Sorry, but I just can't resist one more link. This is a great article, read the whole thing. But considering the OTHER McCain attack ad (that is equally ridiculous, asserting that Obama didn't visit the troops because he hates them, making no mention of the fact that at the last minute the Pentagon specifically forbade him to make the visit with the staff he was traveling with) this especially jumps out:
"What the McCain campaign doesn’t want people to know, according to one GOP strategist I spoke with over the weekend, is that they had an ad script ready to go if Obama had visited the wounded troops saying that Obama was...wait for it...using wounded troops as campaign props. So, no matter which way Obama turned, McCain had an Obama bashing ad ready to launch. I guess that’s political hardball. But another word for it is the one word that most politicians are loathe to use about their opponents—a lie."
I was depressed before, but now I'm starting to get ticked off.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Oh, Canada
Two things, quickly.
I'm going on vacation, leaving in just a few hours, so I won't be around to blog for the next two and a half weeks. I know you will all miss my clever insight into the excitement of the So You Think You Can Dance finale, but you're just going to have to deal with it. When I return, I'm sure I will have some photos to share as we hike all through Maine, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. There are supposed to be waterfalls and vikings and fossils and moose and hopefully not much rain or mosquitos.
The other thing is that we might come home early. I just programmed my Tivo to get the Olympics, and now I'm mad at myself for not upgrading to a bigger Tivo because I am going to miss hours and hours of Olympic awesomeness and I am devastated about it. I know, I know, it makes no sense that every two years I get all macho and sports crazy, but my Y chromosome does in fact assert itself from time to time, and at the moment all I want to do is grab a beer and watch sports on TV. Well, maybe I don't really need the beer. But I do need the gymnastics and rowing and equestrian and trampoline and swimming and track and marathon and cycling and vollyball...holy crap, what have I done, planning a vacation over the Olympics? What if I miss the next Paul Hamm gold-winning moment? Or the Sarah Hughes? All eyes are on Michael Phelps of course. Will the Thorpedo be back? What about Alexi Nemov? And I need someone to replace the huge hole in my heart that was previously named Marion Jones. I wonder if Newfoundland has sports bars?
This only applies to like two people (and both of them are named Peggy and/or Mom), but please don't leave me phone messages. I am taking the cell phone, but it costs extra of course to roam internationally, and if I see I have a voice mail it will drive me bonkers cause I won't be able to check it until we get back into the States.
I'm going on vacation, leaving in just a few hours, so I won't be around to blog for the next two and a half weeks. I know you will all miss my clever insight into the excitement of the So You Think You Can Dance finale, but you're just going to have to deal with it. When I return, I'm sure I will have some photos to share as we hike all through Maine, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. There are supposed to be waterfalls and vikings and fossils and moose and hopefully not much rain or mosquitos.
The other thing is that we might come home early. I just programmed my Tivo to get the Olympics, and now I'm mad at myself for not upgrading to a bigger Tivo because I am going to miss hours and hours of Olympic awesomeness and I am devastated about it. I know, I know, it makes no sense that every two years I get all macho and sports crazy, but my Y chromosome does in fact assert itself from time to time, and at the moment all I want to do is grab a beer and watch sports on TV. Well, maybe I don't really need the beer. But I do need the gymnastics and rowing and equestrian and trampoline and swimming and track and marathon and cycling and vollyball...holy crap, what have I done, planning a vacation over the Olympics? What if I miss the next Paul Hamm gold-winning moment? Or the Sarah Hughes? All eyes are on Michael Phelps of course. Will the Thorpedo be back? What about Alexi Nemov? And I need someone to replace the huge hole in my heart that was previously named Marion Jones. I wonder if Newfoundland has sports bars?
This only applies to like two people (and both of them are named Peggy and/or Mom), but please don't leave me phone messages. I am taking the cell phone, but it costs extra of course to roam internationally, and if I see I have a voice mail it will drive me bonkers cause I won't be able to check it until we get back into the States.
What he says
So is this celebrity crap a battle McCain really wants to start? But don't take my word for it, this guy says it even better. Money quote:
"It makes just as much sense to call McCain an elitist as Obama. Nevermind that the Illinois senator is a bi-racial child from a broken family raised in a modest single-parent household. Or that there are plenty of "country clubs" still unwilling to accept African-Americans as members. Or that the last "celebrity" to occupy the Oval Office was Ronald Reagan, McCain's hero. Simply imagine the memo David Axelrod could send to reporters about the Republican nominee. "Only a celebrity of John McCain's magnitude could star on blockbuster television shows like '24' and appear in big-budget motion pictures like 'Wedding Crashers,'" it would read. "These are not campaign commercials or news interviews, but major Hollywood productions--which is no surprise, given that he's pals with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lorne Michaels. Only celebrities like John McCain own seven homes, date Brazilian models, marry blond heiresses worth $100 million, attend Virginia's tony "old boy" Episcopal High School, forget the last time they pumped their own gas and wear $520 black calfskin loafers by Ferragamo." Get the picture?"
Like I said before, I know this kind of mud-slinging is how the game is played, but weren't we mostly excited about McCain because he was supposed to be different? You know, a maverick? He is destroying everything I've ever liked about him. Painful.
"It makes just as much sense to call McCain an elitist as Obama. Nevermind that the Illinois senator is a bi-racial child from a broken family raised in a modest single-parent household. Or that there are plenty of "country clubs" still unwilling to accept African-Americans as members. Or that the last "celebrity" to occupy the Oval Office was Ronald Reagan, McCain's hero. Simply imagine the memo David Axelrod could send to reporters about the Republican nominee. "Only a celebrity of John McCain's magnitude could star on blockbuster television shows like '24' and appear in big-budget motion pictures like 'Wedding Crashers,'" it would read. "These are not campaign commercials or news interviews, but major Hollywood productions--which is no surprise, given that he's pals with Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lorne Michaels. Only celebrities like John McCain own seven homes, date Brazilian models, marry blond heiresses worth $100 million, attend Virginia's tony "old boy" Episcopal High School, forget the last time they pumped their own gas and wear $520 black calfskin loafers by Ferragamo." Get the picture?"
Like I said before, I know this kind of mud-slinging is how the game is played, but weren't we mostly excited about McCain because he was supposed to be different? You know, a maverick? He is destroying everything I've ever liked about him. Painful.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Case. In. Point.
Comparing Obama to Paris Hilton? Can we say desperate?
(And I won't even get started on the completely ridiculous claim that opening up more land for off-shore drilling is going to have any effect on anything but future - like DECADES in the future - oil company profits. If it is so important, than why aren't companies drilling on all the land that is already open to them? Oh, that's right, they are just using their own high prices as a scam to get more land in their pockets. And I love the way McCain thinks that unless we have MORE OIL MORE OIL we are going to be totally dependent on foreign oil. How about we take the lead and start seriously trying to develop a non-oil-centric energy policy? Crap. I got started. Well, I'm not finishing it, I have a vacation to pack for...)
