Bicycles, Freya, and Findings

I couldn't think of a title for today's blog, so I won't name it. Lol. Serves me right for sleeping in a little. Our first patient comes in at 8:45 this morning, and Joe has the day off from school, so I indulged a little and slept for an extra half hour.

I'll also get off work early today, as we only have morning patients. So, when I get home, I'm going to take Joe to buy him a new bike. He wants to try and get more exercise in before he goes to New Zealand.

This bike, by Trek...Heck, I might get one, too. Lol.

I don't think we have anything major planned this weekend...probably just some outside time in the sunshine, maybe some swimming (the pool should be a pleasant 89 degrees by tomorrow). I'm thinking about a trip out west in April over a long weekend. Not sure yet how that will play out, though.

Work today should be interesting. The new doctor will be there, and he's what I call a "teaching doctor." He'll come in my "office" and ask me to pull up some x-rays, then quiz me about certain aspects of them. For example, he'll ask, "Do you see something different about this patient's leg?" And I'll look and tell him what I see that's different about it from the other thousands of legs I've x-rayed over the years. And then he'll say I'm right, and then go on to tell me more about the diagnosis, and more radiographic signs I can look for to make the same diagnosis.

Of course, it's not my job to diagnose, but more eyes on something doesn't hurt. When I take an x-ray of his patients, I'll usually give him a heads up, something like "Pretty sure the problem is posterior aspect." Not that the problem won't jump out at him immediately, but if I can make his job a little easier, I will. Same for the other doctors. If I x-ray a foot, if I don't have another patient immediately, I'll look closely at the x-ray I just took and magnify it if I don't see anything that jumps out at me. If I see a hairline fracture, I can mark it on the x-ray with an arrow that will show the doctor where to zoom in.

It's definitely an interesting job. There are hundreds of subtle signs that can appear with pathology or injury on x-ray, and learning what to look for is really fascinating to me. And some of the names of the signs are sorta fanciful for medical terminology, like "Bamboo spine sign," "half moon sign" "bow tie sign," "Blade of Grass sign," and "Inverted Napoleon Hat sign," among many others. Radiology is fun and whimsical! I'm really blessed to have a job I love!

Here's the "Blade of Grass." This is not one of our patients, but an image from the Internet. Anyway, the sign on a radiograph indicates Paget's Disease.

The signs are subtle, but findable and very important! Think about that...

Happy Friday! I mean, Freya's Day!

Quick Update for Thorsday

My son got the results of his second attempt at the SAT. The first time he was a bundle of nerves, and still scored in the top two percent of test takers. This time, though, he was much calmer, and scored a 1550 out of 1600. He's only a junior, but wanted to take his test before his senior year, so we are thrilled with his score! It's in the top 1%, or the 99th percentile. Wow! I swear, that kid is so freaking smart. He can get into any college he wants, and I won't be surprised if he takes the test again next year just to see if he can get that perfect score.

Yesterday, I'd just gotten home from work and was relaxing by whizzing through a small square of the galaxy blasting Asteroids when I got this text from my daughter:

I responded:

I had to post it on FB, unaware she was doing the same thing:

And our responses after that:

One good thing about FB amid all the controversy-- it's just one more way to stay in touch with friends and family and enjoy some good natured humor.

Anyway, I laughed so hard at that--my daughter definitely inherited my sense of humor.

Happy Thorsday!

Good Morning!

I'm saying that because I'm trying to will it so. Lol.

I could probably sleep another hour or two easily. But the day waits, so I rise and shine.

Work was fun yesterday. I had quite a few patients, but they were spread out through the day, so I didn't feel rushed. There weren't any complicated shots to get, either, which was refreshing. And as the day winds down, people relax and everyone starts to joke and relax. One of my coworkers had a funny story about his weekend, and we had some good laughs teasing him good-naturedly. I'm really enjoying my job.

Today I have just four patients, all before 11:30. So, I'll get off work a little early. I'm thinking about picking up Joe from school and going to the courthouse to turn in his passport application.

