Diet excuses

I have been bad, good, bad, good on my weight loss. Bad in the fact I am stuck at 11 pounds, good that I haven't gained it back. Bad that its not because I have tried not to gain it back, good to know that an occasional cheat won't mess up a month of good eating.

I have been coming up with some creative ways to convince myself to just drop the whole weight loss thing. All bullets in my chamber type things. Anger that Rick can eat twice as much as me and not gain an ounce. Isn't that one of the 7 deadly sins? Wait, its two, anger and envy. In my dark moods I use the "eat while you can because in this economy we might all be in a soup line and you'll have more reserve if you have some body weight to start with" argument. Kind of a play on the theme, "there are starving people all over the world, clean your plate type thing". Blind sight that if I never look in a mirror I can convince myself I am not as overweight as I know I am.

Then in my more honest moments. I catch a glimpse of myself in a window reflection. Oh crap, is that me? Yupper's, that's my shirt. Grab a shirt I could wear comfortably a few years ago and its tight, no...... haven't gotten that closet cleaned out yet. Check out the kitchen and find things like cake and cookies.

No.... I did not eat the entire thing. Actually Rick ate most of it and didn't gain a fraction of an ounce. But I did eat 2 pieces. And honestly. It was terrible. We bought it because years ago for my oldest son's birthdays we used to by these champagne cakes for my son for his birthday. They would use chocolate frosting for his. This bakery made these cakes like a piece of magic. The bubbles would burst in your mouth and it was so light and fresh it was a thrill to eat. So we saw this and decided to try it. The bakery we used to get them from was long gone and also long gone was the magic it took to make this cake right.


It saddened me but didn't stop me from eating 2 pieces. Thus lies my entire problem. Gee, maybe the 2nd piece won't be as horrible as the first one. It was. Maybe it won't go right to my gut, it did. Maybe it will permanently cure me from my sweet tooth...... fat chance. And it ticks me off. Why blow a month of work for something so disappointing? I could understand it for lobster and real champagne, strawberries dipped in Belgian chocolate. But for cardboard tasting sickeningly sweet pink cake. Learn to pick and choose your calories Julie.

Do as I say, Not as I vote into Law

By now I suppose everyone has heard about Obama firing the Inspector General, Gerald Walpin because of being confused? and disorientated?

Walpin led a 2008 investigation into allegations of misused taxpayer funds distributed by AmeriCorps to the St. HOPE Academy of Sacramento, founded in 1989 by Obama supporter and former NBA player Kevin Johnson. Walpin said Johnson, now mayor of Sacramento, misused roughly $850,000 in AmeriCorps funds.

Obama helped vote into law that an Inspector General couldn't be fired without a 3o day notice so they could safely be independent. Apparently that doesn't hold true if it gets to close for comfort. Walpin says he is as confused as Obama was then he said there were 57 states.

So not to mention age discrimination there is also the fact that Obama disregarded the law he helped place. It is being investigated and in the interviews with Walpin, who miraculously appears to have regained his mental capacities, hopely the truth will come out. And what about the investigation of the misused $850,000? Will that all be tossed in the trash along with all the other scandals that get to close to the oval office? Lets hope that doesn't get dropped like a hot potato just like the scandal where Nancy Pelosi was caught lieing about the CIA. Notice your not hearing anything about that. Perjury is A OK in some circles.

Regardless in what happens Gerald Walpin says he has no regrets. "Whatever happens, he wrote recently, he is proud that he "refused to go along with the U.S. attorney's office and the Corporation in bowing to the media and political pressure that resulted in this hasty settlement, contrary to the interests of the United States government."

Way to go Gerald Walpin.

Doc Visit

Saw the shoulder doc today. It's always a weird visit and I sometime wonder why they keep having me go back. They don't plan on doing anything and I could have just stayed home.

The PA comes see's me first. I tell her how I am doing, yes the shoulder still hurts, yes I am doing my exercises, yes it is worse at night and sometimes the pain is bad enough I can't sleep. Someday's it isn't very bad and sometimes it is bad enough it is beyond my pain tolerance. Not that they give you anything for pain but I mention it anyway. I tell her about the new nerve thing going on on my forearm and the pain that run down my arm at times. She talks about surgery. We talk about outcome.

