Old people should not be given certain stuff....

Ok, this post will not mean a dang thing to a bunch of y'all. However, let me hear my nurses rep!

There are certain medications that older folks should not be given. Ever. At all. Period. The top two on that list... a sleeper that starts with "A" and a nausea med that starts with "Ph." (Shoot, you dang right I'm bein' cautious.... I don't want those pharmaceutical companies coming after me coz I named their brand...).

Anyway.... here's how it goes. You get a perfectly sensible and sane senior citizen on your medical floor. The doctor prescribes something to help them sleep. The sane and sensible senior swallows the pill with nary a thought. They drop off to sleep. 90 minutes later, sane and sensible has gone out the window! Mr. Senior is now crazy as the proverbial outhouse rat, wide awake and ready to make sure you lose what's left of YOUR mind trying to make sure that he doesn't break a hip climbing over a bedrail....

Not only that, but Mr. Sane Senior (now known as the confused man in 277) has become convinced that he is being held against his will somewhere, though he's not sure where, for some reason, though he's not sure why. One thing he is absolutely certain of is this: YOU ARE THE CULPRIT!! YOU are the enemy... and Lawd help you if he was ever anywhere near Korea in the 50's or VietNam in the 60's, because then, you MUST be a.) the commandant of a POW camp or 2.) a member of the interrogation squad come to torture him.

As an added bonus, Mr. Senior has seemingly lost the ability to keep his clothes anywhere near his body, much less ON his body. IV's will be pulled out. There will be multiple changes of bed linen, and the rest of your patients will be "back burnered" as you attempt to keep Mr. Senior from running his wrinkled hiney up and down the hall boo-booty-ass-nekkid.

Somehow, the nightshift will survive... though how is equal parts miracle and mystery. Come 0700, they will be meeting the dayshift at the daggone door, lookin' like they just went 12 rounds with Muhammed Ali in his prime. Hair every which way, clothes rumpled, dark circles under the eyes, faces pasty and pale. "YOUR TURN!" they cry, as they bolt for their cars.

And do you think it stops? Only NO!! The madness continues unabated. Only now, physical therapy is trying to get in for treatment, the family has arrived and there are food trays to be thrown and played in!! Mrs. Sane Senior shakes her snowy head, and with a perplexed look on her face protests, "I don't understand? This is just so unlike him!!"

Yea, sweetie, I know. That's because it's not him.... it's that nasty little blue pill we gave him at 2100 last night.

And that, my random friends is why old folks and sleeping pills don't mix!

*this is in no way to be interpreted as a single patient event, but a composite of nursing experience*

(o_O I had to side-eye myself for that last statement)

Finding lost things...

I love a good pun!!!

Misleading title. I didn't so much find a lost thing as much as a lost someone... I have a friend who's been MIA for about 3 or 4 years. The last time I saw her was during a really difficult time in my life. There was no falling out, no bad blood or anything like that. She and her hubby moved to Texas. Then there was a string of phone number changes, new jobs, new homes and deleted e-mail accounts that caused her to be MIA. I guess it was mutual MIA-ness.

Anyway, the power of Facebook strikes again... she found me! So I guess it's a totally misleading title. Sue me.

Tari was there through my pregnancy, my son's Christening, and my mom's final illness and funeral. She's a good egg, that Tari. Getting back in touch with her has been good for my soul! It has also spurred me to be really grateful for the new friends I have in my life now, and caused me to do some Jack Handey type deep thinking. (Yes, that is smoke you smell... )

Some random thoughts on friendships:

1. Some of the ppl I feel closest to lately are ppl I have never met in person, but I would still tag them with the "friend" stamp of approval. You know who you are!!

2. I'm a "click" kinda girl. When I get to know someone, I trust my gut... we either click or we don't.

3. Frequent contact is not necessarily a prerequisite for a friendship.

4. Shared interests are an awesome basis for friendships.

5. It is better to have a few close friends than a ton of random ppl sucking up your oxygen any day of the week.

6. Despite time and distance, a real friend is someone with whom you can just pick up where you left off the next time you're together.

