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9/26/2011 |
Day Two after Facebook Today, all day, until I sat down at my computer after work, I didn't think about Facebook even once. Didn't wonder what cute or witty thing someone had said, or that I wish I had said. Spent my time taking care of patients, charting, preparing a list for the dental sick call tomorrow, putting in a pharmacy order, and having lunch. A pretty typical Monday. So when I realized a few minutes ago that I hadn't missed Facebook, I just had to comment on it. Except here, hardly anyone will notice. Maybe by Christmas time? "...and ZAP you are nothing but a distant Facebook memory." |
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9/25/2011 |
FaceBook No More Yesterday afternoon, I disabled my FaceBook account as MY way of saying that I am unhappy with unannounced changes to the functionality of the site, changes in security settings that force me to go back and reset things to protect my account. I have also developed a lack of trust in Mark Zuckerberg's ability or desire to NOT misuse the data that FaceBook collects about me. An example: I "Liked" the Book of Mormon page, and for a very long time afterward, got bombarded with ads and suggestions for sites and pages that pander to ultra-conservative ideologies, or point to people that I adamantly disagree with. "Oh, you like the Book of Mormon? Mitt Romney is mormon, so you MUST BE INTERESTED IN MITT ROMNEY". Sorry, but no. I happen to disagree with Mitt on nearly every one of his political ideas, and barring an angel telling me otherwise, I would never vote for him to be the President of the United States, based solely on our common religion. So, having been off of FaceBook for over 24 hours, I can truly say that I don't miss it. I still have access to the people I consider personal friends, and I'm happy with that. Here I have to add a quote that sums up my FB departure: "...and ZAP you are nothing but a distant Facebook memory." Of course, since I still have a lot of opinions and comments to share, they have to go somewhere, and I believe that this blog will be that place. |
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4/19/2010 |
Change of Plans - Almost Update. Yes, I know it's been a long time since the last post. I've been busy, okay? Sonoma State didn't work out for a variety of reasons, and I withdrew from the program there. After additional searching and planning, I enrolled in the FNP program with University of Phoenix, and will be attending classes on the Sacramento Campus. Finish date is the first week of May, 2012. That seems so far away, but I am holding on to my original thought: I will be two years older if I do it, and two years older if I don't. The difference will be what I can do with the rest of my life. I am looking forward to the challenge. |
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5/27/2008 |
Forward Ho! Today I got the final email confirming that I have been accepted to the Master's Degree Program at Sonoma State University. I will be pursuing a Master's Degree in Nursing, and a Family Nurse Practitioner certification. That should open a few doors and raise a few eyebrows! |
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8/7/2006 |
Be Not Deceived When your conscience tells you it's time to repent, and the Great Deceiver whispers "Too late. Too evil. Past forgiveness", remember the word of God to Isaiah: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." And the words of Christ: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." God, who does not lie, says that even your sins "as scarlet" can be made white as snow, and the He will give you rest. Satan, the Father of Lies, whispers that you are beyond redemption. Who will you believe? |
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10/17/2005 |
Tender Mercies When you are watching for them, it's easy to see God's tender mercies in your life. Take this last weekend, for example. I made an unplanned trip to New Mexico for my sister-in-law's funeral. I don't really like funerals, but this one had such good talks given that I came away from it feeling spiritually uplifted. At the burial, which was in Ramah, Randy invited anyone who wanted to, to help fill in the grave. (Not something you can do in a big city, but Ramah is a small farming community.) Several people remarked that they felt honored to be included that way. A friend of Randy's and mine from our adolescence said to me "I feel more like family than a friend." Pretty cool. Other things that happened, listed briefly, include: 1 - I realized during the funeral service that "my soul delighteth in the word of the Lord." 2 - Received a priesthood blessing of healing for my arms. My brothers, a brother-in-law, and my father participated. It was very special. 3 - Spent Saturday night at my brother Dan's house, instead of at a hotel. Got to visit with him, my sister Janice, and Dan's wife Betty. What an incredible family I have. 4 - On the flight from Albuquerque to Salt Lake City, I sat next to a total stranger, and got into a conversation about the Book of Mormon, the Bible, Abraham, prophets, modern revelation, and more. Best flight I've had in a long time. 5 - Got a phone call from another total stranger today. She wanted to know if I could help locate a nephew, because "he's with the Mormons." She had a 150 year old family bible she wanted to send to him, because she knew he was interested in family history. She gave me his name, and last known city. I found him, using the internet, in less than 5 minutes, called him, and put them in touch. Those are all things that I consider "tender mercies", because it lets me know that God is mindful of me, and my efforts to be of service to Him. Very good stuff. |