10 minutes later he comes in and asks me to raise my arm. Then tells me it looks good and to start increasing my weight limit and off he goes. See you in 6 weeks he says.

You know, it's not like I really want surgery. And I have gotten used to the limitations. I miss working in my garden and hate not being able to do everything around the house I used to do. But I have to wonder still but don't have the courage to ask. Is this the recommendation you would give me if this wasn't a work comp? And if we aren't going to do anything why do I still come back every six weeks? And if using the arm isn't going to make it worse why not lift my restrictions so I don't have to bother my co-workers to help me? I mean it has been over 6 months since I hurt my arm. If it was going to get better wouldn't it have done it by now?

But I don't want to come off like I don't trust him or respect his opinion and my mother ingrained that do not be rude in me so much I have trouble asking some of these questions. I don't want him to think I am accusing him. But I think it. Would it be the same? If it was his mother or wife.......

Anyway, enough of that. Could be worse. Rick just made me another outstanding meal of pork chops and fresh steamed broccoli. It is hard to lose weight with him around. And he just told me the babies sparrows just left the nest and I missed them. Darn. I knew it was close.

We have been bothered every night by 2 raccoons coming into the back yard and eating at the feeders. That wouldn't bother me but they fight, loudly. I told Rick to stop putting out seed for awhile and maybe they will find some greener pastures. Now that the baby sparrows are gone the parents can go further to look for food. We are expected some severe weather tonight so I hope it doesn't get loud and scary. I want to sleep well since it is my last night off.

Well, guess that is all I have to ramble about tonight.

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."

Albert Einstein

When the gypsey in you stirs.

We met a woman today that was traveling the backroads of the country. Our favorite way to travel. Alone with her dog in her van she was exploring America. Meeting the people and seeing the country. I was so jealous.

That is the way Rick and I travel. Backroads.... little places along the way to strike up conversations with people along the way. This time we were the people. We talked about sites to see on her travels and places to stop. Good places to get a good home brew, places to be alone and just hike and be at peace.


I wanted to leave and pack up the van. Get ready for another trip. No deadlines, no responsibilities. Do it while we still could.


She was a very nice lady. Traveling with her dog she traveled alone in the backroads of the country. Seeing the wonderful sites and camping in out of the way places.
Mountains and prairies. Cities and long stretches of empty roads. She looks and sounded as free and happy as we did on our travels.

I want to travel. Not alone though with my dog though she is good company but with Rick. He is so fun to travel with. I want to travel.


Can I quit my job and just go city to city and earn a few bucks. Can I see this beautiful country with my camera and husband by my side.


In sept I can. For 3 weeks. But maybe I should look into doing it longer. For life is so short.

And there is so much to see.

And I would hate to miss it.

Click on the shots to see them full size.

I am going to eat kabobs and have a cool beer.


Ta all. Enjoy

It was a Good night

I took this shot down by the river, just liked the way it turned out. The sky agains't the building was cool. Click on it to see it full size.

So last night I worked my extra 12.5. In the past it seems when I sign up, or get signed up, for a extra shift the entire night is spent proving that you should have stayed home in bed. I swear I have had the worse nights on the nights I wasn't suppose to be there.

So I did an extra meditation today to get myself centered and ready for whatever was going to get thrown on me. And had an absolutely wonderful night. How did that happen?

Only got 2 admits and the only tense moment came when the telemetry tech told me my patient had just gone into asystole, darn, but he had in truth had a sinus arrest lasting 7 sec after which he converted from A-fib to sinus brady.




Trust me, a good thing. A lot of time you see that right before they convert. The patient was fine, actually feeling better. So good, no drama. Just a nice night and I got out on time.

