Bombing for Peace is Like...........

Sometimes in class you just shut your mouth or wish you would have when certain discussion happen, and there have been some good ones over the years, when I just sit back and bite my tongue wanting to say something. As practitioners in the health care field they say listening is sometime the hardest thing to do. So last night I put in my quick two cents, then told myself to shut-up as the class got into all kinds of different political and health care funding talk. However, I need to get out of my system what I wanted to say.

Certain politicians instead of going after Wall Street billionaire stealing from the middle class, still want to cut programs like teenage pregnancy prevention and family planning. Yes, that includes Planned Parenthood. Where a huge 3% does actually go towards abortion, but that mean 96% apparently, does not. Instead, it is used for things like education, contraception, cancer screening, STD prevention and treatment, and other health issues along with family planning.  You can read their annual report here.  If politicians want to stick by their belief that is fine, I can even respect it at times.

However, some of these same politicians also want to cut programs like women, infant, children (WIC) and Head Start for low-income families with children.

Therefore, these individuals want to take away alternatives and figuratively force women to have the babies, but they don't want to do anything to help them once they do?

It seemed a little hypocritical and does not make sense to me, it also reminding me of the old saying,

Bombing for Peace

 is like

Fucking for Virginity

People should really read the law of Title X

People are People

Over the years of reading blogs, I have see individuals complaining about how they feel like their clinicals or community work is akin to free labor. Maybe they had a bad day; however, I hope I don't become jaded like that, because one of the best experiences I am having right now is volunteering at a free clinic.

In reality, some of why I am enjoying it so much has to do with the years of dealing with stupid hospital politics, catering to patients and families and documenting everything. Yes, I know it is important to chart positive flatus.

As for this clinic, it is very basic and just above street level care with volunteer doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and most importantly interpreters. I love my interpreter, because she understands my weird sense of humor. Anyway, they operate in donated spaces and even out of an elementary school gym one night a week. These are not places for checkups or handing out pain meds; we have signs everywhere letting patients know there are no pain meds on site. These uninsured individuals who cannot afford to see anyone for things like uncontrolled diabetes or hypertension, and they just need a little help and maybe a prescription.

No politics, no bean counters, no egos and no kissing ass, just basic care for people who fell through the cracks.

Things work out

It feels like things are finally starting to fall into place, in the academic world anyway. The bachelor’s degree will be done next month and the acceptance letter to start the graduate program in September has been confirmed. In addition, there is financial seminar next weekend, to learning where the money is coming from, one stress I do not want to deal with.


Even though my finals and papers are coming due, graduate school is right around the corner, my sisters and I are starting a lawsuit against our stepmother and I have no health insurance, my stress level is really low right now.

Maybe it is time to start dating again after a self-imposed hiatus, or go visit some distant family to ratchet up the stress and release of some cortisol.

A Real Mother's Day

What would every mother like for Mother’s Day, maybe a complete and professional makeover of her hair and makeup?

Well, that is what happened in the city yesterday to 25 women, but these women were not part of a win a makeover for your Mother on Mother's day contest.

No, these 25 Mothers called one of the local shelters home and next week they will be receiving job training and interview skills. When you have children, the last place you plan to call home is a shelter. Therefore, although I wish all mothers a happy mother’s day, I wish these ones a little bit more of one.

Happy Mothers Day - Sort of

One day all our Mothers will be this age, so let's enjoy them while we can.

Dead bodies and Recipes



As nurses you become desensitized to a lot, but once in a while a wtf moment hits you.

Yesterday, because of sick calls they had me helping in the cardiovascular ICU. Halfway into the shift an elderly Asian gentleman passed away; it was not unexpected as most of the family had been called and were at the bedside.

After he passed, the family wanted to spend more time with him and have their 6-year-old granddaughter come into the room to say goodbye. The patient had been on a ventilator with lines and tubes inserted into every possible orifice and extremity. It would have been a scary site to most, but why subject a 6 year old to this?

Anyway we had the family go to the waiting room as we fully gowned and masked up. Because of his condition we knew there would be extensive body fluids everywhere; also bathing and turning a dead patient requires a lot of contact.

The air in the room smelled horrible as we started pulling lines, tubes and clean up the man's body. Then the two nurses with me started exchanging recipes for some type of bread pudding dish.
I laughed a little and found it is sad, because while cleaning up that poor dead man's smelly fluids, their talk actually made me hungry.

750 Words.com

There is a site called 750 words and it kind of describes why I started blogging, but it is not a Blogging site or Facebook. It is a place where you write 750 words a day to yourself, and nobody reads it. Kind of like the old days when people kept journals or diaries about their thoughts.

By writing 750 words a day you release some of that inner energy, creativity or frustration. You can write in the mornings to get your mind working or at the end of the day to let things go. They call it "a daily brain dump" and creative or not it probably helps.

To write freely and say what is really on my mind. That's my problem I recently started worrying about what others would think or want to read and see.

http://750words.com/

Party Like a Nurse

  Today is the 105th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake that pretty much leveled and burned the city to the ground.
However, one of the aftermaths of that disaster was the establishment of one of the oldest nursing schools in the country at UCSF. With a proud history of graduate and research nursing that has lasted through two world wars, financial meltdowns and political fighting, it helped make nursing a respectable occupation.

The flip side:

Advance for Nurses is a company dedicated to making and selling products to nurses and health care professionals. Yet, they play right into spreading the stereotype of being the good time party nurse. Thanks for spreading the professional image and making a buck off us at the same time.

Special Place in Hell

Maybe I'm noticing it more or maybe it's happening more; those stories in the news that make you think how could somebody do that?

A wheelchair van is stolen.
An elderly 90-year-old woman is pushed down to the ground and assaulted.
A greedy pharmacist dilutes cancer medication to increase his profits.
Cemetery grave markers and headstones are destroyed by a bunch of drunken partying idiots.

Now this, three girls in Georgia were running a lemonade stand to raise money for their two-year-old cousin who is sick and needs surgery. Two losers decide they are going to steal the $130 dollars the girls had raised and run.

Good people always seem to step-up in these situations by donating to make things right. Just a sad commentary on some people these days. Someday in Hell they will wish they had some Lemonade.

Forget You

It came out last year and sorry if it offends anyone, but I still love this song by Cee Lo and the 50-60's Motown style and feeling about it, and I think we've all had someone like this in our past.

Also next time you get cut off in traffic, disrespected, or just happen to be dealing with someone who is rude, recite a couple key phrases in your head. (Out loud if appropriate). Guaranteed you will feel better.

 (Sorry this is not the dumbed down edited radio or Glee version.)



Remember when he did Crazy  in Gnarls Barkley