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6/20/2005 |
She got the goldmine, I got the shaft So, starting back about 5 years ago, I developed tendonitis from too many hours keyboarding at a workstation that wasn't quite right for me. I was treated, got a better workstation, but had 3 more episodes over the next 3 years. Eventually, I left the computer job, and went back to nursing in ICU. Unfortunately, because the tendon had been damaged several times, and had not healed completely, I re-injured it. Because the same treatments that had previously worked to get me pain free and functioning now failed, I was sent to a surgical specialist for evaluation. She recommended surgery for some specific problems that she found on flouroscopy, and I agreed. Little did I know that I would ultimately lose my job. Why? Because the elbow didn't heal fast enough to meet my employer's limits on modified duty days, and when my surgeon's last request for physical therapy strengthening was denied by the Workers Comp carrier, I was declared "as good as I'm gonna get", even though I was continuing to heal. Since there were some very specific limitations attached to the surgeon's report, my employer held an accommodation hearing and decided that as much as they like me (right...), they could not make enough accommodations to my job for me to continue. So just like that, I was unemployed. The final insult was the Workers Comp carrier sending me a letter to inform me that the VALUE of my injury was a whopping $3000. Now, you take not being able to do a job at which I was making $45/hr, 12 years to retirement, and tell me that's only worth $3000, and I will tell you where to hike to... So, now I have to decide whether to take this to litigation, appeal to the Workers Comp board, etc. You see why I think that someone else got the goldmine, and I got the shaft? |
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5/13/2005 |
I Crack Me UP So, one night while I was at work, there were these mystery chimes... “Ding, dong.” The sound seemed to come from somewhere in ICU, but I knew we didn’t have any alarms that made a sound like a doorbell. Hmmm. Must be coming from next door, but it’s never been that loud. Strange. I forgot about it, and went back to reviewing the staffing for the oncoming shift. “Ding, dong.” I stood up and walked next door to the Telemetry unit to see why their patient call system was so loud tonight. They assured me that their call system doesn’t go “Ding, dong,” it goes “BZZZZZZ”. While I stood talking to the other nurses, we all heard “ding, dong”, but no one could say for sure where the sound was coming from. Over the next 7 hours, the chime repeated regularly at 5 minute intervals. I could hear it in the stair well, in the hallway, in the nurse’s lounge. I had decided that it was coming over the PA system, and went to check with the operator to see if she could pinpoint it. No luck. It wasn’t overly loud, but it certainly was audible by everyone I talked to. Still, no one could identify it as an alarm they recognized. As I left the hospital at the end of my shift, I asked the oncoming lead nurse to see if she could trace it down. Then I got in my pickup and drove home, radio up loud to drown out the freeway noise. Twenty minutes later, I pulled into my driveway, turned off the engine, and stepped out of my truck. “Ding, dong.” Impossible! The sound seemed to be coming from my pickup, but that didn’t make any sense. How could the persistent chime have followed me home? I checked my pockets, and my hand bumped into the cellphone I carry on my belt. I started chuckling, and then, as the enormity of my stupidity hit me, I roared with laughter. It was suddenly clear what had been happening. I had a text message on my cellphone, which I had unintentionally left on when I entered the hospital at the beginning of my shift. My faithful phone had been telling me all night that I needed to check my messages. Because it was covered by my tunic, the origin of the sound was muffled just enough to make it seem like it was coming from somewhere other than my hip. No wonder I could hear it everywhere I went! It has been a very long time since I have done anything so utterly oblivious that I couldn’t stop laughing at myself. This was humor of the very best order. |
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4/30/2005 |
Enough Already I saw "Beauty Shop" tonight. Was it funny? Yes, in some ways. Did it have a point, like it's predecessor "Barbarshop"? Not really. Did it seem like someone's excuse for endless dialogue about sex? Yep. There's the movie's plot. Explicit and unnecessary dialogue about sex. This movie was rated PG-13, and I guarantee you, I would not expose a 13, or even an 18 year old to that level of explicit descriptions of sex. But don't think that Beauty Shop is alone in its abuse of the PG-13 rating. Too many of the movies that are currently rated PG-13 have moved passed reference and mild innuendo to sex scenes and language that are much too graphic for that rating. I don't know if you agree with me, but I say ENOUGH ALREADY! Take the explicit language and the graphic sex scenes back to the R rating they really deserve. Give me a break. |
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4/25/2005 |