Hmmmm...what else? Not much else is going on...I've filed for a copyright on my blog, and have paid the fee to do so, but I still have to make a copy of every single page I've written so far, put it in a zip file and email it to the Library of Congress. That's going to take a while. Lol. But not too much longer...I'm more than halfway done.

Oh yeah, here's a couple of pics of the front planter at night...

I was told by a coworker that there are such things as "Moon Gardens," with plants that bloom at night. She thought that would be a good addition to the planter, so I checked them out and think she's right.

Here's a couple of pics of what the flowers look like:

Anyway, gotta go! See ya, bye!

Intellivision Weekend

We had a fun, relaxing weekend. Saturday, we laid out in the sun while the slow cooker made chicken n dumplings, played darts (2 games, James won one, and I won one), and ping pong (each won one game, unless you count the first game, which I won, but we weren't playing right). Then we played Inellivison and some old-style 80's games on PS4-- like Galaga, Tempest, Asteroids, and Q-bert. We had a blast.

Yesterday, we took Joe shopping at World Market, and James and I got a few things for ourselves. I got this Icelandic chocolate bar just so I could look at it. Lol.

Then we came home and we attempted to sit out in the sun, but nearby wildfires started to blow smoke in our direction, making it hazy and sooty, so we didn't last too long. It was okay, though--it didn't ruin our bbq...I made some Angus burgers on the grill and we ate them while playing more video games. Lol.

The RPG I'm playing whenever I get a little time (which is very rare nowadays) is Monster Hunter World. It's pretty cool, but you have to have a cat follow you around. So when I created my feline companion, I fashioned him after the most tolerable cat I know right now--Zuri. And lately, even mild-mannered Zuri is pushing the limits of tolerable-ness, by meowing for attention in the middle of the night.

Here's a pic of my video game Zuri:

Oh yeah, James finished the front yard water feature project. It looks fantastic! And I need to get a few pics of how it all lights up at night, but it's MAGICAL.

Anyway, gotta get ready for a great day! Bye!

Oh, Woden's Day!

It's Wednesday, so that means a long, busy day at work. All the x-rays for the day are pretty easy looking, though. There is the unknown factor of the new doctor's x-ray patients, however, and I never know what I'll get with those. But never a box of chocolates, and instead the risk of exposure to potentially deadly infectious material. Which is exciting, in a way, but also heart wrenching to see patient's suffering.

Most of his patients need special care and handling, and at the minimum, I've got to wear gloves and then do a thorough wipe-down of everything with specific cleansers after x-rays are completed. When he requests an x-ray, it sometimes throws a little chink in the flow of the other doctor's schedules, but so far, it's worked out well, and everyone is really cool.

I got an email from the radiology director yesterday saying he was really happy with my performance and how I was fitting in with the team, so that made me feel pretty good. He also offered me extra hours on the days we don't have clinic to come in and help the nurses call patients to do their intake (asking health history, etc), and also to help the office manager with computer stuff. I said I'd be happy to. I will do as many jobs as possible in order to broaden my experiences and horizons. I love working in the medical field, and this extra duty can help me understand more aspects of how a medical practice is run.

I had crazy dreams involving wind last night. Maybe because yesterday evening we had the first thunderstorm of the year, with some rotation in the clouds.

Anyway, I'm feeling pretty good today, and ready for a busy 8 or 9 hours!

Happy Woden's Day!

Skydiving is awesome

Have you ever watched someone do something, and been absolutely positive you could do it, too? Like when I first saw someone jet ski, I knew I'd love it and do it well. And sure enough, the first time I ever rode one, I was doing tricks.

Well, that's how indoor skydiving was. It was sooooo much fun, and I bragged to James that I'd get in that wind tunnel and be doing tricks all over the place. He wanted to watch a ton of YouTube videos so that we could get in there and "do it right," but I thought that might mess us up more than help us. And we would get a preliminary lesson when we got there. 

