Don't judge a blog by it's cover...

Given that The Beast has begun acting like a dog and now stays home without self-destructing, I'm wondering if it's time for a new subtitle. Ideas?

In which I have fun with italics

The dog has kennel cough. First of all, she got the vaccination! Secondly, we were at the vet yesterday for her yearly checkup and she was just fine! So here we sit, not camping in the Cascades. Instead I am serenaded by the fire tonight by the soft melody of her hacking up a lung and throwing up. And that's with the narcotics (cough suppressant). *sigh* I wouldn't trade her for the world, though... Beast though she is, she's my beast.

So I have a question to pose. Regardless of how you all usually respond (email, in person, comments, whatever), I'd like to hear your thoughts. So here: we didn't curse in our family growing up. I mean, as kids we obviously didn't, but neither did our parents that I can remember. I know sometimes it seems only such a word will do, and I take advantage of that too. I notice pretty much every time one comes up, though, and don't usually care for it, but so it goes- they're just words. But really, how do you guys feel when people use them frequently? Do you even notice? And girls, is it a turn off when guys do that? I feel like it's really obnoxious and rude. Ready? Set? Discuss.

Seriously?

I can't claim to have the neatest place, so I get the whole messy thing. But really? 

By the time this posts I should be somewhere in the mountains with Jenny and our pups!

Exploring

A link to a friend's site. Good stuff there. I especially love the piece "Snowshoeing." Thanks for sharing Trevor!

Opinion time

In the spirit of posting my political view on Facebook, here's another one for you. I may get crap for this link, but I love this guy for saying it. We no longer have handicapped parking spaces- they are now known as entitlement zones.

Breathing easy

No pictures to prove it, but I had a great trip home. Of course I missed The Beast, but she was on vacation with Bob. Nicholas came home from his freshman year at IU for the weekend, so it was nice to see him and the lads (Chuck'n'Rudy) in addition to Mom and Dad. Spent a lot of time with my mom and introduced her to FAIL Blog and cake wrecks. Sometimes doing a lot of nothing around family is the best thing for a hurting mind and soul. Don't think I'll be making it home for the holidays, so this trip served double duty.

I was initially planning on hiding away at home and not telling anyone in Chicago of the visit, letting alone going in (sorry guys!). As I was heading home from the airport, though, I saw the skyline and decided I would actually like to spend some time in town. It was great. Jeremy had his birthday dinner at Goose Island (and Jill and Todd were able to stop by for hugs and beer!). Then we went to Second City for a show. Jeremy took improv classes there- I'm in awe of people who can come up with hilarity on the fly like that. Munoz gives me a two week grace period for comebacks- I could never hope to perform improv! But I like to think my inability gives me a better appreciation of it. So yeah, it was good local humor :)

Free dessert to follow was, well, the icing on the cake. The cafe was mostly deserted because the rest of the city was watching the Cubs hand over the Dodgers game in the NLDS. Oops. Jeremy got a totally rad apartment a few blocks from my old place, so we watched movies in anticipation of the city melting down after the game. Strangely it didn't happen. 

In writing I don't suppose it sounds all that grand, but I feel so much better! Also, I put my mattress heater on the bed tonight and relit the pilot light for the fireplace. Man I love fall :)

Pardon me, my ignorance is showing

Driving down 45th the other day, I saw a street cleaner. As it lumbered down the street, spinning brushes flinging water, it suddenly struck me as very absurd. What is the point of this?

I get picking up trash but scrubbing the street? Might my tax dollars be spent more efficiently?

Never Never Land?

There's this new thing in healthcare called "never events." These are events occurring in a healthcare facility whose resultant costs won't be covered by Medicare and Medicaid (surely to be followed by the insurance companies). These events include 

• death/disability surrounding surgery (wrong patient or body part, things left in the body after surgery, incorrect procedure)
• death/disability associated with incorrect/misuse/malfunction of equipment, medications, blood products
  
• assault within a healthcare facility
• abduction

Makes sense, right? Some of them, however, are much less clear and have the bedside community concerned. For example, the following are now considered "never events:"

• patient suicide
• death/disability associated with patient elopement (disappearance)
• maternal death/disability associated with labor or delivery on a low-risk pregnancy
• death associated with a fall 
• death/disability associated with use of restraints or bedrails 
• death/disability associated with hypoglycemia
• perioperative death in a normal health patient
  

I'm not saying they're ok to happen, but I do think there are instances where things happen anyway. We don't know enough about the body to guarantee surgery/delivery with a "normal" patient will not result in death (you sign consent for a reason!). Patients have free will and will do things against policy and orders (ie: get out of bed, do illegal drugs in the hospital, leave briefly to meet up with the dealer/shoot up). Not all areas of a hospital provide one-to-one care. I'm not alone in feeling that some "never events" are unrealistic in the healthcare setting.

This was an interesting post. Scary isn't it?

Time suck

I admit it, I'm addicted to Facebook. But really, I don't know anybody (besides my mom) who hasn't been sucked in after giving it a fair trial. Actually, Amanda is a diehard MySpace fan, but I choose to ignore that fact.

Anyway, I'm getting used to the "new Facebook" and it's growing on me. And then last week I discovered the chat feature. Oh man. I haven't been on AIM in years, but here we go again... As if I need any more incentive to be online.

Boing!

I seem to have regressed in my laundry skills. Lately I've had a run of the usual culprits making it into a load. For example, chapstick (that leaves stains only removed by multiple other washes) and various and assorted change.

When I took a load out of the drier the other day, though, I found two rather unusual surprises. First, a piece of blue glass. That I can explain- when I walk along the beach at low tide with The Beast, I've gotten into the habit of collecting particularly neat pieces of sanded glass. The blue ones are rare little treasures, so I'm glad I found it. Secondly, though, I found a three inch piece of bungee cord. That I can't explain.  I'm dying to know where did it came from!