PS - Also it is funny that McCain is saying Obama is bad for wanting to raise taxes (I want low taxes as much as you do, but who does he expect is going to pay for the previous administration exactly?), and yet he himself just said that raising taxes is not "off the table". Like I said, it is depressing when someone so old loses his integrity.
He just needs a refreshing beverage
McCain is depressing me. I was in a patients room last night, and he was on the TV talking, of course, about Obama. I mean, there was a time that I really admired McCain, and I know that when you are the underdog you sort of have to attack the frontrunner by default, that is just sort of the way these things work. But so many of his attacks are just so transparently stupid and awkward that it just makes me a little sad to see him stoop so low.
One of my patients was an old lady who is the poster child for geriatric nursing, just completely adorable and just like what I imagine Pollyanna was like when she was in her late 80s. Anyway, she was talking about the upcoming shift of TV's to digital broadcast, and as an educated consumer, she knows she is going to have to buy a new TV come next February, and wasn't quite sure how she was going to afford it. Now, old people who are poor is something that has depressed me since I was a little kid and I practically started crying when on a hot day an old lady tripped on her dog and dropped her slurpee in the parking lot of a 7-11 and had to go back in and the evil bastard clerk made her buy a new one instead of giving her a free refill. (I was sensitive! I had money on me and wanted desperately to go pay for it myself, but much to my shame I was too embarrassed to do anything and just froze. But I still think that clerk has a special place in hell reserved for him. This is probably the most vivid memory I have from my seven year old self.)
McCain depresses me in a similar way. Even though he isn't poor (heck, he lets his kids run up $50,000 a month on his credit cards, which for me is another kind of problem, but whatever), he just seems so...OLD, with his awkward "That's not change you can believe in" stuff. I just want to pat him on the back and buy him a slurpee.
One of my patients was an old lady who is the poster child for geriatric nursing, just completely adorable and just like what I imagine Pollyanna was like when she was in her late 80s. Anyway, she was talking about the upcoming shift of TV's to digital broadcast, and as an educated consumer, she knows she is going to have to buy a new TV come next February, and wasn't quite sure how she was going to afford it. Now, old people who are poor is something that has depressed me since I was a little kid and I practically started crying when on a hot day an old lady tripped on her dog and dropped her slurpee in the parking lot of a 7-11 and had to go back in and the evil bastard clerk made her buy a new one instead of giving her a free refill. (I was sensitive! I had money on me and wanted desperately to go pay for it myself, but much to my shame I was too embarrassed to do anything and just froze. But I still think that clerk has a special place in hell reserved for him. This is probably the most vivid memory I have from my seven year old self.)
McCain depresses me in a similar way. Even though he isn't poor (heck, he lets his kids run up $50,000 a month on his credit cards, which for me is another kind of problem, but whatever), he just seems so...OLD, with his awkward "That's not change you can believe in" stuff. I just want to pat him on the back and buy him a slurpee.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thank you for the music
In my household, if you have a choice between seeing a Batman movie or an ABBA musical, the musical will win every time.
So we saw "Mamma Mia". And yeah, it is kind of a mess, the plot is a little too uncomfortable considering the absolute joy of the music, and the scenes shot in the studio don't match with the scenes actually shot outside very well. But, hello, ABBA. And Meryl Streep. In Greece. What more do you need? I know where I want to go on vacation next. I also want to get the soundtrack, because some of the new arrangements, while not a replacement for the originals, are still very fun.
I also wish I understood the technical side of recording a soundtrack for a movie. I don't know what it is that they do, but they often "sweeten" the tracks somehow, and I don't know what they do but they turn the music into crack for my ears. I can't describe the sound, but it just makes me so happy. It was the same thing for the soundtrack to Chicago. I love it, I can't get enough.
Before the movie we bought more camping equipment. Yay! After the movie we drove out to Virginia and had a delicious steak dinner with my Aunt and Uncle. They are moving back to Idaho, so this was our last chance to see them. They move around even more than David and I do (my uncle does high-tech construction), so we'll no doubt be near them again at some point I'm sure. But still, sad to see them go. They were just two hours away, and we didn't take advantage of that as often as we should have. But that is the great thing about family, there will always be more opportunities.
One week! In one week I will be hiking in Maine!
So we saw "Mamma Mia". And yeah, it is kind of a mess, the plot is a little too uncomfortable considering the absolute joy of the music, and the scenes shot in the studio don't match with the scenes actually shot outside very well. But, hello, ABBA. And Meryl Streep. In Greece. What more do you need? I know where I want to go on vacation next. I also want to get the soundtrack, because some of the new arrangements, while not a replacement for the originals, are still very fun.
I also wish I understood the technical side of recording a soundtrack for a movie. I don't know what it is that they do, but they often "sweeten" the tracks somehow, and I don't know what they do but they turn the music into crack for my ears. I can't describe the sound, but it just makes me so happy. It was the same thing for the soundtrack to Chicago. I love it, I can't get enough.
Before the movie we bought more camping equipment. Yay! After the movie we drove out to Virginia and had a delicious steak dinner with my Aunt and Uncle. They are moving back to Idaho, so this was our last chance to see them. They move around even more than David and I do (my uncle does high-tech construction), so we'll no doubt be near them again at some point I'm sure. But still, sad to see them go. They were just two hours away, and we didn't take advantage of that as often as we should have. But that is the great thing about family, there will always be more opportunities.
One week! In one week I will be hiking in Maine!
so You Think You Can Dance? Week 7 Results
SYTYCD had a kind of dull week for me. No Bollywood, no crazy Cat Deeley dresses, and the only reason I knew the guest judge was because she did the first pop song I can remember listening to on the radio (Hey Mickey you're so fine you're so fine you blow my mind hey Mickey!) thanks to my cousin Jeanette.
Thoughts - Katie is quickly becoming my favorite. She may not have a very outgoing personality, but I can identify with that. Plus, she is amazing. I also love Joshua, despite the fact that the costume people clearly don't and put him in tight pants week after week after week. He must have pissed them off early on and they've never forgiven him.
My choice for going home was Comfort and Twitch. I like Twitch a lot, but I sort of feel I've seen everything he has to offer at this point, but Mark and Will keep surprising me. Because lets face it, Will's solo was by far the best solo they've ever had. The solos are always boring and generally a waste of time, but he finally took the concept to a new level. I REALLY hope the others take his lead and start doing something more interesting than tricks and rolling around on the floor.
That said, I can't be too surprised that Will went home. He was by far the best dancer, but he just never displayed the personality to win it. Just like Katie won't win it. But that is fine with me. He needed to win this as much as Melinda Doolittle needed to win Idol, which was, not at all. But it could make a huge difference for someone like Joshua.
Also, I'm just getting used to the wrong person winning on reality TV shows. (Bailey? Really? ::sigh::)
Thoughts - Katie is quickly becoming my favorite. She may not have a very outgoing personality, but I can identify with that. Plus, she is amazing. I also love Joshua, despite the fact that the costume people clearly don't and put him in tight pants week after week after week. He must have pissed them off early on and they've never forgiven him.