I am off today. I have a couple of shots around town I want to get, but then just going to finish reading my book. I am reading the last Steven Hawking book, A Brief History of Time from the Big Bang to Black Holes. It is a great book. I have a new goal in life. I want to find the new quantum theory of a gravity. That will be something to keep my mind occupied during our long cold Iowa winters. Of course the odds of me doing that with my new math skills are as high as the odds my lottery ticket was a winner. But, dreaming, dreaming is free.

Speaking of physics and gravity etc. my regulator clock decided to test Newton's theory and crashed to the ground. I thought we had it secured well to the wall. And broke. So it is in the clock repair shop probably not to be seen for at least 6 months. Is there anyone is this big old country who can repair a clock within a few weeks time? Every clock man I have had takes on the average around 6 months. I miss it. I have a small one in its place but it is not the same. And it doesn't chime every 15 minutes. So that was a bummer.


Also you should check out Dad's tomato blog. Did you get one of those upside down tomato planters on a stand. Check out the recall. And check out the Eagle cam. One of the babies fell from the nest and had to be returned. Fortunately he was fine. They are all flapping their wings and the 2 remaining look like they will be flying off shortly. It was a good year for them.

And that's all. I will leave you with a few chuckles. And you simple have to check out this post. Laugh til you cry. 4 days until my grandchildren get here.

Health care Reform and cap on Earnings?

I don't know, the things I am hearing from DC just have me shaking my head and shuddering thinking about what next. If you believe in destiny then all this makes no difference to you. What will be will be. Karma. But if you believe your the captain of your own destiny then having pirates take control of your ship should worry you and make you ready to defend your ship.

Just think of the this new health reform committee. It authorizes the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC, created in 1997) to go even further and set lists of approved treatment standards and actually have enforcement powers over methods of healthcare delivery and reimbursement. Think about that. I mean really really think about that. These are not doctors or even health care professionals. Its like letting a truck driver steer your ship. He may good at driving a truck, but a ship is a totally different mode of transportation. He just may run it aground.

Already we see procedures and medications the doctors have ordered for us refused because of our insurance. Ambiem CR works great for me. I sleep a good 8 hours and feel wonderful when I wake up. Will my insurance let me have it? No....... I can only get the ambiem. Still works good but I only get 6 hours of sleep. So what difference does that make? 2 hours more of restful sleep to the nurse who works 12.5 hours of night shift. That is a huge difference. Then what about the lap band I tried to get. My doctor thought it would work great for me. The surgeon thought I was a perfect candidate. But the insurance company, laymen, all decided it was not necessary.

The first time we had a form of health care reform our costs skyrocketed out of control and are still out of control. Creative billing and coding was created to get the most reimbursement you could get out of insurance companies determined not to pay. So a simple cysto became a surgical procedure and a ace wrap costs you $40.00 bucks. And the doctor that sat and did a complete assessment and H & P was given all of 5 minutes to find out what was wrong with you and send you on your way. Gone the doc who knew all about me and my family to be replaced by the health care professional you see on the conveyor belt of care we have today. And most of the old doctors have retired and these new doctors don't even remember the way it used to be. Not that they are not good doctors, they are, but their hands are tied also.

Give the government even more control then what they have already it will only get worse. You think your care will be better? Wrong. Think the poor and uninsured will all of a sudden get the care they need? Wrong. It will be decided you don't really need it. Because your old, and didn't take care of yourself, and are not productive enough to warrant the cost it would take to treat you. And your doctor won't have any say in it. It will have to be on the list of approved treatments. Experimental treatment for cancer. Maybe if your rich enough to have a really good supplement or if your one of our many many many government officials. I am sure their care will never be affected by the laws that we will be forced to live under. If it is good for the goose it should be good for the gander. They should live under the same rules and restrictions. But it doesn't work that way.

So then next. Cap on Earnings. Gee.... those docs earn so much money. They are the reason your bill is so high. Lets just put a cap on what they can earn each year. Those nurses earn way more money then necessary. They should get half of that and whats with making more just because they work nights, lets put a cap on that.