Once we arrived at iFly in Ft Lauderdale, we checked in, and were directed to a big dark room where the wind tunnel was lit up. We could watch everyone as they experienced it before our turn at 5:30. Some people seemed to get it, but not many. It began to look much harder than what we'd seen on the videos. People were flopping around all over, bopping into the plexiglass, flipping upside down, and generally being held in the right position by the instructors. 

However, I didn't really start doubting myself. I could tell James was a little nervous, because he kept talking over what the right maneuvers were to keep a stable body position. I tried to reassure him to relax, and just have fun.

Then Eugene, the instructor (who didn't look like a Eugene at all, but like a mix of a Viking and a surfer, lol), called our group into a small room where he went over the basics. He taught us the hand signals-- a "peace" sign meant "straighten legs," a crooked peace sign meant bend your legs a little, when he pointed up it means keep your chin up, and the shaka sign surfers  use as a friendly gesture or  to mean "hang loose" meant to breathe and relax.

And, of course, thumb's up meant you're doing everything great. 

After a little instructional and safety video, we geared up (I asked for an extra baggy jumpsuit), putting hair in ponytails, donning a jumpsuit, earplugs, safety goggles and a helmet. 

Then came a few minutes of anxious waiting while the group before us finished. There were two little kids, maybe 5 years old, who I think were fraternal twins. The little girl was especially precocious, talking incessantly to the instructor about how she was going to do everything the instructor said and on and on and on...

The two little ones were in the front of the line, then James, then me, and a few after us. The little girl was wearing loose fitting boots, which were immediately stripped off her feet and flew like rockets to the top of the wind tunnel. So they had to turn it off to let the shoes fall back down. The little girl started to cry. I calmed her down and said her shoes would come down, and she was happy again when the second shoe finally hit the floor. 

So James went out there, and I guess he was pretty tense, and concentrating too hard. He had his feet with his toes pointing toward his chest. They didn't go over foot position in class, so he wasn't understanding what the instructor was trying to tell him, to point his toes. After a few long seconds, he understood and pointed his toes, but he didn't have much flight time left to really established a stable position. 

So, I was a little nervous going in, but still confident. 

I flew in that thing like a BOSS. During your first session, they don't let the airspeed to go high enough to attempt any tricks, so you "fly" pretty close to the ground. I got a couple hand signals, once to straighten my legs and a couple "chin ups," but the hand signal I got most was the "good job" thumbs up. You can even see the instructor give the thumbs up in my first video, where he barely had to physically stabilize me at all. I did try a few things from the videos we watched, which came naturally. To avoid flying sideways into the plexiglass, I lowered my opposite shoulder and elbow a little in the opposite direction, and I could feel it work. 

I think I smiled ear to ear the entire time, and I did better on my second flight and the instructor took me on the high aerial. Afterwards, when we turned in my gear, he said I should definitely come back to learn the next maneuvers, because I was a natural. I said I'd love to, and I think that's what we're gonna do. I could have spent all day in that thing!

Here are some pics and videos from my two flights:

Here's my first flight...in these videos you can see James exiting, and then me getting in. I liked my little faux pas hop in the first one...you weren't supposed to do that, but it didn't seem to affect anything...lol

Then James and I stayed overnight in Ft Lauderdale because we had to pick up Joe there the following night. 

On Friday, a surprise came in the mail. James had told me he ordered something as a surprise. I asked in a text what it was, and he replied "Something to smash me with." James doesn't have a violent bone in his body, so I was thinking a new pillow or something, but what came was pretty freaking awesome. An old Intellivison game system with a ton of games like Frogger, Donkey Kong, and Triple Action. And the amazing thing was that it worked on our modern TV!

Sooo, of course we stayed up way late Friday night reliving our childhood. Lol.

And James has the front flowerbed almost complete. He has a fantastic inner eye for design and putting it all together. It's looking really good! He's still got the back half to clear out and mulch, but the hard part is done! 

Well, time to get going....should be a relatively easy week for me.  Have a great day! 

Skydiving! Sorta...