Whispers of Truth I saw "The Interpreter" on Saturday. Very good movie and intelligently done. If there is anything to take away from this film, it is a quote from a book that says in essence that "the human voice can be heard above the noise of the guns, even if it is just a whisper, even a very low whisper, when it is speaking the truth." Have you heard the voice of truth coming from anyone in charge when it comes to the ongoing U.S. war in Iraq? In the wars going on in Africa? In the rebellions and insurgencies anywhere in the world? I am convinced more and more that "the first casuality of war is always truth." What far too many Americans fail to appreciate is that we have been spared the horror of having to grow up in a state of war and conflict, unlike many countries in the world. I fear it has made us lazy in regard to freedom, and arrogant about our seeming invincibility. Yes, September 11, 2001 was a demonstration that we are vulnerable, but the message of that day has been drowned out by the continuing voice of the current administration which insists to this day that we are somehow winning the war on terror. What absolute, blind, stupid arrogance that is. History has recorded for us the fate of those who insist on believing what they want the truth to be, no matter how distorted or ridiculous that is, until the truth cannot be blocked out any longer. There are no heroes there, only dead fools. |
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4/22/2005 |
Whose Church Is It, Anyway? I have watched with some interest the process of selecting a new pope in the Catholic church, since there are some important political and social implications attending that choice. One of the things that has caught my attention is the very vocal push, mostly by American catholics, to have specific doctrines of their church "revised to fit the times." Among those are ordaining women to the priesthood, allowing priests to marry, and easing restrictions/sanctions against homosexuals. Now, not being a member of the Catholic church, you might think that I would have no opinion on any of those topics. Well, I do. But that isn't the point of this blog. The point is that no faithful believer in any religion has the right to try to dictate or pressure changes in doctrine, based on their own perception of what is right and what is wrong. The shifting morals of society can not be the basis for changing doctrines that are (purportedly) divinely given. Within that framework, then, a couple of questions arise. What is the difference between doctrine and practice? A simple example should suffice to illustrate. Baptism is a doctrine, taught by Jesus Christ as essential to salvation. Not allowing priests to marry is a practice, instituted several centuries after Christ, without any basis in scripture or any claim to divine direction. The doctrine of baptism cannot be changed by the members of a church. It could only be changed by Him whom gave the commandment. But if you think that I'm going to propose that the membership of a religion has the right to dictate policy, such as priests marrying, you are wrong. Practices of a church fall under the same divine guidance as doctrines. Although they are subject to change to accommodate differences in times, social customs, etc., changes in a church's practices should NEVER be made at the whim of the membership. Those changes should come from the highest leadership of a church, and should be done after careful and prayerful consideration, seeking to know God's will on the matter. If you think God has no opinion on such matters, then I suggest that you are seriously out of touch with the concept of religion, or else you have been given some really bad information. It is not the function of a religion to conform to human morals and perceptions, at least not if that religion claims to be based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, and divinely inspired. It is rather the obligation of humans to make their attitudes and behaviors conform to the accepted teachings of the church they belong to. If a person isn't willing to do that, then what is the point of maintaining membership in that church? By railing against a church's doctrine, a person is in effect saying "I don't believe in this church, or the inspiration of it's leaders." It is a God-given right, to make that choice, and to have those opinions. It is NOT a God-given right to insist that a religion change fundamental doctrines and practices to suit the declining morals of our societies. Change in a religion should come from the top down, not from the bottom up. |
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3/14/2005 |
The Unexpected No one really understands mental illness. The scientific method doesn't come close to explaining a mind gone wrong. Living with someone who has a mental illness doesn't make you an expert either. You don't ever really understand it, you just learn to live with it. And for those who have a mental illness, there is never any way to make sense of the thoughts and emotions, because they aren't based in logic, and they aren't even response-based emotions. How do you manage an emotion that doesn't have a cause? Today's news was about the police response to a domestic violence call. When they entered the apartment, a man attacked the police with a kitchen knife in each hand. Mace didn't stop him, so the police shot him. Left behind are a wife and a one year old daughter. It wouldn't have affected me any more than usual, except that the man was a friend of my son's. He had a mental illness, which was controlled most of the time, with medications and the support of his wife. What happened today? I don't know the details. I just know that I didn't like breaking the news to my son. He was stunned, because he had just been chatting over the internet last night with this friend. Within the last couple of weeks, he had received a photo album (electronic) of the little girl's first trip to the zoo. What can you say when something so unexpected and tragic happens so fast? I found that for all my experience with death and patients' families, I didn't have anything at all to say, except I'm sorry to have to tell you. Sometimes, life is just hard. Other times, it's nearly impossible. So we all try to find a way to deal with the tough times, and enjoy the good ones. What are the sparkles that make your life bearable? |