My choice for going home was Comfort and Twitch. I like Twitch a lot, but I sort of feel I've seen everything he has to offer at this point, but Mark and Will keep surprising me. Because lets face it, Will's solo was by far the best solo they've ever had. The solos are always boring and generally a waste of time, but he finally took the concept to a new level. I REALLY hope the others take his lead and start doing something more interesting than tricks and rolling around on the floor.
That said, I can't be too surprised that Will went home. He was by far the best dancer, but he just never displayed the personality to win it. Just like Katie won't win it. But that is fine with me. He needed to win this as much as Melinda Doolittle needed to win Idol, which was, not at all. But it could make a huge difference for someone like Joshua.
Also, I'm just getting used to the wrong person winning on reality TV shows. (Bailey? Really? ::sigh::)
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Sleep-deprived
Monday morning I woke up at 8 am. I forced myself to take a nap from 1-3pm. My night shift started at 7pm. After my shift ended at 7:30am, I went to a four hour class on how to be a good preceptor for new nurses. Basically they took four hours to tell us that in order to be a good preceptor for new nurses we needed to...communicate. (Who would have guessed?) Then, because I'm a total masochist and because the only other time I could go to this other meeting is on the day I want to leave for our vacation to Canada, I went to a staff meeting on a bunch of new initiatives we are starting on our floor. Basically, a bunch of nurses are doing projects because they get a nice bonus for doing so, but in the end it means all of the rest of us have to do a bunch of extra work. Actually, most of the projects are fairly reasonable, making sure we weigh all the patients, finding new ways to prevent falls and pressure ulcers, that sort of thing. Some seem a bit over-the-top in creating busy work, but we'll see what happens with that.
In any case, I worked for 21 hours, and other than the two hour nap I was awake for almost 38 hours. My saving grace was Coke. I never drink soda, I'm just not a big fan, but I was downing them like crazy and wow, does caffeine totally work! I hit a slump at about 9am, but once I passed that I was awake the rest of the day. Even after I got home I didn't go to bed until 9:30. Today I have a bit of a headache, I'm sure related to my caffeine/sugar crash. That stuff is potent.
I had some great patients this weekend. One of them was this super adorable old lady, who would make the perfect poster girl for geriatric nursing. She had this little girl voice and was always happy and talkative and saw the bright side of everything. She had some surgery done, and didn't ask for pain medicine for a long time afterwards. I don't think she was ignoring the pain, I really think she was just so happy she didn't feel any. She was very excited after I told her I was going camping at Acadia in Maine, because she went there 50 years ago and wanted to tell me what hikes to take and where some good restaurants were. I'd totally work in a nursing home if everyone was like her. I wish more people were.
We leave in a week for vacation! So much to do still. Friday I'm taking the car in to get serviced, and I'm wondering how many things they are going to find wrong that they want me to fix. David saw something that said washing and waxing your car can increase fuel efficiency by like 15%, but I'm not sure we're gonna have time for that.
"Escape To Witch Mountain" was on TV, so in my sleepy haze I watched it. That movie is awesome! Disney movies from the 70s aren't as sophisticated as kids movies are today (in fact they are not sophisticated AT ALL) but they had such charm. I looked the movie up on imdb to see if the kids had done anything else after growing up (not much), and I found out they are remaking the movie with that cute girl from "Bridge to Terabithia". So Rhonda and Brenda, maybe your kids will like it.
In any case, I worked for 21 hours, and other than the two hour nap I was awake for almost 38 hours. My saving grace was Coke. I never drink soda, I'm just not a big fan, but I was downing them like crazy and wow, does caffeine totally work! I hit a slump at about 9am, but once I passed that I was awake the rest of the day. Even after I got home I didn't go to bed until 9:30. Today I have a bit of a headache, I'm sure related to my caffeine/sugar crash. That stuff is potent.
I had some great patients this weekend. One of them was this super adorable old lady, who would make the perfect poster girl for geriatric nursing. She had this little girl voice and was always happy and talkative and saw the bright side of everything. She had some surgery done, and didn't ask for pain medicine for a long time afterwards. I don't think she was ignoring the pain, I really think she was just so happy she didn't feel any. She was very excited after I told her I was going camping at Acadia in Maine, because she went there 50 years ago and wanted to tell me what hikes to take and where some good restaurants were. I'd totally work in a nursing home if everyone was like her. I wish more people were.
We leave in a week for vacation! So much to do still. Friday I'm taking the car in to get serviced, and I'm wondering how many things they are going to find wrong that they want me to fix. David saw something that said washing and waxing your car can increase fuel efficiency by like 15%, but I'm not sure we're gonna have time for that.
"Escape To Witch Mountain" was on TV, so in my sleepy haze I watched it. That movie is awesome! Disney movies from the 70s aren't as sophisticated as kids movies are today (in fact they are not sophisticated AT ALL) but they had such charm. I looked the movie up on imdb to see if the kids had done anything else after growing up (not much), and I found out they are remaking the movie with that cute girl from "Bridge to Terabithia". So Rhonda and Brenda, maybe your kids will like it.
Friday, July 18, 2008
So You Think You Can Dance? Week 6 Results
This week was messed up. I wanted poor Jessica to have her chance to shine so she isn't completely miserable about this entire experience for the rest of her life, but no, she had to go and break some ribs and quit. Worse, they don't even mention HOW she broke the ribs. I assume it was dancing, so which dance did the deed? I want to know these things!
That also meant Comfort was back, which made me a little sad only because now she is the only one who doesn't belong. Bringing people back on reality shows always feels wrong anyway, but also she just isn't up to par with everyone else, so she sticks out as the weak link. It isn't fair for us, it isn't fair for her.
I've waited too long to comment much on the dancing. Will and Katie doing the ballet though, that sniffs of conspiracy because there is no other pairing that could have pulled that off like that. Pretty darn gorgeous.
Does Tyce fill the studio with smoked crack everytime someone performs his dances? I'm usually underwhelmed with his choreography, but everyone in the studio always seems to think it is oxygen for their eyeballs.
Mark and Kherington, who on paper I'd say were the best new couple, totally stumbled. Granted they have two hard dances to pull off, but they just aren't suited to each other either. They are still two of my favorites. Although, other than Comfort, they are all one of my favorites. It is a strong year. I like that.
I imagined going home would be Comfort and Gev. I was surprised to see Mark in the bottom, but he did have a rough night. I'd have a hard time picking my favorite among the remaining boys. Heck, I really liked Gev too, he was outstanding, but maybe a little short and not quite as versatile as some of the others.
I was also surprised to see Kherington in the bottom, and shocked when she was sent packing. America, sometimes you suck. Yes, she had a bad night, and yes, we always love punishing girls who manage to become popular. But really? Comfort and Courtney are very lucky right now. I think a boy will win this year for sure, but Kherington had way more hits than misses. That was just wrong. But I guess just like Neil last year, who peaked at just the right time to make it farther than expected, she stumbled at just the wrong time and paid a high price for it.
Also, Kherington and Chelsie looked awesome in their group number makeup and hair. It was sub-par Mia Michaels perhaps, but the backstage peeps sure made them all look great.