What is your job worth? Do you feel you earn every cent and more? I do. I love taking care of patients, but face the facts. If the money wasn't good I wouldn't do it. Why would I clean up other peoples poo, get exposed to other peoples diseases, get insulted and slapped, spit on by drunks and low lifes. Shorten my lifespan working nights for less pay. I am not a saint. I am a good nurse. A well trained professional nurse. A nurse who takes additional training their entire life to give you the best care you can get. Regardless of your race, your ability to pay, your position in life, your age or how nice a person you are. There are no VIP's on my floor. All of our patients are VIP's.

You get someone who gets a brilliant idea. Invents something that the entire world benefits from. The person starts a company, small at first and then larger and larger. More and more people are employed by this person. They make a living working at his factories or stores and raise their families. And complain about how the owner of the company is making way to much money when you.... the worker does all the work. Lets put a cap on his income. And capping his income? He will have to cut back on workers because now he can't afford to keep all the companies open. Now he can't afford to give everyone the new government regulated health reform. Now you earn nothing to raise your family. And why even strive to become successful? What would be the purpose. So the only ones who would not have a cap on their income would be politicians because face it. They are the ones who make the laws and it is written in the laws that the elites in government do not have to be governed by the laws we will all be forced to live under.

The less the government sticks their nose in your business the better. Because like my doc accurately said, they screw up everything they touch. And that is not what they are there for. They are not there to make our life anything. We make the lives we get. We work for the benefits we get. We make the decisions, right or wrong. Us. Not them. They don't know us. They don't know what is good for us or right in our circumstances. We do. We just have to take the responsibility. Sure it is easy to give up the control....then you have someone to blame if it goes wrong. But that is not what they were put there for. And we shouldn't let them.

The trouble with the type of leadership we have in office right now is they believe they are the smartest and the best. The only ones capable of making the right choices for you. We are not smart enough to make the decisions ourselves. Well wrong. I am. I am smart enough. And left alone will do just fine. If they would just leave us alone. And historically when you have a government that feels that way, like they did in Germany, China, Cuba......... history tells what happens then.

So did you make it to the end of my rant. And maybe it should be in my rant and rave blog. But. Maybe I should be screaming this from the rooftops. Can you hear us.... can you hear us......CAN YOU HEAR ME?

Roller ball, Fires and flags.

We had an interesting weekend. Friday we went to see Roller Derby. Our team which we sponsor is called Roller Dames and they are the ones in the red. Some of our nurses are on the team. As a kid I roller skated all the time and was considered a tomboy. I would have joined this about 35 years. Great exercise and great fun if you don't get hurt.





Lots of tumbles, but most just pop right up again with their protective gear. The game was very close and we ended up winning the last few minutes. The crowd went wild.




Then today we saw black smoke in the distance. Driving downtown we saw one of the old buildings on fire. I think it was empty unless it was accidentally started by a homeless person. I didn't get any details. Fires are cool though when it is an empty building.



Through the smoke you can see another old building with a tree growing out of the top floor window. I have been watching that tree struggling to live for about 3 years or more now and was happy it wasn't that building on fire.


We were down wind from the smoke when I was taking shots but man did it stick. I would have hated to be in one of apartments close by. Last I saw they were still working on keeping it from starting up again and the roof had caved in.


And then later we went to the river front for flag day. Below are some of our newest citizens being welcomed to America.


The music was wonderful and stirring. Seriously I get tears in my eyes sometimes when they are this passionate when they sing. What a sap I am.



There were many veterans which is one of the reasons we have our freedom today. We are so grateful.


This young lady told about escaping from Cambodian. As a child they lived though the killing fields and she saw her peers turn each other in when they became young communist. They were starving and life was so dangerous for them. They dreamed of escaping to this country to be free. While she was telling this wonderful story people were boating in the river behind us. Children were playing in the playground and people were biking by. Not at appreciative to what we have in this wonderful country as this young lady who escaped here with nothing but hope. Another tearful moment for many of us.


The flag folding was interesting as they told what each fold represents. I have heard it before but it was nice to remember.


So it was a lovely weekend. Tomorrow I work. Extra. 12 hours. And after today. I am grateful I have a place to work. And am free to do what I want to do. Hope everyone had a great weekend also.