yes, we're having a snowstorm in RehabLand. Who could think of a better way for us to appreciate spring when it gets here? (Those crazy meteorologists.) Anywho...here are a few goodies I ran into once I got off the slick roads and out of the grocery store today. (I had to get my triple coupons!)

Since the groundhog predictions of an early spring are off, some litigious folks in Ohio want to get Phil. Thank you BBC for being on the mark for this important story.

Grumpy has a weekend rerun ALL nurses will enjoy. Thanks for thinking of us Grumpy. I'd stash you a Diet Coke, anytime!

Yet another problem: how to tell if the new iPad you just bought is really in the box. Hard to believe this could have happened at a major retailer, but if it's worth something, people will try to steal it.

The things you learn with children

My child, Bubba, is a character. He's spent his afternoon after soccer, singing around the house: church songs, and even Adele.

He's also having a grand old time trolling the internet on the iPad we got recently. (I won it at MegaConference). When he wasn't busy playing a map game of the NCAA tournament, he was checking YouTube and looking at videos of other kids.

He also learned about genetic diseases when he happened upon a video of a kid with a rare skin disease. We looked it up and found out that is now survivable. He was most impressed that the little girl we saw doesn't live too far from RehabLand.

Now it's a golfing math game, so he wanders to and fro, but when supervised, he has fun and learns something, too.

More to come...spring break is still young.

Son, we need to talk

If this were my kid:

"Friends don't ask you to sell your organs for an iPhone and iPad. If they do, they're no friend of yours or mine."--Mom

So glad I don't live there, since I'd probably not be allowed to tell my kid that.

Back to work...time's a wastin'...