A while back, I talked about going to therapy for my PTSD. EMDR continues to be one of the best and most difficult experiences of my life. Today, my therapist, who I think I shall refer to from the present as the Corn, short for cornucopia of skills, introduced me to Reiki. Now, I am not going to tout its healing properties or regale you with a fantastic tale of my restless leg syndrome disappearing. However, I will tell you it is the most relaxed I've been since my honeymoon. There is definitely something to the mind-body thing.
I am falling asleep as I'm trying to type. I have the electric blanket wrapped burrito-like around my legs (that's my non-pharmaceutical RLS treatment) and I'm ready to give it a whirl. G'night all.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Jolt…a 100 Word Song Entry
There's a weekly contest run by Lance aka TLanceB in which he gives a song and entrants must write in 100 words exactly about the song. This is my first ride on this merry-go-round. This week's song is Grey Street by DMB. If the link doesn't work, I'll correct it upon returning to my home laptop.
Jolt
Back in the day, the colorblind test was given in school. Daphne never needed it. Her dreams had always been in grayscale. Life around her had always been in Technicolor. She knew they were innate, these skewed perceptions in life. Many a doctor had tried to bring color into her world with medications, none successfully. She was not the poster child for any pharmaceutical company. As she stared at the soft, grey walls, Daphne buzzed with both excitement and angst at the treatment the newest doctor was proposing. Color could come crashing into her world soon, with a jolt.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Merrell's Are Not Acceptable Bike Wear and Other Observations
Whew! I'm home! Sookie is glad. My body is glad. Kelly doesn't ever want to come home.
Two weeks ago, I was headed to the 5th International Family and Patient Centered Care Conference in Washington, D.C. Last week, we were heading to the Outer Banks of NC for vacation. Soooo much has happened!
The Conference:
It was phenomenal. That's the only way I can describe it. I was surrounded by people who believe in what I do for a living; who value my education, but also value my life experience and its role in my work; and by some of the most incredible figures in health care in the world.
I learned so many interesting and valuable things that apply to my hospital work and also to life in general. For instance, if you have a user name on Twitter, a blog, Facebook, etc. search it on Google. I had over 5 pages of hits on mine. I had no idea that much was publicly available! Also, prospective employers do that as well. It's a good thing I only swear about personal things.
The VP of Canada's largest health system said we were the best presentation of the conference. Wowzas! Ummhmm, yeah, yeah. I shook my tail feathers on that one. People from stellar facilities suggested we become educators in FPCC. I am humbled and awed.
I discovered that getting down into the Metro was a little like a snowy mountain scene in a James Bond movie...I have a picture in my head, but I can't figure out which movie...It's just this cavernous tunnel burrowing crazily into the ground. I've ridden the NYC subway dozens of times, but the D.C. Metro threw me.
I discovered Lady Anti-Monkey Butt. What is THAT, you ask? It's this fantastic anti-friction powder. Great for hot days and bras or thighs.
Finally, Jenny Lawson's book Let's Pretend This Never Happened made for great plane entertainment. My manager and I read together and were so boisterous with our laughter that we met a woman at the hotel who recognized us from that!
Next, the beach!
We went to Nags Head, Outer Banks, NC. Those are the barrier islands off the NC Coast for which lighthouses and pirates are famous. For those of you familiar with my fear of bridges, you'll understand that this is a HUGE deal. There are three doozie bridges, one over 5 miles long. It's not a beautiful scene either like the 7 Mile Bridge in the Keys. That aqua water just soothes my anxious soul. Anyway, we made a convoy of Sanders from here to there. It was great driving and we arrived to beautiful weather and waves.
This is literally just out of the car:
I'm slightly less pale, except for the myriad skeeter bites on my face and body, today. I'm much more rested. I'm more literally rounded, having read four books in 5 days. I'm puzzle queen after this monster, which I did not complete on my own, but I was obsessed by it.
The winds picked up to storm-force yesterday. This morning it was still so bad that it blew the hair wrap off my head which was drying my hair.
Our ride home was adventurous. I saw an El Camino and realized it's the original hybrid car. I saw a man on a Harley sporting Merrell's. REALLY? In what HOG chapter or Gran Torino scene do comfort clogs go with a kick ass motorcycle? I am driving down I-40 as excessive speed and those suckers stood out in the lane next to me. Seriously shaking my head at that...
Home Sweet Home it is, to mounds of laundry, a lonely cat and dog, my Altima (a story in itself) and my bed. Ahh, my bed...see you soon, friend.
Two weeks ago, I was headed to the 5th International Family and Patient Centered Care Conference in Washington, D.C. Last week, we were heading to the Outer Banks of NC for vacation. Soooo much has happened!
The Conference:
It was phenomenal. That's the only way I can describe it. I was surrounded by people who believe in what I do for a living; who value my education, but also value my life experience and its role in my work; and by some of the most incredible figures in health care in the world.
I learned so many interesting and valuable things that apply to my hospital work and also to life in general. For instance, if you have a user name on Twitter, a blog, Facebook, etc. search it on Google. I had over 5 pages of hits on mine. I had no idea that much was publicly available! Also, prospective employers do that as well. It's a good thing I only swear about personal things.
The VP of Canada's largest health system said we were the best presentation of the conference. Wowzas! Ummhmm, yeah, yeah. I shook my tail feathers on that one. People from stellar facilities suggested we become educators in FPCC. I am humbled and awed.
I discovered that getting down into the Metro was a little like a snowy mountain scene in a James Bond movie...I have a picture in my head, but I can't figure out which movie...It's just this cavernous tunnel burrowing crazily into the ground. I've ridden the NYC subway dozens of times, but the D.C. Metro threw me.