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3/3/2005 |
Sunday Best - Draft Essay There is a phrase that is being lost in our language. Its loss is a reflection of our society's turn away from traditions and behaviors that are important. The phrase is "your Sunday best." It was commonly used in the past to describe a dress and grooming standard. People understood this to mean the best clothes you had, those which would be apropriate for church on Sunday. But there was much more to it than just the nice clothes. There was also the expectation that hair would be combed or curled, men would be freshly shaved, and everyone would be clean and well-groomed. It was a complete package, a total look. It said "I understand the difference between ordinary and special activities." The farmer, the blacksmith, the baker, the schoolteacher, the boys out fishing--they all understood that being involved in those things was distinctly different from being in church. Church required a different dress standard, and more importantly, different behavior. That sense of "a different behavior" is what this essay will address. While churchgoers were outside, they socialized, sympathized, and caught up on each other's lives. But they knew, without exception, that on entering the church building, whether a great cathedral or a small country church, that their behavior was to change. Passing through the doors into the church meant an immediate lowering of the voice, if not complete silence. They turned their focus to the music, to the pastor or priest, who would be seated or standing at the front of the church, quietly waiting for people to be seated so church could begin. Singing was enthusiastic, prayers were fervent. Participation may have varied depending on the religion, but people knew what was expected and did their best to conform to that. Having all that in mind, an invitation to a party or other event that said "Sunday Best" carried the message: We expect you to be clean, properly dressed, and well-behaved if you attend. Somehow, we have lost that sense. Special events, places, and people no longer receive the respect and special behavior that they once did. People think nothing of loudly criticizing a public speaker with whom they disagree. They talk and visit or make phone calls in a movie, in any public place. They have lost the sense of appropriateness, the ability to distinguish between common and uncommon activities, the special and the mundane, the sacred and the profane. There are many negative consequences that come with this loss. Lack of respect for authority. Lack of consideration for others. Lack of social manners, social graces. And most lamentably, a loss of a sense of reverence and special behavior in church. It is no longer emphasized that socializing, sympathizing, joking, and talking business are to be done outside the church. That on entering "God's House", a different set of behaviors should be embraced. Mormons (I am one, so don't anyone get their knickers twisted and think they are being persecuted again) are careful to teach that their temples are sacred places, and that quiet reverence is expected. But how are they to know how to be reverent in their temples if they never practice reverence anywhere else? How indeed? When and where should any of us practice reverence? Well, how about starting at home? Children will learn to behave reverently as parents teach and demonstrate special behavior at prayer time, when asking God's blessing on their food, when reading from holy scriptures (there's another thing we're losing rapidly). These activities are, or should be, notably different from other family acivities. That kind of teaching by example will enable a child to understand the why and the how of behaving differently at church than in a sports arena. They will understand that a church is not a party palace or a social hall where people go to have fun, laugh and visit over the music. It is a place that deserves our best attention and behavior. Being able to feel a sense of reverence for spiritual places and events can and should carry over into other areas of life, making it easier, more natural for us to treat other people with respect, courtesy and consideration. Our society could certainly use more of our "Sunday Best", every day. |
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2/24/2005 |