Ok... that's it for my amateur philosophy. Leave a comment (I dare ya!) and let me know some of your random thoughts on friends and friendship.

This is the stuff that floats my boat.....

this pic is sooooo not me....

Ok, in essence, I'm a really simple person. (Not a simpleton... don't make me come getchu!)

Today was a me day. I totally love me days! And I learned something about myself....

It doesn't take a whole lot to make me sublimely happy! Here is what floats my boat and why.

1. Going to the dentist for my 6 month check up.

I walk in, sit in the chair, and the nice lady makes my teeth all sparkly clean! My mouth feels wonderful to me! I didn't hardly wanna eat and mess up my nice pristine choppers. But I'm a fatgirl, y'all.... so I got over that. And yes, I am profoundly grateful for my good dental insurance.

2. Mani/Pedi

It's sandal weather. Can't be going around like Crusty McKnarlyfeets. And if you do the toenails, well, you gotta do the hands. Even did the wax dip on the hands.... ahhhhhh.... paradise.

3. Facial

The at home, mixed in the kitchen, organic variety... now my pores are clear as a bell!

4. Touching up the roots

I'm going grey.... sue me. In my defense, my dad's ppl all grey really young. I've been covering this mess for going on 25 years and I'm only 41....

And I did all this for my own satisfaction (well, except the dental thing, I did that for basic dental health, it was time, and my own satisfaction).

So, bottom line, grooming floats my boat! Being clean and neat and smelling good! I find daily bliss in taking a shower (usually twice a day, actually). And don't we all know a few ppl who could do with a dose of grooming and personal hygiene? I don't get that... you know, why some ppl act like they're all allergic to soap, water and a nice fluffy towel. But that's a post for another day.

For now being well groomed myself is enough! Let me bask in the glory of squeeky cleanliness!

This Dude is an Awesome Emcee!!

If you click on the title of this post, you will find yourself on the blog of a very funny, very talented, very intelligent Hip Hop artist who goes by the name of Vandalyzm. He is on the verge of very big things. His music is in constant rotation on all my music players. I also follow him on Twitter (again, ppl of the Cornfield... Google that ish and join us in 2009). He is alternately very funny, very insightful, very irreverent and ALWAYS honest with his stuff... sometimes too much so... just jokes, Van!

Anyway, for what my opinion is worth, I love his music. It's upfront. It's bangin'. He goes from humor to deep thoughts to reality with the ease of a trapeze artist flying through the air. And he does so with similar grace. Now, if you're into Lil' Wayne and Drake and Soulja Boy and nem, Van may be too deep for you. But if real, good, that's-that-shyt Hip Hop is what makes your world go round, Vandalyzm is the dude for you! You can get a good ol' earful of Megatron Majorz and more of his music on his MySpace page. And if you're on Twitter, follow him @Vandalyzm. If you're not on Twitter, get on Twitter and follow him... heck follow me too @amymay117... but I'm not near that funny.

By the way... Did I mention he's from St. Louis?? To us in the Cornfield, that's the closest CITY, so we claim it by default... so he's even kinda, sorta, in a roundabout way a hometown dude.

I embedded a couple videos. Check him out!

Awesome! Luvvie's back....

One of my favorite bloggers has been off galavanting and partying and having a good ol' time out in the sun while I and the rest of her readers have been Ig-starved for ages!!

Not that Luvvie can't have a life... but I've been getting a little twitchy, tweaky and whatnot.

Just a little welcome home for you Ms. Ma'am... now bring on the Ig!! I need a fix!!

Note: If you haven't already, please check out the following SuperWomen in my BlogRoll...

Awesomely Luvvie

House of Ig

The Red Pump Project

Black Woman Lost & Found

The Evolution of the Cubicle Crusaders: The Latte Mug

See, What Had Happened Was....