I can't embed current videos anymore, but here are two of my favorite dances from last season, which were just nominated for Emmy awards, and deservedly so. (Though color me confused that Mia Micheals wasn't represented, cause she had some amazing stuff of her own, but since she won the Emmy last year are they just trying to spread the wealth a little?)
Hok/Jamie: "The Flower and the Hummingbird," choreographed by Wade Robson:
Neil/Sabra: "Table Routine," choreographed by Mandy Moore:
That also meant Comfort was back, which made me a little sad only because now she is the only one who doesn't belong. Bringing people back on reality shows always feels wrong anyway, but also she just isn't up to par with everyone else, so she sticks out as the weak link. It isn't fair for us, it isn't fair for her.
I've waited too long to comment much on the dancing. Will and Katie doing the ballet though, that sniffs of conspiracy because there is no other pairing that could have pulled that off like that. Pretty darn gorgeous.
Does Tyce fill the studio with smoked crack everytime someone performs his dances? I'm usually underwhelmed with his choreography, but everyone in the studio always seems to think it is oxygen for their eyeballs.
Mark and Kherington, who on paper I'd say were the best new couple, totally stumbled. Granted they have two hard dances to pull off, but they just aren't suited to each other either. They are still two of my favorites. Although, other than Comfort, they are all one of my favorites. It is a strong year. I like that.
I imagined going home would be Comfort and Gev. I was surprised to see Mark in the bottom, but he did have a rough night. I'd have a hard time picking my favorite among the remaining boys. Heck, I really liked Gev too, he was outstanding, but maybe a little short and not quite as versatile as some of the others.
I was also surprised to see Kherington in the bottom, and shocked when she was sent packing. America, sometimes you suck. Yes, she had a bad night, and yes, we always love punishing girls who manage to become popular. But really? Comfort and Courtney are very lucky right now. I think a boy will win this year for sure, but Kherington had way more hits than misses. That was just wrong. But I guess just like Neil last year, who peaked at just the right time to make it farther than expected, she stumbled at just the wrong time and paid a high price for it.
Also, Kherington and Chelsie looked awesome in their group number makeup and hair. It was sub-par Mia Michaels perhaps, but the backstage peeps sure made them all look great.
I can't embed current videos anymore, but here are two of my favorite dances from last season, which were just nominated for Emmy awards, and deservedly so. (Though color me confused that Mia Micheals wasn't represented, cause she had some amazing stuff of her own, but since she won the Emmy last year are they just trying to spread the wealth a little?)
Hok/Jamie: "The Flower and the Hummingbird," choreographed by Wade Robson:
Neil/Sabra: "Table Routine," choreographed by Mandy Moore:
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Looking for old friends
The other day I got an email via Facebook from someone I went to high school with. I haven't thought of her in years, so it was pretty fabulous to hear from her out of the blue and do a little catching up. This of course got me thinking about other friends, so I went to do a little searching. And I couldn't find people! Katharine Welch, where are you? Jamie Batsch? Gail Murray? Peter Fuller? Going back even farther, how about Arnie Muth? Toby Rule? Shawna Mason? The girls probably have new married names. But come on peeps, I know things like Facebook seem silly, but catching up is fun! So, if you are reading this blog, do yourself a favor and sign up. You don't have to maintain it, you don't have to spend hours fooling around like you are 13. But there is no better way to re-find old friends, or to let them find you. The world is small, but you'll get better results if you give old friends a way to find you. (and reunion.com and the like are cool, but I don't expect anyone, including me, to pay for the service. Facebook is free! Do it! Now! And include your maiden name!)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
More Pixar magic, and this time with singing! (Even if it is Michael Crawford)
Yes, I changed the look of the blog again. The other template was too narrow and was squeezing out my maps on the side, so I went back to the old template, but didn't bother changing all the colors again. Actually, I tried to get the green back, but it wasn't working out, so I just kept with the blue. One of these days I may try to get jiggy with my Photoshop and make a custom header with a picture or something, but at the moment I don't want to spend the time.
Last night David and I saw "Wall-E", or however the heck you spell it. When I first heard about the movie I was completely uninterested. Much like I was totally uninterested in Cars and Ratatouille. But Ratatouille turned out to be really good, and after hearing some good word of mouth we decided to go see it. Now I'm having a hard time deciding if it is my favorite Pixar of all-time, or if Toy Story still just edges it out.
It is by far the most ambitious of any of the Pixar movies, and let's be honest, even my least favorite of them, Cars and Bugs Life, are still better than most other animated movies. The detail and nuance in this new one is impressive, engaging, funny, and tugs at all the right heart-strings. And the animation is stunning, which started David and I on another conversation along the lines of "what if we could show this movie to someone from 30 years ago, how would it blow their minds? Or what about 100 years ago?" Of course, someone from 100 years ago would have a hard time grasping much of what was going on probably.
My only nit-pick is I'm not sure I like the whole human-to-cartoon transformation. It is just a little weird watching Fred Willard, although for some reason the "Hello Dolly" footage bothered me less. But whatever. At least Wall-E didn't turn out to be evil or something. And I thought all the Apple references were cute touches.
As far as my idiot savant talent for voice recognition, I picked up Sigourney Weaver immediately, and of course was anticipating the Cheers guy. But I have to admit Kathy Najimy threw me for a loop. Not that she had that much to say to give me much time, but I should've gotten her anyway, I knew the voice but just couldn't place her until I saw the credits. I hate that. lol The Captain wasn't familiar at all, and I was glad at the end to see it was someone I legitimately didn't know, so I didn't miss anything there.
Anyway, loved it. Maybe I'll have to rent the Toy Stories again and see how they hold up. And I don't know if it's true or not, but someone told me they are making Toy Story 3. Based on the strength of the second one, I'm game as long as Randy Newman doesn't write any more songs.
Last night David and I saw "Wall-E", or however the heck you spell it. When I first heard about the movie I was completely uninterested. Much like I was totally uninterested in Cars and Ratatouille. But Ratatouille turned out to be really good, and after hearing some good word of mouth we decided to go see it. Now I'm having a hard time deciding if it is my favorite Pixar of all-time, or if Toy Story still just edges it out.
It is by far the most ambitious of any of the Pixar movies, and let's be honest, even my least favorite of them, Cars and Bugs Life, are still better than most other animated movies. The detail and nuance in this new one is impressive, engaging, funny, and tugs at all the right heart-strings. And the animation is stunning, which started David and I on another conversation along the lines of "what if we could show this movie to someone from 30 years ago, how would it blow their minds? Or what about 100 years ago?" Of course, someone from 100 years ago would have a hard time grasping much of what was going on probably.
My only nit-pick is I'm not sure I like the whole human-to-cartoon transformation. It is just a little weird watching Fred Willard, although for some reason the "Hello Dolly" footage bothered me less. But whatever. At least Wall-E didn't turn out to be evil or something. And I thought all the Apple references were cute touches.