I discovered Lady Anti-Monkey Butt. What is THAT, you ask? It's this fantastic anti-friction powder. Great for hot days and bras or thighs.
Next, the beach!
We went to Nags Head, Outer Banks, NC. Those are the barrier islands off the NC Coast for which lighthouses and pirates are famous. For those of you familiar with my fear of bridges, you'll understand that this is a HUGE deal. There are three doozie bridges, one over 5 miles long. It's not a beautiful scene either like the 7 Mile Bridge in the Keys. That aqua water just soothes my anxious soul. Anyway, we made a convoy of Sanders from here to there. It was great driving and we arrived to beautiful weather and waves.
The winds picked up to storm-force yesterday. This morning it was still so bad that it blew the hair wrap off my head which was drying my hair.
Our ride home was adventurous. I saw an El Camino and realized it's the original hybrid car. I saw a man on a Harley sporting Merrell's. REALLY? In what HOG chapter or Gran Torino scene do comfort clogs go with a kick ass motorcycle? I am driving down I-40 as excessive speed and those suckers stood out in the lane next to me. Seriously shaking my head at that...
Home Sweet Home it is, to mounds of laundry, a lonely cat and dog, my Altima (a story in itself) and my bed. Ahh, my bed...see you soon, friend.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
The End and The Beginning
This week has been crazy busy. Lots of normal and abnormal stuff. Lots of thoughts of the intense kind.
It's public knowledge at the place where I work and the community that the program I love and have been with from the beginning is in a very unsure place right now. My job as a Navigator is in jeopardy. We are grant funded and that time has run out. We have monies left to get us through September. Our hospital announced budget issues months ago. Since we are not already under their budget umbrella, it will be shocking if we get added in when others are being cut.
This breaks my heart. I let it consume me for a few weeks, then I stopped. I started browsing for jobs. Since this is a pilot program, for lack of a better term, there are no jobs like it anywhere near here. I started looking back at case management, which I'm good at, but not my passion. I put in one app at a company late Saturday night two weeks ago. The next Monday, I was called for an interview. I thought, "sweet..someone thinks I look good on paper." Even though this is not a job I want, I decided to go because if Baptist falls through, I don't want to be on the unemployment line.
I went to my job interview Wednesday. I had a great Thelma to my Louise for an unexpected mini-road trip. Thanks, Amanda! I was slightly unprepared. It was more like a second round interview, but there I was. My filter failed me once. I'm hoping it wasn't horrendous. Here's the scene:
I'm at a table with 4 supervisors. They've told me I'd have a home office, agency vehicle, smart phone, and laptop a few minutes prior. Then, one of their prepared questions was
Blond supervisor: How would you keep in contact with your manager, since you'd be off-site?
Me: Well, you just told me I'd have a smart phone and laptop. I'm really good at text and email, but if I need to work on smoke signals, I will.
Group: Eyeballs roving, silence, then
Blond Supervisor: Well, I guess we could work on smoke signals.
I'm hoping that wasn't an epic fail. Fail, maybe, but not epic since she smiled and responded.
We'll see what happens with this job situation. For right now, I'm starting two weeks of off-hospital time. I leave tomorrow for my conference with my manager where we will present on the Navigator program. I'm thrilled at the opportunities I'll have. I'm thrilled to share about this program I feel so strongly about. I just hate it may be for naught.
Next Saturday, we head out for the Outer Banks, NC. Here's what I plan on doing for most of the time. I have secured the first two E.L. James books about Grey.
Happy Summer, everyone!
*This blog is my personal view. I am not an official Medical Center Spokesperson*
It's public knowledge at the place where I work and the community that the program I love and have been with from the beginning is in a very unsure place right now. My job as a Navigator is in jeopardy. We are grant funded and that time has run out. We have monies left to get us through September. Our hospital announced budget issues months ago. Since we are not already under their budget umbrella, it will be shocking if we get added in when others are being cut.
This breaks my heart. I let it consume me for a few weeks, then I stopped. I started browsing for jobs. Since this is a pilot program, for lack of a better term, there are no jobs like it anywhere near here. I started looking back at case management, which I'm good at, but not my passion. I put in one app at a company late Saturday night two weeks ago. The next Monday, I was called for an interview. I thought, "sweet..someone thinks I look good on paper." Even though this is not a job I want, I decided to go because if Baptist falls through, I don't want to be on the unemployment line.
I went to my job interview Wednesday. I had a great Thelma to my Louise for an unexpected mini-road trip. Thanks, Amanda! I was slightly unprepared. It was more like a second round interview, but there I was. My filter failed me once. I'm hoping it wasn't horrendous. Here's the scene:
I'm at a table with 4 supervisors. They've told me I'd have a home office, agency vehicle, smart phone, and laptop a few minutes prior. Then, one of their prepared questions was
Blond supervisor: How would you keep in contact with your manager, since you'd be off-site?
Me: Well, you just told me I'd have a smart phone and laptop. I'm really good at text and email, but if I need to work on smoke signals, I will.
Group: Eyeballs roving, silence, then
Blond Supervisor: Well, I guess we could work on smoke signals.
I'm hoping that wasn't an epic fail. Fail, maybe, but not epic since she smiled and responded.
We'll see what happens with this job situation. For right now, I'm starting two weeks of off-hospital time. I leave tomorrow for my conference with my manager where we will present on the Navigator program. I'm thrilled at the opportunities I'll have. I'm thrilled to share about this program I feel so strongly about. I just hate it may be for naught.
Next Saturday, we head out for the Outer Banks, NC. Here's what I plan on doing for most of the time. I have secured the first two E.L. James books about Grey.
Happy Summer, everyone!
*This blog is my personal view. I am not an official Medical Center Spokesperson*
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