The View From The Inside

Inside where, you ask? The Emergency Room, I say. I'm becoming quite uncomfortably familiar with Emergency Rooms these days. If it's not one parent, it's another or if it's not one child, it's another. We'll have to head back to the hospital once the surgeon finishes with the surgery he is currently performing so we can talk to him to find out exactly what he will be doing for and to M's mom and when. Now that she has been admitted, we decided to take a couple of hours to gather her stuff from her apartment that she'll need and get a few things done here.

The more time I spend in a hospital environment, the more I have to be impressed with the fact there are people (strangers) who are willing to deal with all the ugliness of the health issues for me and for those I love.

Just think about the fact that on any given shift a CNA or a Nurse Practioner or an RN or an MD hear a litany of complaints, many of which come from people who I'm sure think they are in more pain than anyone else. Or how many bedpans they have to deal with or how many IV's they have to start or how many times they have to try to bring someone back from the dead? Through it all they have to remain composed, empathetic but not get emotionally involved, professional but caring; it's quite the balance. You don't see me raising my hand, that's for sure.

I guess what I'm trying to say is we're fortunate we have people in this world who are willing to give of themselves to care for others, not just here in nice clean and efficient hospitals but abroad in places like Haiti and Southeast Asia where there is nothing clean or efficient about the environment and they actually put themselves in jeopardy.

When I step back to think about it, I feel small, inconsequential and very selfish. Regardless, I still don't think I could do it. I can't even watch the Special Olympics without crying.

What Will They Come Up With Next?

OK, whew, we can all breathe a sigh of relief and keep the schools open for just one more year because we passed another tax increase this year. Don't get me wrong, I voted for it too. But here's my beef. Every year there's something that requires us to raise taxes and generally schools fall into the mix. I can't remember a year when the schools weren't having to cut back, lay off staff, close down, etc. Where the hell is all the money going? I want someone to tell me? But no one does, they just keep asking for more.

Mike says the news is saying the last tax increase we voted on was in 2002 and before that it was 1930, that's a bunch of hooey. This has happened again and again. They must only be referring to one particular tax vote like the one for business. This has been a repeat performance, I don't care what they say.

If I were a mathematician, I'm sure I could determine how many more years of tax increases it would take before none of us could afford to live in Oregon. You can't keep raising taxes every year, is there no where else to get money for schools? Where is the lottery money going besides to everyone else but me? We have property taxes and we have income taxes, neither of which are low percentages by any means. And we have taxes on just about every service and "luxury" product that exists. The ONLY tax we don't have is a sales tax and the only reason we don't have that one is that would be just one tax too many and they can't get it through a vote.

At some point, I feel like we are going to be paying someone just to work. Bizarre. It's like everything is slowly turning on its head or maybe it's just on my head. Where does it all end?

Organized in Containers

Today I went into The Container Store for the first time. I got so excited I wanted to climb into one of those compartmentalized contraptions. You could literally organize your thoughts in that place, it was amazing. But I held firm, I went in there for two things and I only got three (ok, I barely overdid it).

Now my tea is completely organized and one of my kitchen cupboards actually has empty space in it (unheard of). The playroom is now minus a basket and a box and with just one more trip to The Container Store, I think another box and toys on the floor will be gone.

I'm loving this so I need to closely monitor my growing obsession. I guess there are worse ones.

And The Winner Is...

I think I'm competing for the Guiness World Book of Records for an ongoing sinus infection. I first noticed it on Christmas night so that was December 25th. That means it lasted for 7 days in 2009. It has yet to clear up in 2010 and just last Sunday kicked back in with a vengance. That means it has been running for 21 days in 2010.

So in total, I've been dealing with this crap for the last 28 days and yes, I have used at least this much kleenex. So much for seeing if I could get over it myself, at least I've been on antibiotics since Tuesday. I'm banking on those killing off all those filthy, little, buggy germs running around in my injured/swollen nasal cavity.

It's either that or just surgically remove my nose from my face and believe me I'm very close to that. I could at least eliminate kleenex expense from then on. The visual just isn't pretty though, I know.

Now, of course, the crud is starting to creep back into my lungs, the inevitable path of disease in my experience. My voice sounds like it's being pulled out of me by force, against my will with a sharp object. Not only that, it makes me very tired just trying to get some sound out. The answer - lots and lots of tea. I love tea. Nevertheless, tea every hour on the hour has not provided the cure so I'll keep hacking away at it.

This lady looks like she enjoys tea and like her nose has seen better days too. I can relate.

Life In The Not-So-Fast Lane

I know January is typically the month of New Year's resolutions so in keeping with the fashionable trends, I've decided I'm going to make every effort to slow down my life in terms of overcommitments.

So, you ask, how am I doing so far? Let's just say I have yet to actually begin this effort. Considering everything involved with work this year, not to mention all the stuff I hope to have happen outside of work, this will be the supreme challenge for me. If I'm successful, it will be magic. Today I have great hopes I can do this, the question is, how long can I keep those hopes up.

Basically it means I can't waste any time for the entire year. Every hour will need to have a purpose. I think that's okay if it means I can keep a little more sanity than I was able to last year. The ultimate test will be whether I can get through the entire year without getting sick. Inevitably, sometime around Christmas or year-end, I contract whatever is going around because I've been burning the candle at all four ends (I love that visual) and it finally gets the better of me. I'm confident I can improve my time efficiency.

The other challenge will be for me to succeed at this without pissing off everyone around me. The more I think about it, the more excited I am to give this a try.

Essentially, I feel this is necessary to prepare me for retirement so I will be able to move forward without looking back with any regrets whatsoever. The only danger in all this is that whenever I've felt I was on track with my life over the years, something has inevitably occurred that threw me for a loop. I'll need to be as flexible and agile as an Avatar to avoid that kind of derailing over the next 3 1/2 years.

I love that I have this kind of positive energy on a very, rainy, dreary day in January, it's very encouraging. I just have to maintain this regardless of what occurs to the contrary.

LOVE in LV

It's official, we are going to see the Cirque du Soleil show, The Beatles "Love" on Monday night while we're in Las Vegas. I'm really looking forward to it. My favorite music as portrayed by my favorite human circus, I'm sure you can't think of a better way to spend a few hours.

Maybe watching the incredibly flexible and fit but oddly-costumed talent performing in this show will provide me with the inspiration I need to get myself back in shape. Something has to inspire me.

I'm fully prepared to fall in love with "Love".

Gunfight at the Not O.K. Corral

I REALLY have no time for this so it will be very quick. I just have one word to say... anger ball. Okay, two words but my question is why is there so much anger in the world right now that repeatedly takes the form of gunfire. People getting shot/killed in health clinics, people getting shot/killed in museums, people getting shot/killed in shopping malls, people getting shot/killed at school, people getting killed in their own homes, people even getting shot/killed in NBA locker rooms.


People may be out of jobs, they may be in significant debt, they may not be able to pay their bills, they may be going hungry, but they always seem to be able to afford guns. Yep, guns and cigarettes seem to always be around regardless of circumstances, no matter how low they go. What does this say about our so-called civilized society that these two repulsive items have become the mainstay of existence for so many people? Nothing good, that's for sure.


I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm so glad those who went before, the Benjamin Franklins, the Thomas Jeffersons, the Abraham Lincolns, the FDR's, can't see us now. I wish I didn't have to but the only way to avoid hearing about this crap is to crawl into a hole. I'm still not quite there but I'm getting awfully close.