This weekend, James and I have booked some indoor skydiving flights! I'm so excited about that! Since we have to pick up Joe in Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday, we thought we'd make a fun weekend over on that side of the state, and I was thinking it would be fun to do something different. So I checked out iFly in Ft. Lauderdale, and thought that would be fun. James thought so, too, so I booked the tickets.

For those of you who haven't heard of this, it's like this:

I just thought it would be a unique experience, since I'm definitely not ready to jump out of a perfectly good plane. Lol. I'm really looking forward to it.

The front pond fountain thing is looking really good. I'll get a pic later when I get home. Yesterday I did more x-rays in one day than I've ever done in a single day before. But it was pretty easy, because the equipment AND the patients are great. The practice is so efficient and streamlined that everything just flows so smoothly. They have pretty much perfected the practice, which makes the patients happy, the doctors happy, and the staff happy. We are definitely geared to make the patient's experience as comfortable and as pleasant as possible. It's another I LOVE to go to every day!

Lol. I know the difference. :)

In other news, Stephen Hawking passed away yesterday. I was saddened by the news, because he maintained that he didn't believe in God. However, I don't know his true heart, so I can't judge him or say where he is spending eternity. However, in the following statement , he contradicts himself. You cannot have a design without a designer...

Anyway, it's pretty chilly outside, so it's winter scrubs today. Hope you all have a great Thor's Day!

Busy Week in Process

First of all, just as FYI, do not take my recent silence or absence from blogs as any kind of retreat. Actually, think the opposite.

This week has been busy and will be busy all the way out. Yesterday after work I took Joe to Ft Lauderdale airport so he could fly to CA  for Spring Break.

My work got even more interesting this week because a new kind of doctor joined our practice and he occasionally wants x-rays. His kind of practice is really interesting, and the doctor is super cool and nice, so taking x-rays for him is nice. He even brings brownies. Lol.

Today, I've got to be there early, and our morning schedule is packed, but the afternoon schedule is pretty light.

Soooo, I've already run out of time this morning! Have a great Wednesday!

And lastly, Madison

We were so busy with fun stuff this weekend that I barely touched my phone, iPad, or computer all weekend. I see there have been a few comments on some of my posts. It’s nice to give me the running play by play about what goes on at the hate site, but I really don’t care anymore. I just go, take my screenshots, and leave. I don’t even really read what they say. I just forward it to.:.some people.

Anyway, it was a nice weekend. Joe retook his SAT on Saturday because he thinks he can get a perfect score. His last score was very close to perfect, so I don’t know why he’s unhappy with it. But I think he could get a perfect score too, and he said this time he wasn’t as nervous as he was last time, and he thinks he *might* have missed one question. Watch out world, this MIT bound kid is going to go far!

Afterwards, I spent some time doing some online shopping. I bought a few books, a few things for my laptop, two sets of Egyptian cotton sheets, a new video game (Monster Hunter World) and an iPhone 8 for Callie’s graduation. I’m hoping to go to CA to be there for that big occasion. I think she’s still debating about which college to choose— UCLA or Brown. I’m hoping for Brown. I think I've decided on this duvet cover for the goose down--this pic doesn't really portray the colors--it's supposed to be navy blue and black.

I tried to pick something that wasn't too girly, yet not too manly either. I joked with James that I had ordered this one:

James worked on the little front yard pond, and it looks great. He’s only got a little left before it’s totally finished. It even has a solar powered light that illuminates it at night.

Here's the most recent progression of his work. All we have now is to finish the stone border (not shown), and finish landscaping the back of the bed.

It's hard to see, but there's a bubbling water fountain in the bigger pot:

We have some new eggs by the Duck family that lives seasonably in the nest by our front door. The weird thing is we've been letting Zuri out on the screened porch to stare hungrily at birds and squirrels. She loves to sit out there on an office chair. She's the boss. Well, apparently she caused some alarm in the Ducks, so they moved their eggs! We were sad, so we kept Zuri inside the next few days to see if they would come back. I didn't think they would, but the other day, the eggs suddenly reappeared!

