First Bike ride of the year

It will be a short one as we are not sure we have the air for it yet since that cough is lingering forever but..... today is the day. I hope my legs are up to it. I have my sunscreen ready and that stupid hat ready and I am ready.



I have been wearing a hat while out in the sun. Yesterday I planted alot of my flowers. I have fine hair. My head sweats alot when it is hot. It does a number on my hair. On TV women would take their hats off and not a hair out of place. They looked marvelous darling. I take my hat off, I have a flat damp ring around my head and my hair is bunched up on top my head looking like I decided a mohawk was the look I was going for. I will either have to leave it on at all times for carry curling irons and hair spray with me.



Its not like I am overly concerned with my looks. I rarely wear makeup, I have been known to forget to comb my hair, that's why I love short hair, but still...... I do hate to draw attention to myself. How can you be an observer of human nature if they are busy observing you?



I have been reading my Steven Hawking books. What a marvelous read. I always loved black holes and worm holes and all the possibilities that go with it. Your head just goes into this fantasy land. I remember watching the Terminator and it ticked me off. Obviously they were never going to be able to kill Sarah Connor because if it had worked it wouldn't be something they wouldn't even think about in the furture. The need wouldn't have exsisted. Such a glaring flaw in the entire movie drove me nuts.



Terrible eating last night. Well actually great eating.... we went to a new Mexican restaurant with the kids. The food was superb and the margareta to die for. Yummy. I don't even know how to count up those calories, but I am sure they far exceeded my daily limit. But it was fun and only the rocks live forever. You can have an occasional night like that if you jump right back on track which is what I am doing.

Well, I had better get ready. I have to get my camera packed just in case and feed Chester who seems to have left behind in the move. That's OK. He is a sweetie and I missed him last time he left. Talk to you all later.

Donna has been doing tags again, isn't it cute. I can't get the animation to work though no matter how I save it. So many things aren't working right since I put it on ebook. Sigh.

Day's off, its a good thing

I am off and darn happy about it also. Working this last week with this crud still lingering on, taking the responsibilities of self staffing, and this darn stomach pain made the week go slow and stressful.

Although I feel much better and the cough is so much better now my ear hurts constantly and that pain in my stomach is worse. I feel like I tore a stomach muscle. So every time I cough, which is still pretty often, it is like getting stabbed. This has been a bad month for us health wise. Rick is still coughing and for both us when the Tylenol wears off we get all the body aches right back. What a persistent virus.

I have my last physical therapy today and then next Tuesday I see the ortho doc about my shoulder. I have no idea what they plan on doing. The pain is tolerable going the way I am doing. If I don't use it it isn't that painful. When I use it, it hurts. How long will my job let me slide on a 2 pound lifting limit before they terminate me? On the 3rd it will be 5 months since I hurt it. I have days when I think it is much better and then will reach for something and wham, pain all the way down my arm. The muscles are looking pretty wasted in the arm even with me doing my exercises which is disturbing. But as I said I have gotten used to it. If it doesn't get any worse I can live with it. I just don't know what the chances of that are. If I start lifting with it again will it tear the rest of the way?

So enough of that. I spent 2 hours in meetings yesterday on top of workng all night. We got the latest briefing on the swine flu as probably every hospital in the country has been getting. I am still not extremely worried about this flu but...... it is a new virus. They don't know exactly how it will react or revolve. The first wave, the one we are having now isn't very bad with most people having mild symptoms. The 2nd way is the one they are more concerned with. If the virus mutates to a more deadly virus and knocks you down and then comes right back and hits you again with a 3rd wave it could be very bad. So having a plan is a good thing and most hospitals and clinics are getting ready. Be prepared for worse, but still expecting the best.

Best advice. Wash wash wash your hands, don't go to work or shopping if your sick, cover your mouth if your coughing. Same as usual. Remember, so far more people die from the regular flu then have died from this. You can track the flu at the CDC to see how many cases their are. Don't go to ER to get screened. Call your doc if you have symptoms and let them decide if you need to be screened.

I have gotten some spring shots as you can see by the first photo and am hoping to get out this weekend and get some more. It is still trying to rain and is overcast but hopefully we will get some sun. I hope to get on my bike this week and start working on my leg muscles. I miss my bike rides, camera slung to my handles, warm sun on my body. Of course now I have to wear a hat and sunscreen. Hope everyone else is remembering them.

Time to get ready. I have to go to the libarary. My Steven Hawking books are in. Have a great weekend all.

I have been average 1320 calories this week. I tried to get the graft to copy but it won't. Not to bad. I am not drinking enough water but hope to change that today. If you click on the photo below it gets larger and makes a nice desktop pic.

