Hi, All, hope you and yours are doing well. I've been busy with work (covering for my boss on vacation,) trying to Do A Really Good Job for the woman who's evaluating me for my annual raise. Plus, she's great and a pleasure to work for, a working leader with patient care responsibilities. It's amazing how close my work group, "The Peds Team" is, even though all 10 of us work out of our home offices all over California. We use email, telephone conferencing, and instant messaging. We have face to face meetings a few times a year and IT Works!! Can't beat the commute to the old home office, especially with the price of gas.
Well, enough about work, been busy with Community Swim Team Championships. I volunteer in the canteen for the Swim team meets and am proud to say I know how to make 144 Breakfast Burritos (scrambled eggs, ham, and cheese, wrapped in a flour tortilla. You start with cracking 200 eggs...) I am happy to support our son's efforts and marvel at how hard the children work and how much they improve. Alot of children in our neighborhood go on to swim on the high school team and even a few swim competitively in college and Olympic trials. Very cool to see your 10 year do a individual medley (one lap each of back, breast, butterfly, and freestyle strokes) and do it legally with correct turns, kicks, and arm movements. With two sons who play sports for FUN and a husband who referees soccer, we have seen our share of Ugly Parents who take this stuff WAAAAAY Too Seriously. (All kids care about is the snack.) My attitude is put up or shut up, "You go out there and swim 50 yards of Butterfly and then you can chastise your kid". I'm glad it's the exception for our neighborhood swim league, not the rule.
I've never understood parents who lose perspective on sports.I know, alot of parents live vicariously and all that, but GROW UP! You had your chance; to be the next ARod, Tiger Woods, Olympic athlete, whatever! Let your kid enjoy the game, maybe, just maybe, a love of fitness, fun, and play will become part of your child's life. That's the best gift. I have a love of being active and the outdoors because my parents took us to the beach, taught us to swim, fish, ski, and bike. I remember going to the golf driving range with my two older brothers. Boy, if you are having a rough day with your siblings, go hit a bucket of balls. I was also inspired by my brother Jim to study the martial arts and I hold two black belts in Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido. (Please do not be impressed, like graduating from Martial Arts Kindergarten.)
Being active has deepened my relationship with my sons. Boys are kinetic creatures, not open to sharing problems or feelings like girls in a seated heart to heart. Taking a walk, riding bikes, throwing a ball often help the boys and I get back on track and talking.
That's it for this Sunday, except sending my best to you and yours and Whatever Active Thing brings you a smile and helps blow off some steam!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Working for a Living
A couple of the dear fellow bloggers were kind enough to inquire about my career as a Registered Nurse. I thank you, Sara and KimboSue, for your interest.
I have been a nurse since 1982, yes, ever since most bloggers were babies. We had glass IV bottles and syringes. We wore nursing caps and nursing pins and were instructed during orientation to not only stand up when a doctor entered the nursing station, but also to offer him our chair.
I've worked at both large teaching hospitals and community hospitals. I spent 7+ years as RN working in Surgery, L&D/Mother/Baby Unit, and Emergency room. Sometimes the lines between which department I worked for blurred when I had to deliver a few babies in back seats of cars and taxis in the hospital parking lot. Sometimes we didn't have time to open the delivery tray containing the clamps, forceps, bulb syringes, towels, and other supplies. (The inside of an fresh newspaper is one of cleanest things you can deliver a baby on BTW.)
Twenty some odd years ago, as ART was beginning to transition from the research phase to "community implementation", many RE and OB/GYN did not have the treatment suites, equipment, or staff for procedures and used our outpatient dept. We also took care of the high risk patients who required a higher level of monitoring (ART patients with Cystic Fibrosis, Brittle Diabetes, Paraplegia, etc) than might be appropriate for an office setting.
After 7 years at the hospital, I got tired of rotating shifts, on call, and holidays and started as a Visiting homecare nurse. This was exciting because many procedures exclusively done in the hospital were now being taught to the patients and families to be done at home. The patients I cared for ranged from mommies with multiples requiring at home monitoring and tocolytics (class of drugs to reduce preterm labor), moms w/severe nausea on IV fluids, premature babies, jaundice checks with a bilirubin blanket treatment, and yes, even regular Mommy/Baby well checks to assess nursing, bonding, mom's healing, and any other concerns. I worked in home care for 12years. If you ever really want to learn your way around town, become a home care nurse. This was back in the dark ages before Garmin and GPS.
For the last 7 years, I have been a Nurse Case Manager for High Risk mommies and medically fragile children and young adults with a range of diagnoses from premies, asthma, diabetes, Crohn's, Reflux, oncology, you name it. (BTW, I apologize for such a long and medical jargon filled post). I care for families all over the US for an Employer Group and it's done via phone and internet from my home office. I provide alot of education and support for families and consider myself a professional problem solver. It is a great joy to help a child and family who have been through so much, thrive and do all the normal kid stuff; go to school, ride a bike, learn to drive, fight with their parents, etc. For me it's most important to be a good listener, and on that note, I thank you for listening and send my best to you and yours.