Here's Zuri making the most of a UPS delivery in the front living room:

And on the upstairs balcony:

While James was outside, I worked on organizing the master bedroom closet. It’s almost done, too. And then I made dinner (my famous bbq chicken and rice). Then we put the new sheets on the bed and watched movies all night.

One movie we watched was “The Shape of Water,” and I don’t really know why it won any Oscars.

In my opinion, it was a little slow. The relationship between weird fish man and Elisa seemed too rushed. Getting to know such a creature that already distrusted humans would probably take more time than it did.

The subplots also seemed rushed. The dude with the slowly festering fingers obviously had a raging case of sepsis. He was going to die anyway, so his death wasn’t very satisfying. I admit, though, when his new Caddy got smashed, I snickered with glee.

The subplot of the painter guy’s gay tendencies came out of nowhere. And went nowhere.

The fish man had a cool glowy outfit, though. I liked that he could heal people and of course, I liked the thought of him eating cats (James didn’t like that, though). Lol.

Even the subplot of the Russian interference seemed shallow and not fully developed.

The only characters that were close to being fully developed were Elisa and the black lady friend. And Elisa was pretty believable. I liked that she was utterly fearless, even going as far as to sign “FU...” to Festering Fingers defiantly in his face. That was awesome.

So, on a scale of A - F, I’d grade “The Shape of Water” a B +. Maybe a B-.

Yesterday, I played my video game for a little bit, then made a big lunch, and then watched some YouTube stuff while James took a nap. I’m enthralled with Blue Planet II. I love all David Attenborough’s narration.

And then James woke up, and we watched a short documentary about poisonous snakes. He’d never heard my personal coral snake story from when I was 2 or 3 years old. So I told him.

We lived in Stuart, FL, on a dirt road on the edge of a swamp. It was a nice house though, brand new with a pool. And my dad bought us ducklings. One morning, I was outside playing with my duckling in the grass. I was barefoot, as almost all Florida kids are when they play outside on a warm day.

Here's a couple of pictures of pictures of the old place:

Here I am, topless and unashamed, and doing something I probably thought was cool, but came off as awkward. Lol.

As I was petting the duckling, I felt something. It was like a coarse whisper against my big toe. I ignored it for a few seconds, then put the duck down to look. A coral snake was gnawing on my toe. What’s funny is that I remember the next scene like it was yesterday.

I kicked my foot upward, and the snake went flying, twisting it’s red, yellow, and black banded body as it soared into the air.

My dad had seen my kick and the snake. He rushed over and he thought the snake had possibly broken the skin. There was a slight scratch, so my dad didn’t want to take any chances. We sat in the ER all day until the doctor declared the bite was “dry.”

So, that’s my close-call snake story.

Don't you hate it when your alarm goes off in the middle of a dream? I wasn't having a particularly good dream, but it was interesting. I don't remember what it was about, but I know there were bears.

And oh yeah, the other night I had a dream about a horse pulling a moving truck we were using up this tall hill in a beautiful countryside. I don't know why we couldn't drive the truck, but we couldn't. Madison was doing a great job, though, as she was virtually tireless. And the best thing was that all Madison needed to maintain her remarkable strength and endurance was cherry Fruit Roll-Ups.

Anyway, it’s time to get ready for work. Happy Monday!

Week Four--Ready

I can't believe this is already my fourth week at the new job. I love it. This work will be a little light, because I guess a few doctors are going to a conference. Right now I have no patients Thursday and Friday. I may go to the other office on those days to get some hours in. Joe has a big Math Club competition Thursday and Friday. He had one this weekend that was hosted at his school, and their school didn't win, but Joe did get the highest score in his school.

Callie spent the weekend in Oregon at the Shakespeare Festival. She sent me some pics:

Here she is texting me:

The rest of the weekend was spent watching old movies and doing other fun stuff. James almost has the front pond done...it's looking really good! 

I'll post a pic of it tomorrow. 

Anyway, have a great Monday!