And you thought THAT was bad... Well, true to form, just when you think things can't get any worse, they do. Between my son and me (and yes, that IS the correct useage--it isn't between my son and I) we have 9 active web sites that we are responsible for maintaining and improving. The web host we were using kept screwing up, and a couple of our biggest clients were complaining heavily, so we finally decided to change hosting providers. We researched heavily, finally settled on a new provider, and transferred 9 domains and 6 databases over a two day period. During that time, we opened several support tickets with our new host, as problem after problem came up. "You can't do that." "But we've always done that." "But WE don't allow it." "We'll find a different solution." "HEY! Where did our databases go?" "oooooops. we deleted them while we were trying to solve another problem." And on and on. Ultimately, we have decided that we will just build our own server and host our own clients. That way we can configure the server the way we need it, no limits, no restrictions, and we can be certain that we are doing backups the way they are supposed to be done. Work is still work. I remain on modified duty while my elbow heals up from surgery. If it were simply weak, and needing strengthening, I wouldn't mind, but there's still some soreness that I thought would be gone by now. I meet with my surgeon next week, and we'll see what she has to say. Those who know me will remember that I used to say of our political system "how much damage can one person do in 4 years?" Well "W" has answered that question to my great dismay. And what's worse is that Arnie, the "Governator", seems determined to dig even lower than "W" has done. And people still wonder why other countries don't think kindly of us. Hmmmm. |
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2/13/2005 |
Too Tired for Words It's been a very long week, with an amazing number of things that went wrong. Today was an early start and a late finish, but I feel I got a lot done. If only things (like my computer) would just stop breaking. Or at least give you a warning: "Yo, dude! In just 2 more days, your video card is going to die." It would be so simple to fix before it broke. Good thing I know about computers. At least enough to love them/hate them. Does anyone know if anger/rage is genetic or learned? Or both? |
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2/4/2005 |
License to Kill? Too many people have a license to drive a car, and think that it is a license to bully, bluff, intimidate, or kill anyone who gets in their way. I have had several close calls this past week, and it makes me angry, really angry, that I am helpless to do anything about those drivers. Not in a road-rage-get-revenge way, but in a much larger way, that would put a sense of respect and courtesy back into every day, every situation. But that is asking too much. Societies don't tend to reverse their downward trends, and our society is definitely headed down. Respect, ambition, integrity are lost concepts for too many people. They understand only "ME, HERE, NOW", and are willing to be as ugly and belligerent as they need to be to get what they want. That is a very sad comment on our society. I feel lucky that I know people who are on the opposite end of the spectrum. People who are kind, intelligent, and have a sense of how important it is to help others. If you don't know anyone like that, email me. Maybe between the two of us, we can discover what it's like to be not just good, but great. It's got to be worth a try. |
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2/2/2005 |
Ground Hog Day I have no idea what the ground hog saw, because I've been busy all day. The weather here in California was certainly pleasant. Shirt-sleeve warm, nice breeze, and wonderfully sunny. The project I mentioned yesterday, that scheduling manager thing? I got to show it off today, and it was a BIG hit. Another department manager is already asking is she can have it too. This could turn out to be exactly the kind of inroad I've been looking for, the break that will get me attached to the department of nursing as their "technical guy". It would mean day shift and no more weekends. But maybe that's hoping for too much, and when my arm is well enough, I'll just be back on night shift, doing the "Lead Nurse" thing until I can find something else. Josh and I went home teaching tonight to meet a newly assigned person. Turns out she's in her early 20's, full-time student at the local community college. She was a hard read. Couldn't tell if she was giving short answers because she didn't really want to talk to us, or whether it was maybe just shyness. Either way, we'll plan a return visit for later this month. Tomorrow, Karlyn and I have planned a trip to the Oakland Temple. The last two times we have planned trips, I have gotten sick (kidney stone both times) and had to cancel. This time, I am determined to go. I have family names to take with me, and I'm looking forward to it. |
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2/1/2005 |
First of February While at work today, still on modified duty, waiting for my left elbow surgery to heal, I finished the code for a scheduling change & reference tool for ICU and TCU. As promised, I made the project scalable to the entire organization, which could end up saving a lot of time and errors in staffing. There are some other features that have been suggested which I may be asked/allowed to work on during the remaining time that I have before integrating back into my role as the Lead Nurse on night shift. Night shift. I so very much don't want to go back to that lifestyle, but right at the moment, I don't see any alternatives. Until my elbow is healed, I can't very well leave my current job. That doesn't stop me from looking, though. |
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1/31/2005 |
First Post I searched for quite a long time to try to find some decent, pre-written blog software to use here. What a waste of time. I just needed some simple code to add, edit, and display my blogs, and store them in a database. Lucky for me, I know how to write that kind of code. |
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