I have been a nurse since 1982, yes, ever since most bloggers were babies. We had glass IV bottles and syringes. We wore nursing caps and nursing pins and were instructed during orientation to not only stand up when a doctor entered the nursing station, but also to offer him our chair.
I've worked at both large teaching hospitals and community hospitals. I spent 7+ years as RN working in Surgery, L&D/Mother/Baby Unit, and Emergency room. Sometimes the lines between which department I worked for blurred when I had to deliver a few babies in back seats of cars and taxis in the hospital parking lot. Sometimes we didn't have time to open the delivery tray containing the clamps, forceps, bulb syringes, towels, and other supplies. (The inside of an fresh newspaper is one of cleanest things you can deliver a baby on BTW.)
Twenty some odd years ago, as ART was beginning to transition from the research phase to "community implementation", many RE and OB/GYN did not have the treatment suites, equipment, or staff for procedures and used our outpatient dept. We also took care of the high risk patients who required a higher level of monitoring (ART patients with Cystic Fibrosis, Brittle Diabetes, Paraplegia, etc) than might be appropriate for an office setting.
After 7 years at the hospital, I got tired of rotating shifts, on call, and holidays and started as a Visiting homecare nurse. This was exciting because many procedures exclusively done in the hospital were now being taught to the patients and families to be done at home. The patients I cared for ranged from mommies with multiples requiring at home monitoring and tocolytics (class of drugs to reduce preterm labor), moms w/severe nausea on IV fluids, premature babies, jaundice checks with a bilirubin blanket treatment, and yes, even regular Mommy/Baby well checks to assess nursing, bonding, mom's healing, and any other concerns. I worked in home care for 12years. If you ever really want to learn your way around town, become a home care nurse. This was back in the dark ages before Garmin and GPS.
For the last 7 years, I have been a Nurse Case Manager for High Risk mommies and medically fragile children and young adults with a range of diagnoses from premies, asthma, diabetes, Crohn's, Reflux, oncology, you name it. (BTW, I apologize for such a long and medical jargon filled post). I care for families all over the US for an Employer Group and it's done via phone and internet from my home office. I provide alot of education and support for families and consider myself a professional problem solver. It is a great joy to help a child and family who have been through so much, thrive and do all the normal kid stuff; go to school, ride a bike, learn to drive, fight with their parents, etc. For me it's most important to be a good listener, and on that note, I thank you for listening and send my best to you and yours.
Rattlesnake Avoidance Class
Rattlesnakes are an important part of the ecosystem in the West, keeping vermin from running amok. (Gosh, that's a fun phrase to type, Running Amok). Los Angeles and our community is surrounded by the Santa Monica and Santa Susana Mountain ranges with all host of critters (gee, another fun word to type) including bobcats, coyotes, hawks, owls, quail, deer, and of course, rattlesnakes. We plan to take our dog, Charley hiking and camping with us when he is older and want him to be safe. A rattlesnake bite will kill a dog without proper treatment and even then, the dog's survival is iffy. There is a rattlesnake vaccine which improves the odds, but still it is a life threatening emergency.
In addition to giving Charley the vaccine next month, the vet also recommended taking him to a rattlesnake avoidance class. It's taught by a herpetologist (snake/reptile expert) who has trained literally thousands of dogs.
The training is done on a large field with 3 wire cages containing 2 rattlesnakes each which are at first covered. They put a low voltage electroshock collar on the dog and bring him through the course for a series of simulations. These simulations include leading the dog to the cages and applying the shock if the dog shows ANY Interest in the Sight, Sound, or Smell of the snakes. It's amazing to see these dogs after just 2 or 3 simulations avoid going near the snakes. We had to hide out of Charley's vision while the two handlers worked with him. Training took about 15 minutes. To see if the training is effective, the trainer tested our puppy by having me stand at the opposite end of the field with the snake cages and call the dog over to me. To pass, the dog must make a wide path around the snakes. Charley passed with flying colors. He has to go next year for a refresher and then every few years.
Best to you and yours and wishing you a great rest of your day.
In addition to giving Charley the vaccine next month, the vet also recommended taking him to a rattlesnake avoidance class. It's taught by a herpetologist (snake/reptile expert) who has trained literally thousands of dogs.
The training is done on a large field with 3 wire cages containing 2 rattlesnakes each which are at first covered. They put a low voltage electroshock collar on the dog and bring him through the course for a series of simulations. These simulations include leading the dog to the cages and applying the shock if the dog shows ANY Interest in the Sight, Sound, or Smell of the snakes. It's amazing to see these dogs after just 2 or 3 simulations avoid going near the snakes. We had to hide out of Charley's vision while the two handlers worked with him. Training took about 15 minutes. To see if the training is effective, the trainer tested our puppy by having me stand at the opposite end of the field with the snake cages and call the dog over to me. To pass, the dog must make a wide path around the snakes. Charley passed with flying colors. He has to go next year for a refresher and then every few years.
Best to you and yours and wishing you a great rest of your day.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Our Puppy, Charley
Here are two pictures of our puppy, Charley from two months ago when we first adopted him. He is Australian Labrapoodle, aka Labramutt. He is very sweet, smart, and a pleasure to train. He brings us much joy. In addition, I find the fact he does not talk back or need college tuition to be a big plus.