As far as my idiot savant talent for voice recognition, I picked up Sigourney Weaver immediately, and of course was anticipating the Cheers guy. But I have to admit Kathy Najimy threw me for a loop. Not that she had that much to say to give me much time, but I should've gotten her anyway, I knew the voice but just couldn't place her until I saw the credits. I hate that. lol The Captain wasn't familiar at all, and I was glad at the end to see it was someone I legitimately didn't know, so I didn't miss anything there.
Anyway, loved it. Maybe I'll have to rent the Toy Stories again and see how they hold up. And I don't know if it's true or not, but someone told me they are making Toy Story 3. Based on the strength of the second one, I'm game as long as Randy Newman doesn't write any more songs.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tee hee
Funny, but also kind of depressing really.
PS - Don't miss the shrew video posted below, trust me. Watch it right now!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Really. I mean...really?
John McCain doesn't know how to use the internet. Really.
Money quote:
“I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don’t expect to be a great communicator, I don’t expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need.”
You are *learning* to get online? I get online by double-clicking the icon for my browser. I mean, it is one thing to tease someone because he is old and can't program the VCR. It is another to think that a potential leader of the United States Of America is so tech-ignorant that he can't send an email. Even people I met in little backwater villages in Indonesia and Cambodia could use the internet, and that was eight years ago. This is 2008. What kind of a bubble of assistants do you have to live in to completely avoid using the internet?
Really.
Money quote:
“I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don’t expect to be a great communicator, I don’t expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need.”
You are *learning* to get online? I get online by double-clicking the icon for my browser. I mean, it is one thing to tease someone because he is old and can't program the VCR. It is another to think that a potential leader of the United States Of America is so tech-ignorant that he can't send an email. Even people I met in little backwater villages in Indonesia and Cambodia could use the internet, and that was eight years ago. This is 2008. What kind of a bubble of assistants do you have to live in to completely avoid using the internet?
Really.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Ouch
As mayor of this posting, I hereby declare that all reality show contestants should be forced to watch this video in the hopes that they will stop saying this, because it always annoys me, and this is why. (I dare you to watch the whole thing.)
Now I just need to find someone to make another video making fun of the other overused phrase, "I'm/She's/He's/You're on the chopping block" and also one that makes fun of how lame people look when they try and use their fingers to match the number you are supposed to call to vote for them.
Now I just need to find someone to make another video making fun of the other overused phrase, "I'm/She's/He's/You're on the chopping block" and also one that makes fun of how lame people look when they try and use their fingers to match the number you are supposed to call to vote for them.
Friday, July 11, 2008
So You Think You Can Dance? Week 5 Results
I just couldn't get very excited about this week. It was obvious who would be going home, regardless of what the dancing was like. And indeed, I thought the judges were exceptionally mean to Thayne and Comfort, while being exceptionally forgiving to some of the other couples. As much as I really like Thayne, even I agree that they were the ones who should go home this week, so I thought all the unnecessary meanness was totally uncalled for. And, frankly, boring and obvious.
For me, the only real stand-out dance this week was the Bollywood number, which I thought was very fun. Yeah, maybe neither of them really got that knee turn thing, but I can't imagine how hard it is to remember to contort your hands in the exact opposite way you've been trained to do your entire career. Plus, just fun. More, please.
Best line of the night goes to Cat Deeley. Nigel complained that Courtney's dress was too fancy for her number, saying "would you wear that in the kitchen?" Cat: "Not to cook." Pitter. Patter.
Weirdest line of the night goes to Mary, who is getting almost as weird as Paula. ''On this stage, we have one rule. Heart. Soul. Equals stardom.'' Uh, riiight, whatever you say Mary.
To absolutely no one's surprise, Thayne and Comfort did indeed go home. At least they were very nice to Thayne, even if in praising him they couldn't resist taking yet another jab at Jessica, who, barring the death of one of the other girls, will clearly be going home next week. Otherwise, the competition gets interesting again. All the couples will be re-matched, which given the perfect pairing of three of the five couples is sure to stir things up. And I'm sure all the guys are praying they don't get Jessica and get eliminated by association. Otherwise, what guy would be in danger at this point? Gev I suppose is the least technically talented, but all of the guys left are great dancers. Will has never really wowed me, but maybe the judges are right and with another partner he will shine. I hope I'm convinced, because it is much more fun to have to pick your favorite out of a good group than to just eliminate the weaklings.
Oh, and sorry mom, but they took all the dances off of Youtube, so if you want to see them, you'll just have to watch the show.
For me, the only real stand-out dance this week was the Bollywood number, which I thought was very fun. Yeah, maybe neither of them really got that knee turn thing, but I can't imagine how hard it is to remember to contort your hands in the exact opposite way you've been trained to do your entire career. Plus, just fun. More, please.
Best line of the night goes to Cat Deeley. Nigel complained that Courtney's dress was too fancy for her number, saying "would you wear that in the kitchen?" Cat: "Not to cook." Pitter. Patter.
Weirdest line of the night goes to Mary, who is getting almost as weird as Paula. ''On this stage, we have one rule. Heart. Soul. Equals stardom.'' Uh, riiight, whatever you say Mary.
To absolutely no one's surprise, Thayne and Comfort did indeed go home. At least they were very nice to Thayne, even if in praising him they couldn't resist taking yet another jab at Jessica, who, barring the death of one of the other girls, will clearly be going home next week. Otherwise, the competition gets interesting again. All the couples will be re-matched, which given the perfect pairing of three of the five couples is sure to stir things up. And I'm sure all the guys are praying they don't get Jessica and get eliminated by association. Otherwise, what guy would be in danger at this point? Gev I suppose is the least technically talented, but all of the guys left are great dancers. Will has never really wowed me, but maybe the judges are right and with another partner he will shine. I hope I'm convinced, because it is much more fun to have to pick your favorite out of a good group than to just eliminate the weaklings.
Oh, and sorry mom, but they took all the dances off of Youtube, so if you want to see them, you'll just have to watch the show.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
My day so far
Right now I'm listening to the soundtrack to Moulin Rouge. Because, why not? Who doesn't love Elephant Love Medley?
The last few weeks at work have been somewhat hectic, with very very very busy patients. (in hospital-speak, everyone was high acuity.) That isn't always a bad thing, necessarily, (I did get the opportunity to learn about peritoneal dialysis for example), but it does leave you exhausted at the end of the shift. This week, just before I transition back to working day shifts again, I had two night shifts of the type that reminded me why I liked night shifts in the first place. All of my patients went to sleep! I still had plenty to do, checking blood sugars every hour on my guy with the insulin drip, drawing blood every six hours on my lady with the heparin drip, giving pain meds and pedal doppler checks and dressing changes and answering all the questions of the patients visitors. But still, things got done, I like the nurses and techs I work with, and it couldn't have been smoother. Very nice.
Today I'm staying up as late as I can to try and get my body ready for my Saturday day shift. It took me two to three weeks before I adjusted to nights, so I imagine the shift back will be just as long. But I'm glad I have two more days to get ready.
