This is what we did on Friday in my little corner of the world.
This is our canteen area where 2 nurses are relaxing with Pumpkin Dog.
This is Dracula fishing for goodies with one of the activity people.
The Activity Department did an incredible job of decorating on a limited budget.
Pumpkin Dog is not happy in her costume.
The obligatory witch.
I've gotta love my staff. One of my nursing assistants stopped to chat while I was checking out the announcement board.
D: I don't know what to do. It's coming out in hard little balls.
Me: What?
D: You know. I've tried everything and it keeps coming out hard.
Me: Are you talking to me about your poop?
D: Yes, I am.
Me: Why?
D: (whining) You're my D.O.N. I'm pregnant and I can't poop.
Me: You're pregnant? Again? How far along? You don't look pregnant.
D: Four months. What can I do?
Me: Oh god. Eat a huge green salad every day.
D rolls her eyes and stalks away, leaving me still wondering why she wants to discuss her poop with me.
I walk into the nursing station and am suddenly drowning in estrogen. Trust me, lesbians are no more happy to be constantly surrounded by estrogen than any other person.
Somehow, estrogen ratchets up the drama until everyone is on the verge of vomiting. My teeth start chattering and the muscles in my neck clench me in a vise-like grip. Yuk!
So, thirty minutes later I'm walking up to the front office muttering to myself.
"Dear God. Please send me some testosterone. I need another male nurse. Maybe two. I can't take all these women."
Fifteen minutes later, I get a call from Cutest. "Hey, there's an LVN up here filling out an application."
"How does she look?" I ask.
"He looks great. He's cute, he's nice, and he brought his own pen."
My prayer has been answered. No shit. Sold! Sight unseen.
This is Cutest sitting at her desk. She keeps a secret file for me and helps me with supplies. Plus, she's the only one who will screen my calls. I would like to adopt her and her boyfriend.
Thanks to Pam Spaulding over at Pam's House Blend, I learned that a school teacher was suspended without pay for using the N word in class:
"The 7th grade teacher, Greg Howard, asked his students what "change" stood for in relation to the Obama campaign and proceeded to write out the acronym "come help a n..... get elected."
Well, it sure ain't come help an old white fart get elected.
Why does this seem like such a republican inside joke? Questionable though the studies of why people vote republican may be, it does seem to me that the party is largely fear-based. And what's more to fear than a black man in the highest office in the land? After all, we did lynch a whole lot of black folk back in the day.
Sounds like guilt to me.
From Gawker, here is a piece I recommend, if only for the ha ha value. Apparently, several social and political scientists have done studies on why people vote the republican ticket. Answer? They're fraidy cats!
"Rice University Political Scientist John Alford published some research in thecreatively named journal Science about a possible biological basis to liberalism and conservatism. Basically, "46 mostly white Midwesterners who self-identified as having strong political beliefs" were shown "threatening images" ("a large spider on someone's face, a bloodied person and maggot-filled wound"). The conservatives were more scared of all of the images. Or as Newsweek puts it, "illegal immigrants may = spiders = gay marriages = maggot filled wounds = abortion rights = bloodied faces. Liberals were not sensitive to the scary images. Which means they're biologically inferior, because they'd die if a gay spider tried to abort their faces to death. Notable problems with this study: small sample, also wtf this doesn't explain anything."
Well mister, it explains that people make a whole lot of poor decisions based on irrational fear. It can't be explained because it's not rational.
The article cites a couple of other studies, probably equally suspect. But it's fun to think about.
Also on Gawker, Inside the Angry, Angry Brain of John McCain, you can find McCain's written response to a green Senator Obama's polite letter declining a discussion of campaign finance reform with McCain's peeps.
Apparently, from what I heard on one of the Sunday morning news shows, McCain has the rep in the senate of turning his opponents into enemies.
Dude, it's just not attractive. And how does this promote bipartisanship?
Oh, and here is Obama's Senate website where you can read the two letters, and a follow up letter from Obama to McCain wherein Obama concludes:
"I confess that I have no idea what has prompted your response. But let me assure you that I am not interested in typical partisan rhetoric or posturing. The fact that you have now questioned my sincerity and my desire to put aside politics for the public interest is regrettable but does not in any way diminish my deep respect for you nor my willingness to find a bipartisan solution to this problem." John McCain, a legend in his own mind.
This is Jaz begging me not to go. Note hand bag on floor. This pic makes her look like she has cataracts, which she does not have.
We are sitting in the computer cum guest room. She pops up and down like a jack in the box and cries. I'm telling her it's time to get my ass to the nail salon because Tan hates late comers. He will brook no nonsense on Saturdays.
Driving up to the mesa where my nail guy has his shop, I could see storm clouds brewing over the ocean. You can't see the ocean because it's about 20 miles away.
There are clouds over the mountains behind me as well. This means there is a tiny chance I'll see a drop or two in the valley.
This is my manicure. Tan does beautiful work, no? Eighteen bucks for a fill. That's because I'm "old customer."
Meaning long time, not senior discount.
Starbucks run: One pound of Sulawesi beans and a turkey bacon breakfast sandwich for lunch. That and a skinny grande decaf cinnamon dolce latte.
This is my favorite Starbucks drive thru next to the one off the 67 freeway. The people here are so nice it's sickening. I wish I was that nice but it's not in my genes.
56 mgp was my mileage from the mesa back into the valley. Of course I cheated. It's only a 6 mile trek. Still, I saved 4 and 1/2 little green cars.
Neener neeneer boo boo anyway.
And that's what I do for fun on Saturdays.
It's too quiet around here. The dog and the cat have been farmed out and now it's only me and the television.
This is the view the cat gave me as I waved good bye.
The dog was happy because she gets to spend a few days with her bio family, her peeps, Regina and the boy young man. The young man just got his license to drive so he's struttin' his stuff.
Jaz was so happy to see him, as always, that she went nuts as I exited the freeway and did a little jig at their front door. I got some great pics of her antics and a nice one of the two together. Since I still seem to missing a piece in order to download the dang things to my computer, here is one that kind of looks like Jaz:
(Floppy ears and all).
I told the young man that he could take the little pink bow out of her hair after mom sees it.
I spent the rest of the day spending a gazillion dollars. My sister practically gave me a panic attack when I asked her the level of formality for the wedding.
"Well," says Kate, you have to wear a dress. It's a wedding!"
No shit Sherlock. Just don't forget I have lived in southern California for 30 years. Try and find a decent dress in any store not made for a teenager.
"What about a really nice skirt and top?" I whined.
OK. So she concedes that could work. By the time we were finished talking, I felt a little like the crazy, senile relative you hide away in the attic and dust off as best you can for special occasions.
Don't get me wrong. I love my sister to death. Sisters are the friends you're stuck with for life and the aggravation goes both ways.
I had my nails done and my hair cut. Not colored. I really like the silver gray streaks.
I found the dress. It's purple. *wink wink*
Then it was the black patent leather shoes, the matching evening bag, and the baubles to make me sparkle.
Makeup. Travel toiletries. A new book. Sunglasses because mine broke about six months ago.
Now it's packing and getting set for a 0630 pick up for my ride to the airport. Blech!
Don't know if I'll post in the morning. But I'll be back by Monday. Colorado here I come.
...in old Del Mar; take a plane, take a train, take a car...
Yaaaaaaaaay! Our management team is going to the track today. I love the track. Specifically, I love the race horses. They are magnificent animals. This show ring is my favorite spot.
You race downstairs to view the horses just before the race. Then you race over to the track to be right next to the action. What a rush!
I rarely win. But I usually place ten or twenty in bets, just to say I did.