Best to you and yours including your four legged family, Martha
Living in An Industry Town
I don't have anything earth shaking or profound to blog about (Will I or do I ever??) so I thought I would share a little about what it's like to live in an "Industry" town. What Industry you ask? That was my response when I moved here 15 years ago from Florida. The "Industry" that Los Angelenos refer to is "Show Business".
You know you are not in Kansas anymore when you see actors' headshots (A headshot is a black/white portrait of an actor used in casting and auditions) hung up in dry cleaners and delicatessens all over the city. I live in the The Thirty Mile Zone (TMZ) in Los Angeles County and we have alot of filming take place locally. (CSI, NCIS, Weeds, Big Love, Little Miss Sunshine.) You can always spot Film crews with their trailers, catering/craft service trucks, and deluxe RVs for the "Talent". Within the TMZ, production companies do not have to pay per diem cost for crews' meals and mileage thus saving them Big Bucks.
It's going to be a tough summer here for alot of families if the actors go out on strike. The industry hasn't been the same since the Writer's Strike this winter. Alot of our friends and neighbors (the set painters, prop masters, and make up artists) were out of work for months.
I still get star struck having not grown up here, unlike the natives that try to act all cool and nonchalant when encountering a "celebrity".
So here are some of my celebrity sightings:
Our family went to Kauai, Hawaii this spring and we were with the stars of HBO's Ent.ourage on our return flight from Honolulu to LAX. Needless to say, Kevin Dillion, Jeremy Priven, et al were in First Class, while we sat in the cattle car aka Coach.
Last month, our neighbors' house was redone for HG.TV's show De$igned to $ell and I got to meet the hosts, Clive Pierce and Lisa LaPorta. They are super nice and animal lovers to boot. The show featuring The Dowlers of Santa Clarita will air next spring.
Another neighbor, Tyler Mane has been in some really big movies- Xmen, Troy, and Halloween, and yet you wouldn't recognize him at the grocery store. He jokes that he usually plays the bad guy and gets killed off quickly. I said "Who Cares? You get to work with HUGH JACKMAN and BRAD PITT!!!" He and his family are really nice, genuine, and volunteer for our community swim team.
So, I guess the Business of making movies and TV shows is really no different than any other industry whether it's healthcare or aerospace, where folks work hard to take care of their families.
Well, no other recent sightings or "dish", but will let you know if Brad and Angelina pop over for a playdate with the kids.
Thanks as always for clicking over and wishing you a Great rest of your day!
P.S.The picture above is Vasquez Rocks about 10 miles from my house which is a frequently used film locale and you might recognize it from Star Trek, Little Miss Sunshine, Austin Powers or many other films.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Happy 4th of July - Price of Freedom
Hi, Everyone, wishing my best to you for a fun and relaxing 4th of July.
This post was inspired by a very inspiring young lady and one of my favorite bloggers, Sara that reminded me to reflect on the personal sacrifices made for our freedom including the death of her Grandfather in World War II and buried in the American Military Cemetery in France.
I would like to honor my Uncle Buddy, age 83 y/o who served in World War II in the First Army, Infantry, as a gunner on a army tank in Europe. He liberated the death camps, Dachau and Treblinka in Eastern Europe. He talked about how you could smell the camps from miles away. He earned a purple heart in Normandie when he was injured with schrapnel. When he was recovering, he said he couldn't wait to get back to his battalion. The tank he served most of his tour was blown up with no survivors one day after he was reassigned to another tank. My uncle wrote down his stories (75 plus pages worth) of his experiences about 10 years ago. It took him decades to share with us.
I'm privileged to know him and Thank him and all of our veterans from too many wars and battles on lands both far and near, Thank you, God Bless, and God Speed Home to your loved ones.
This post was inspired by a very inspiring young lady and one of my favorite bloggers, Sara that reminded me to reflect on the personal sacrifices made for our freedom including the death of her Grandfather in World War II and buried in the American Military Cemetery in France.
I would like to honor my Uncle Buddy, age 83 y/o who served in World War II in the First Army, Infantry, as a gunner on a army tank in Europe. He liberated the death camps, Dachau and Treblinka in Eastern Europe. He talked about how you could smell the camps from miles away. He earned a purple heart in Normandie when he was injured with schrapnel. When he was recovering, he said he couldn't wait to get back to his battalion. The tank he served most of his tour was blown up with no survivors one day after he was reassigned to another tank. My uncle wrote down his stories (75 plus pages worth) of his experiences about 10 years ago. It took him decades to share with us.
I'm privileged to know him and Thank him and all of our veterans from too many wars and battles on lands both far and near, Thank you, God Bless, and God Speed Home to your loved ones.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Wildfire Season aka Summer in SoCal
You know it's summer in Southern California when you have triple digit heat and you hear the whirl of Fire Department helicopters overhead. They are dropping water on a brush fire about 8 miles away. We do have four seasons in Southern California and they are Earthquakes, Mudslides, Wildfires, and Smog. You learn to keep your emergency supplies ready and your gas tank full. The price of living in paradise, I suppose.
(This photo is from the fires last October, not this current one.)
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