Funny?

I was working with a home health patient this last week.  I walked into his bedroom where he was sitting in his wheelchair with an open shipping envelope and documents spread across his bed.  On top of the envelope, spiral bound, was a document with his name, in bold, on the cover and a subtitle below the name that said something like ...my life so far....  or something to that extent.  I said, "oh, wow.... is this your autobiography?"  He looked up and with an indignant voice said "heaven's NO....  this is my life story.  I wrote it myself!"  Properly put in my place, I stifled a chuckle and went back out to the bathroom to clean his toilet.  He who cleans the toilet does not get to decide!

Sunday night I was called into a room to help a health center resident,  She had pushed the call light for me to come.   As I entered her room, I heard her singing softly but energetically to herself while laying in bed.  As I stepped more closely to her bed, I began to understand the words she was singing.  She was serenading me with "I am doing a BM in my pants... I think that I am doing a BM in my pants, I am doing a BM in my pants... I think that I am doing a BM in my pants."  Dad, I challenge you to write a jazz hook for that one!  Let that wake you up in the middle of the night, running through your thoughts, while you add a sax solo here or a counter melody there - I am doing a BM in my pants... I think that I am doing a BM in my pants!  Good luck.

Sweet dreams

Read more

Yea - the weekend

Completion of a very full week!  My first full week of grave yard shifts (sun, tues, thurs) went smoothly.  A residents council told management that they thought that I was very good and kind as an aid.  Management then announced it to the entire aid staff in employee meeting ( I was at school and only heard about it from a few fellow aids)  I am wondering if management was trying to use it a motivational tool for some of the others since I am so new.  This is the second time that I have been pointed out in an employee meeting so far.  The first time was last month, where a resident pointed me out to management and they presented me with a thank you card from management with the resident's comments and a 5 dollar coupon for a coffee at a local coffee house.  I past on the coffee, giving it to another aid, if anyone wondered.  I wasn't there for that meeting either - school.

Speaking of school, I just went through my first two major exams, one for the lab and the other for the lecture. The exams were over five whole chapters of anatomical facts and information, completely overwhelming to try to retain.  The lab test was 25 questions long - name this or that on this bone or that bone, as indicated by the arrow.  The lecture exam was 50 questions, multiple choice and short answer.  I actually felt better about the lab exam.  But we will see after they are graded.  I know that I missed quite a few on both tests.  But now we move on to articulations (joints).

We had our 18th wedding anniversary on Friday.  Elizabeth sweetly remembered and posted congrats on my face book wall!  It was spent as any 18th wedding anniversary would be spent by broke parents of five.  Heidi had a very romantic evening planned of steaks from the Christmas cow and baked potatoes in candlelight for the family.  But as life so efficiently does, She had lots of work on the computer, I had worked graves so I was lazily asleep until after 1 in the afternoon, the kids were needing to go this way and that for school, #3 slipped at school and landed on her wrist which was badly swollen so Heidi spent most of the late afternoon at the doctor's office for an examination and xrays.  The doctor was sure that it was broken, with the swelling, pain and immovability, but xrays came back negative.  They diagnosed it as a bad sprain ad sent her home with a brace.  By this time it was after six at night. I started pancakes for the family dinner.  Two of #2's friends (brothers), whose parents had somewhere to be, were then dropped off to spend the evening here.  So #2 played with them downstairs with #1,  3 and 4 watched a movie in 4's room on the floor, and 5 went to bed.  Heidi had to work on the computer until 12:45 AM.  I studied articulations from the instructor's lecture notes.

Heidi's mom had kindly brought over a few groceries earlier that day (bananas, mini bagels, eggs......) and had included some "ben and Jerrys" ice cream and a red box movie for our anniversary.  We finally collapsed into bed about 12:45 and watched most of the movie while eating the ice cream in bed.  Heidi fell asleep on my shoulder at the end of a very long day.  Happy anniversary sweetheart!!!

Read more

The wee hours of the morning - is that a call light?

I started the new month's schedule on Thursday at the health center - GRAVEYARDS!  6 pm to 6 am.  The first one went okay.  I was happy to get home to see the family.  I stayed up long enough to see the boys off to school and then I slept until 11:45 am.  Heidi fought valiantly to keep the girls from waking me up.  I didn't hear a thing.  My new schedule has me working three graves a week. 

I have my first major exams this next week.  One for the lab on Wednesday and another for the lecture on Thursday.  Lots of information to memorize, my brain finds it very interesting but not very retainable, a frustrating combination....oh.. my kingdom for Elizabeth's brain for a semester or two.  I have awakened on a few mornings with anatomical names floating in the soup that is my mind.  Or, I believe that it is soup, we haven't actually been able to examine the cadavers yet in lab, but I will check on it as soon as we do.

Read more