Hey, You Asked!

Fifty-two (52) Flavors

Random morning stuff...

So, here's a random thought....

I stayed up late last night. No good reason, just did. Mostly just messing around online. Then, this morning, at about 8 am, my phone rings. Wakes me up. It was the Ranch, needing to fill a hole in the schedule (like that's anything new). As I am on vaca, however, I had no intention of answering. But I felt the call of nature, so I got up and stumbled into the loo. Then, having every intention of going back to sleep, I laid back down. Lo and Behold... can't get back to sleep.

Leading me to these random musings....

If the phone hadn't rung, how long would it have been before my bladder forced me out of bed?

Why is it on days when you are free to sleep in, some jackass (sorry Jason) will inevitably call you?

How is it that the man who makes the schedule can forget who is on vaca?

Why will my brain not let me go back to sleep when it knows darn good n well that we got all day to chill?

Well, I'm up now. Might as well take the kiddo to the pool.

What's goin on people?

Casa AmyMay

Hey, everybody! It's been a little while since I posted, and other than work, I really don't have a good excuse. So sue me.

However, as I Tweet on Twitter, Fraternize on Facebook and Bombard on Blip, I find myself with "Blog Guilt." I feel I have neglected my poor little sliver of the internet world. I'm a bad mama. Still, Blog Guilt and all, I'm struggling with finding a topic. So, work with me, people. I'm not promising genius here, just a post.

Okay, my chosen topic....

The bathroom... or why I haven't finished a single project in this house for four years.

First, some back story...

My mom was really, really sick for the last years of her life. When she was at the point of needing a lung transplant, I was pregnant with my son, and about to be a single mom. At that time, my parents and I decided it would be mutually beneficial for me to move in with them. I was able to be there to care for Mom during her final illness, and she was able to have the peace of mind knowing I wasn't raising her grandson in Mt. Vernon. Well, my son was just over a year old when Mom died.

That's when I inherited my father.

Don't get me wrong, I love my dad, but he makes me nuts! My mother was a much better woman than I will ever be. She put up with a lot, and I'm sure prevented many a disaster in her day by simply putting her foot down!

So what has this got to do with the bathroom, you ask?

Well, once I inherited Dad, I couldn't very well leave him all alone and pitiful. So when I decided to start saving for a house, it was with the understanding that Dad was coming too. And Dad has poor impulse control, so when one of the women at our church was talking about putting her house up for sale, I found myself signing papers before I really knew what hit me. I love my house. It's a nice house in a nice neighborhood in a nice town in a nice cornfield. But it's an older house, and as such, needs work from time to time. Like now, it needs either painted or siding... one or the other.

However.... I can't even let myself entertain the thought because of THE BATHROOM!!

The bathroom on the main floor is just the latest in the long line of stuff that has gotten started and never quite finished. Like the living room... new insulation, drywall and paint, but no baseboards, window/door trim or light fixture. Or the basement family room.... half tiled, half bare concrete. Or the pile of bricks by the driveway which have yet to turn into a walk way....

Poor impulse control. To use a golf analogy, Dad's great off the tee, but his short game sux.

That said, I shouldn't have fallen for the next proposition:

"Amy, if you peel that ugly ass wall paper in the bathroom, I'll sand the walls smooth enough to prime and paint."

But I did. And today, after 6 months of waiting, I realize....

If you want it done (regardless of right or wrong) do it yourself.

For the Fellas

Wow, wow, wow!! I'm sooo amped!

Karyn and Luvvie (the masterminds behind The Red Pump Project) have announced the launch of The Red Tie Project.

The Red Pump is targeted at women and girls, The Red Tie is its male focused counterpart. Both Projects work with existing organizations, and independently as well, to promote awareness, education, testing and services to the community at large, as well as to individuals living with HIV.

Please check them out!

Get informed, Get tested, Get involved!