We had our second couchsurfer last weekend, a young au Pair from France. We were supposed to have a guy from Ecuador here right now, but he never showed up. This is a little irritating, because we turned other people down for this time slot. I mean, I totally understand that schedules can change very quickly when you are traveling, but still, a quick email would have been nice. Oh well. We are learning which kinds of people we prefer hosting - mostly people who like to talk!
In the spring the hospital is making the transition from paper to computer charting. Today I ran over and took a look at some of the equipment they are trying to choose between. In some ways computer charting is going to be totally awesome. But holy crap is the transition going to be a nightmare.
The last few weeks at work have been somewhat hectic, with very very very busy patients. (in hospital-speak, everyone was high acuity.) That isn't always a bad thing, necessarily, (I did get the opportunity to learn about peritoneal dialysis for example), but it does leave you exhausted at the end of the shift. This week, just before I transition back to working day shifts again, I had two night shifts of the type that reminded me why I liked night shifts in the first place. All of my patients went to sleep! I still had plenty to do, checking blood sugars every hour on my guy with the insulin drip, drawing blood every six hours on my lady with the heparin drip, giving pain meds and pedal doppler checks and dressing changes and answering all the questions of the patients visitors. But still, things got done, I like the nurses and techs I work with, and it couldn't have been smoother. Very nice.
Today I'm staying up as late as I can to try and get my body ready for my Saturday day shift. It took me two to three weeks before I adjusted to nights, so I imagine the shift back will be just as long. But I'm glad I have two more days to get ready.
We had our second couchsurfer last weekend, a young au Pair from France. We were supposed to have a guy from Ecuador here right now, but he never showed up. This is a little irritating, because we turned other people down for this time slot. I mean, I totally understand that schedules can change very quickly when you are traveling, but still, a quick email would have been nice. Oh well. We are learning which kinds of people we prefer hosting - mostly people who like to talk!
In the spring the hospital is making the transition from paper to computer charting. Today I ran over and took a look at some of the equipment they are trying to choose between. In some ways computer charting is going to be totally awesome. But holy crap is the transition going to be a nightmare.
I didn't think I would cry at a wedding, but...
One of my favorite bloggers went and got gay married.
1. Dave White usually makes me laugh. After I got over the shock over his scary-fun deep voice, I found this really moving. If you look through his various posts on his blog about the wedding, they deliberately made this version of their wedding to be as low-key as possible. But still, they got married! For reals! (at least for a few months until some of the people of California want to forcibly divorce them.)
2. They may have been together for 13 years, but David and I have them beat by two! So take that!
Dave & Alonso Get Married (at the La Brea Tar Pits) from Graham Kolbeins on Vimeo.
3. I want someone to follow me around and make mini-movies like this of my life, because, awesome.
1. Dave White usually makes me laugh. After I got over the shock over his scary-fun deep voice, I found this really moving. If you look through his various posts on his blog about the wedding, they deliberately made this version of their wedding to be as low-key as possible. But still, they got married! For reals! (at least for a few months until some of the people of California want to forcibly divorce them.)
2. They may have been together for 13 years, but David and I have them beat by two! So take that!
Dave & Alonso Get Married (at the La Brea Tar Pits) from Graham Kolbeins on Vimeo.
3. I want someone to follow me around and make mini-movies like this of my life, because, awesome.
Even the Times is a fanboy
Here is some more love for my boy Matt.
Money quote:
"In many ways “Dancing” is an almost perfect piece of Internet art: it’s short, pleasingly weird and so minimal in its content that it’s open to a multitude of interpretations. It could be a little commercial for one-world feel-goodism. It could be an allegory of American foreign policy: a bumptious foreigner turning up all over the world and answering just to his own inner music. Or it could be about nothing at all — just a guy dancing.
However you interpret it, you can’t watch “Dancing” for very long without feeling a little happier."
What he said.
Money quote:
"In many ways “Dancing” is an almost perfect piece of Internet art: it’s short, pleasingly weird and so minimal in its content that it’s open to a multitude of interpretations. It could be a little commercial for one-world feel-goodism. It could be an allegory of American foreign policy: a bumptious foreigner turning up all over the world and answering just to his own inner music. Or it could be about nothing at all — just a guy dancing.
However you interpret it, you can’t watch “Dancing” for very long without feeling a little happier."
What he said.
trouble for the periodic table
I knew animals become extinct. I even knew plants can be extinctified. But rocks???
"The element gallium is in very short supply and the world may well run out of it in just a few years. Indium is threatened too, says Armin Reller, a materials chemist at Germany’s University of Augsburg. He estimates that our planet’s stock of indium will last no more than another decade. All the hafnium will be gone by 2017 also, and another twenty years will see the extinction of zinc. Even copper is an endangered item, since worldwide demand for it is likely to exceed available supplies by the end of the present century."
Ok, so before I read the article, I had no idea what gallium was (a metal that for one is used to make flat screen TVs). But zinc? Copper? That is messed up.
"The element gallium is in very short supply and the world may well run out of it in just a few years. Indium is threatened too, says Armin Reller, a materials chemist at Germany’s University of Augsburg. He estimates that our planet’s stock of indium will last no more than another decade. All the hafnium will be gone by 2017 also, and another twenty years will see the extinction of zinc. Even copper is an endangered item, since worldwide demand for it is likely to exceed available supplies by the end of the present century."
Ok, so before I read the article, I had no idea what gallium was (a metal that for one is used to make flat screen TVs). But zinc? Copper? That is messed up.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
iPhone or not?
My contract with Sprint is up this month. Should I get the new iPhone? Does anyone have one and love it/hate it? Or do you have a different phone that you love? I'm totally open to any possibility. David and I hardly use our phones, since both of us rather detest having phone conversations with anyone but maybe our mothers. But I'm wondering if I had email capability and GPS and all that fun stuff, if the way I use my phone would totally change. C'mon, brag about your phones so I can make a decision.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Joss Whedon is bearing presents for us all
Is it just me, or does this look delicious? I'm thinking Nathan Fillion as Angel and NPH as Andrew. Works for me. Plus, singing!!
Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.
Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
WANTED: A review, with big spoilers
We saw "Wanted". At the end of the day, if your movie has Angelina Jolie, and she is virtually a superhero, chances are I'm going to enjoy myself regardless of anything else. And this was, indeed, the case. I thought the guy was good, but anytime Jolie was onscreen things picked up just a little bit. She is just awesome. Period. But can I quibble? And I'm not even going to complain about the numerous plot holes, because, like, whatever.
I'm a person in the Kathy Griffin/South Park ideology, who thinks swearing equals funny. Indeed, one of the previews before the movie was that Will Ferrell step-brother movie, and they dropped the F-bomb about six times. I can't recall ever hearing swearing like that in a trailer before. Thus? Funny. But swearing in anger is something I still find kind of offensive. It is just so unnecessary, and totally takes me out of the moment. The first time Morgan Freeman dropped it, the audience laughed (like when Betty White did it in that flood movie. High! Larious!). But the second time? Awkward. Anyway, so all through the movie is this total over-the-top swearing that was clearly done on purpose, yet to little effect other than to make me roll my eyes a couple of times.