As You Slide Down the Banister of Life

As You Slide Down the Banister of Life, Remember:



1. Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggert have written
an impressive new book. It's called ...
“Ministers Do More Than Lay People”

2. Transvestite: A guy who likes to eat, drink
and be Mary.




3. The difference between the Pope and
your boss is the Pope only expects you
to kiss his ring.

4. My mind works like lightning; one brilliant
flash and it is gone.


5. The only time the world beats a path to
your door is if you're in the bathroom.



6. I hate sex in the movies. Tried it once.
The seat folded up, the drink spilled and
that ice, well, it really chilled the mood.


7. It used to be only death and taxes
Now, of course, there's
shipping and handling, too.



8. A husband is someone who, after taking
the trash out, gives the impression that
he just cleaned the whole house..


9 My next house will have no kitchen - just
vending machines and a large trash can.

10. A blonde said, “I was worried that my
mechanic might try to rip me off.
I was relieved when he told me all
I needed was turn signal fluid.'


11. Definition of a teenager?
God's punishment...for enjoying sex.

12. As you slide down the banister of life, may
the splinters never point the wrong way.

Swine Flu

DON'T DO THIS AND YOU SHOULD BE O.K!

7 Down

My first week on my old eating plan is going fair. I am down 7 pounds but really the first 10 or more is just water so we shall see how it falls next week. All in all I am happy with the progress so far. Now if it will stop raining this week so I can climb on the ole bike. If it doesn't I guess I will hit the gym.

We did our 2nd night of self staffing. As feared all shifts were staffed perfectly except the 11's. We haven't exactly had perfect staffing for awhile now so nothing new but it could be bad when we get full again. Low census on the day shifts, short staffed at night. But I am keeping my game face on and not being the grumpy old nurse who has been through this and 400 other changes that come and go. Doesn't help anyway.

It has been raining cats and dogs. Everyday the flowers are opened up more. The old plum tree that fell during last years storm has some shoots coming off the bottom truck. May grow back so we are leaving the stump for now and going to see what happens. The flowers smell so good.


So what's with this swine flu. 152 deaths or 7. Every since they started letting you use calculators in school no one can count. So I got to wonder. What's in it for the government to get the numbers so wrong? Maybe this. See why we need global health care. For situations just like this. Hummmmmm. This cynical old lady. Or a smoke screen to keep our minds on other things. Or maybe like at work I am just a old cynical lady who always looks for the hidden reasons behind every decision made.

Now a disclaimer. The flu is something that can be very serious especially for the elderly or young or those with other health conditions. Occasionally even the very healthy will die.


Well, time to start drinking the water. I am bad at that. Can you smell the flower below? Actually since I still have the crud I can't either but I remember how it smells and am getting better everyday. Now if only my shoulder would be better.

Figured it out

I figured out what is wrong. It is only wrong on my laptop also. When I downloaded everything to my external hard drive something I needed to open my mail and post pictures on this was deleted. I am on my main computer now. I will have to hookup my ebook to the laptop and see if works then. Get rid of one thing, lose another.

Work the rest of the weekend went by fast. Lets see, I got attacked by my detox patient with a open safety pin, this ole lady can still move pretty fast when I have to. Security showed him the error of his ways, and Sunday night I got pulled to another floor. They were having a blue light special in lets get drunk and stab the one's you love night, so it flew by.

I slept 10 hours last night. Catch up time . It was wonderful and I feel great. I needed that and it is wonderful to be able to lay down and sleep. Now I am doing more laundry and then going to the library after my shower.

I am going to re-read, Hawking of the big bang and black holes, by Steven Hawking and see what else they have I haven't read of his yet. One of my favorite subjects and with him being ill reminded me I wanted to read them again.

I also want to get out with my camera. Spring is bursting out all over. The trees are in the early stages of blooming. We have had rain so the trees are now green and it looks like my grass needs to be cut. I want to go looking for flowers.

We went to self staffing now so I also went to caller ID. Most of us are not happy about it. But..... hospitals around the country are in bad financial trouble. With the new decreases in reimbursement in medicare and medicaid it is going to be worse. Hospitals are closing and out reach clinics are closing all over the country. This will get way worse before it gets better so I am trying to just stay happy I have a job. I just am not happy about possibly working 16 hours at a time or not getting my hours in at all. I hope it works out.

Well, time to go hop in the shower. Take care all. Don't sweat the swine flu too much. Wash your hands and stay home if your sick, you'll be fine. Media does love a scare story.

Questions

Is anyone having trouble blogging today? My part to add photo's and graphics is gone. The format looks different. I don't like it. anyone else having problems or notice any changes?