Ditto on the violence. Curving bullets? Cool. Blood exploding out of heads about 500 times? Dumb. Also, and I don't understand why I have to keep repeating this complaint because it seems so obvious to me, but movies should ALWAYS ALWAYS have poetic justice. If a bystander has to be killed, he had better kick a dog in the prior scene. It doesn't take that much effort to get a dog on the set. So what was up with that train wreck where they kill an entire trainload of people without a second thought? Not cool. Throw me a bone here, how about a banner on the train that says "Welcome terrorist trainees!" or "Welcome Hannity fans!", I'm not asking for much here. It would have been just as easy to have only the caboose fall off the cliff. Also, I hate knives, but that is a personal gripe and not a moral one.
Lastly. My oldest and biggest complaint. I HATE IT WHEN THE GOOD GUY TURNS OUT TO BE THE BAD GUY. For crying out loud! This is not an interesting twist! How many times do I have to say this before Hollywood stops recycling this totally lame cliche? Of course I figured it out (mostly) almost as soon as the train fight started, and the movie was pretty much downhill from that point.
On the plus side, it is pretty awesome that the entire movie rests on the premise that God is talking to them through a magic loom. I mean, c'mon. Who knew that for thousands of years God has been sending messages in fabric in binary code meant to be deciphered in English?
There was some great photography. The car crashing into the train? Sweet. Although, what was up with the Matrix-ishy skyscraper hopping in the beginning? It was cool, but how come we never really saw anything like that again? What a way to, uh, not deliver.
In the end our hero is alone and even more miserable than he was at the beginning of the movie. Weird. Walking out, I had gotten my Angelina fix so I was ok, but David was really ticked off by the whole movie. He really likes the Jolie too, but for him the movie had no redeeming value and was just dark and ugly. We were both laughing though, because, well, let's just say that this movie is LOUD. Bombs, guns, trains - the volume is cranked pretty much the whole way through. But in the back row of the theater was someone who snored through the entire movie. It seems an expensive way to take a nap, even if you do have sleep apnea snoring going on. It was kind of annoying, but luckily the movie drowned him out most of the time.
Anyway. I hope Angelina has her babies soon, because she needs to start filming something new for me.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
So You Think You Can Dance? Week 4 Results
Jessica is so lucky. And I'm glad, at least for now, so a big thank you to all those Americans who actually, you know, vote.
Shockingly, I would have agreed with Nigel and sent Comfort home over Kourtni, but that's just me. David wanted Thayne to go before Matt, but he is obviously wrong. Actually David just hearts Gene Kelly too much, and so after that Fox Trot Matt could do no wrong in David's eyes.
Comfort and Thayne had a surprisingly good week. They will get one more chance, but I will be shocked if they don't go home next week. Well, Comfort might get spared for Jessica since all the judges hate her and also are oddly weak in the knees for breakers.
You know Katee was disappointed when she first got paired with Joshua. But they are such a fortuitous match. I hope she gets more chances to shine, she was so crazy gorgeous this week.
Shockingly, I would have agreed with Nigel and sent Comfort home over Kourtni, but that's just me. David wanted Thayne to go before Matt, but he is obviously wrong. Actually David just hearts Gene Kelly too much, and so after that Fox Trot Matt could do no wrong in David's eyes.
Comfort and Thayne had a surprisingly good week. They will get one more chance, but I will be shocked if they don't go home next week. Well, Comfort might get spared for Jessica since all the judges hate her and also are oddly weak in the knees for breakers.
You know Katee was disappointed when she first got paired with Joshua. But they are such a fortuitous match. I hope she gets more chances to shine, she was so crazy gorgeous this week.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
So You Think You Can Dance? Week 4
Nigel is so darn pissy this year. I'm just not grooving with him at all. He's always kind of liked to be the "bad" guy, but in the past it has been far more constructive, now he just seems to be getting a little full of himself, which is a shame. I don't think Jessica is going to win, but what is up with all the venom thrown at her? She is a beautiful dancer. Maybe she isn't the most interesting dancer up there, but I don't see how she is "holding Will back". They are making me like him less because of how mean to her they are, and that is a shame because otherwise I think I would really like him a lot.
Thayne and Comfort did better than I imagined they would. I love Thayne, partly because he is obviously gay, and yet still has a lot of chemistry with his female partners. I'm not exactly sure why that is so hard to do, but apparently it is. (Can you imagine Matt having the hots for Kourtni? Exactly.) Plus he has toned down the hysterics a bit, so I'm with him this week. Comfort I'm still on the fence with, but for me this was definitely her best week so far. She was gorgeous in the waltz.
My favorite team always seems to be whichever team gets the Mia Michaels routine. I've always loved Joshua, but Katee hasn't grabbed me as special. Until this week. She was stunning in their first dance. As soon as the video gets uploaded to youtube I'll post it so you can watch it mom. Awe-some.
Twitch and Kherington had the other one, which was less effective for me, yet still was so much better than all the lame hip hop dances. It is always better when there is a story, when you get some emotion out of it. Mia always delivers. And Kherington, who had a little bit of silly acting going on in the first dance, seemed a lot more real and honest for me in the second. These two are totally like the two popular kids at school, who have the looks, the moves, the personality, everything. But since they are so good at everything they aren't always as passionate, because they aren't challenged to work extra hard all the time to stay on top.
On the other hand you have Mark and Chelsie, who are passionate about everything. They complement each other so well, and are always at the top of my favorites. But I do wonder how they will fare after they are split up.
If it were up to me, Matt and Kourtni would go home tomorrow. I like them both, I think they have a lot to offer, but in the end I don't think either of them will ever be any better than they were in the Fox Trot in week 2, which was just sublime. But we'll see what those crazy judges do.
Thayne and Comfort did better than I imagined they would. I love Thayne, partly because he is obviously gay, and yet still has a lot of chemistry with his female partners. I'm not exactly sure why that is so hard to do, but apparently it is. (Can you imagine Matt having the hots for Kourtni? Exactly.) Plus he has toned down the hysterics a bit, so I'm with him this week. Comfort I'm still on the fence with, but for me this was definitely her best week so far. She was gorgeous in the waltz.
My favorite team always seems to be whichever team gets the Mia Michaels routine. I've always loved Joshua, but Katee hasn't grabbed me as special. Until this week. She was stunning in their first dance. As soon as the video gets uploaded to youtube I'll post it so you can watch it mom. Awe-some.
Twitch and Kherington had the other one, which was less effective for me, yet still was so much better than all the lame hip hop dances. It is always better when there is a story, when you get some emotion out of it. Mia always delivers. And Kherington, who had a little bit of silly acting going on in the first dance, seemed a lot more real and honest for me in the second. These two are totally like the two popular kids at school, who have the looks, the moves, the personality, everything. But since they are so good at everything they aren't always as passionate, because they aren't challenged to work extra hard all the time to stay on top.
On the other hand you have Mark and Chelsie, who are passionate about everything. They complement each other so well, and are always at the top of my favorites. But I do wonder how they will fare after they are split up.
If it were up to me, Matt and Kourtni would go home tomorrow. I like them both, I think they have a lot to offer, but in the end I don't think either of them will ever be any better than they were in the Fox Trot in week 2, which was just sublime. But we'll see what those crazy judges do.
Nerd Alert
This is an experiment with video technology. The last trick is the best. More info here.
Chronotopic Anamorphosis from Marginalia Project on Vimeo.
Chronotopic Anamorphosis from Marginalia Project on Vimeo.
Gill slits
Last week I was taking care of this guy who had lung cancer. There were lots of things going on with the poor guy, and I don't think he slept for more than maybe 30 minutes over the two nights that I had him. But he had family there around the clock, and while he was obviously pretty sick, I was very unprepared to come back to work this week and find out that a few hours after I left he died.
Then Monday night I was given what everyone told me was a "difficult" patient. He had a GI bleed, so had blood coming out at both ends and kept me busy all night cleaning things up. But other than his overall discomfort, he was pretty calm and stable all night long. At change of shift I went in to say goodbye, and he was breathing a bit fast, which he did often when he would try and get up and move around. The tech was there to get his vitals, so I told him to take some deep breaths and try and relax, and to have a good day. He thanked me for a good night and I left. Five minutes later as I'm giving report to the day nurse, the tech calls from the room and even before I can get across the floor they've called a code. Doctors and pharmacists and whomever they all are pour into the unit, get him stabilized and whisk him off (freshly intubated) over to the ICU. I haven't heard a full report of how he'd doing (his heart never stopped but he just wasn't breathing), but as far as I know he hasn't died.
Codes on our floor are relatively rare, but this is the fourth we've had in a month, and I have to say I'm not a fan. I've spent so much time going over everything I did for both of these guys, trying to figure out if I missed anything, or if there was anything I could have done better, or seen earlier, or done differently. Fortunately for my sanity I can't think of anything, and both of these events surprised the doctors as much as they did me. But still it wears on you. If there was a way to call in sick from work that didn't mean leaving the shift understaffed, I totally would have called in the next day, I was just mentally exhausted. Catherine, I just don't know how you survive in the ER. All that adrenaline would be fun for a while, but I would just be dead afterwards.
Last night, despite my weariness, was a pretty good shift. I took care of this guy who has a leak somewhere in his lung, and his upper body is filling with air. Yes, you heard me right, he is a human balloon! Across his chest, down both of his arms, and up into his face, his skin feels like rice crispies breaking when you push on it as the air bubbles move around. Totally weird! His voice sounds thin and nasally, both because his throat is constricted a bit from the air in his skin, but also because the whole resonance of his head is off. They even made these cuts in his chest which we can kind of massage around them to squeeze some of the air out. They called them "gill slits". It was very weird. But weird in a kind of awesome way, I bet it is a very long time before I see anything like that again.
On a sadder note, one of my favorite people at work confided to me that she interviewed for another job. Selfishly I'm devastated, because I love working with her. But on the other hand I want her to do what makes her happiest. She hasn't been offered anything yet, and she is totally underplaying it, but I can't imagine she won't get the offer, so I'm counting down my few last shifts with her. ::sad face::
Oh, and now for something TOTALLY WEIRD AND UNEXPECTED. Even weirder than a man balloon. One of the other nurses brought in chicken curry last night. I was all, "I don't like curry", because, I don't. But unless it is made of spiders, I will try almost anything, so I took a bite. And it was the most delicious thing ever! It was totally mild, not spicy at all, and it didn't have that curry smell that I often find overpowering. It was just delicious. It was like the day I took a bite of a tomato and my whole life changed because it wasn't gross like my dad told me it would be. What is funny is I've actually had good curry before, I love chicken korma, which I assume is some kind of curry, but I never really thought about it before. Anyways, I came home and raved to David, who also hates curry, and he seemed open to the idea of trying it. So now I have to figure out how to make something with the good curry. I love expanding my palate!
Then Monday night I was given what everyone told me was a "difficult" patient. He had a GI bleed, so had blood coming out at both ends and kept me busy all night cleaning things up. But other than his overall discomfort, he was pretty calm and stable all night long. At change of shift I went in to say goodbye, and he was breathing a bit fast, which he did often when he would try and get up and move around. The tech was there to get his vitals, so I told him to take some deep breaths and try and relax, and to have a good day. He thanked me for a good night and I left. Five minutes later as I'm giving report to the day nurse, the tech calls from the room and even before I can get across the floor they've called a code. Doctors and pharmacists and whomever they all are pour into the unit, get him stabilized and whisk him off (freshly intubated) over to the ICU. I haven't heard a full report of how he'd doing (his heart never stopped but he just wasn't breathing), but as far as I know he hasn't died.
Codes on our floor are relatively rare, but this is the fourth we've had in a month, and I have to say I'm not a fan. I've spent so much time going over everything I did for both of these guys, trying to figure out if I missed anything, or if there was anything I could have done better, or seen earlier, or done differently. Fortunately for my sanity I can't think of anything, and both of these events surprised the doctors as much as they did me. But still it wears on you. If there was a way to call in sick from work that didn't mean leaving the shift understaffed, I totally would have called in the next day, I was just mentally exhausted. Catherine, I just don't know how you survive in the ER. All that adrenaline would be fun for a while, but I would just be dead afterwards.
Last night, despite my weariness, was a pretty good shift. I took care of this guy who has a leak somewhere in his lung, and his upper body is filling with air. Yes, you heard me right, he is a human balloon! Across his chest, down both of his arms, and up into his face, his skin feels like rice crispies breaking when you push on it as the air bubbles move around. Totally weird! His voice sounds thin and nasally, both because his throat is constricted a bit from the air in his skin, but also because the whole resonance of his head is off. They even made these cuts in his chest which we can kind of massage around them to squeeze some of the air out. They called them "gill slits". It was very weird. But weird in a kind of awesome way, I bet it is a very long time before I see anything like that again.
On a sadder note, one of my favorite people at work confided to me that she interviewed for another job. Selfishly I'm devastated, because I love working with her. But on the other hand I want her to do what makes her happiest. She hasn't been offered anything yet, and she is totally underplaying it, but I can't imagine she won't get the offer, so I'm counting down my few last shifts with her. ::sad face::
Oh, and now for something TOTALLY WEIRD AND UNEXPECTED. Even weirder than a man balloon. One of the other nurses brought in chicken curry last night. I was all, "I don't like curry", because, I don't. But unless it is made of spiders, I will try almost anything, so I took a bite. And it was the most delicious thing ever! It was totally mild, not spicy at all, and it didn't have that curry smell that I often find overpowering. It was just delicious. It was like the day I took a bite of a tomato and my whole life changed because it wasn't gross like my dad told me it would be. What is funny is I've actually had good curry before, I love chicken korma, which I assume is some kind of curry, but I never really thought about it before. Anyways, I came home and raved to David, who also hates curry, and he seemed open to the idea of trying it. So now I have to figure out how to make something with the good curry. I love expanding my palate!
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