Random Tuesday Thoughts

Thanks to Otin for reminding me about Random Tuesdays cuz it's kinda fun to see someone's stream of consciousness. Mine might be scary but here we go anyway. I love blueberries because they kinda pop in your mouth. Some are sweet and some are tart and you never know what you are going to taste. Did you know that if you put a paper clip in a cup of water it will turn so that it points due north. Try it, we just did and it worked. Crazy magnetic fields. I hate it when someone moves my cheese and crackers. Damn phones I wish I could unplug them. Except for my iPhone, I love that. Funniest pharmacy question so far today: What's a douche (pronounced doo-chee)? I say so far because it's only noon and I'm sure I'll get some other good ones. Is it time for another skinny caramel latte yet because my first one has been gone for about 3 hours and I would definitely like another. Why do grown men like to bother other grown men when they are pooping? Seriously. Well never mind, you've seen pictures of the grown men I work with and they are more like over sized boys. Well, very funny oversized boys. Even the man in the moon disappears in the stratosphere. Maximum loading dose for clindamycin is 150-450 mg/dose every 6-8 hours. Love it when doctors call me. Hope I don't screw it up. If I could read minds I'd know your insurance card information, but I'm still working on that little trick. Don't you hate it when people have their paper towels right over the potty so when you sit down you sit in leftover water droplets, then you have to hope its not pee. Yes I know I could wipe the seat but how come you can't grab the paper towels before you wash that way you're not spraying water all over the bathroom. Besides, it's not like it's a public restroom it's just our little pharmacy family. And it gets cleaned. It's just the dang water. Oh My God how freaking hard is it to get an oil change?? Just take your car there, park, get out and walk in, and tell the boy behind the counter you need an oil change! It's not rocket science! Mmmm I love Fuze. Not as good as Sbux but it'll do. It's pronounced ass-eye-ee by the way. Go ahead, give it a whirl, you only live once. Speaking of, my 20 year class reunion is this weekend. Yikes. I haven't lost that extra wine weight. Hate that. I'm ok, you're ok, we're all ok. Shit. Hopefully they'll remember all the smart, witty comments I've made and not all the goofy mistakes. Shit shit shit. It's all good. I would really love a glass of wine. Nope, still at work so not gonna happen for a while. Then piano lessons (did I mention my piano yet?) and then another Habitat meeting. Sheesh I am so meeting'd out. I wish my toes were prettier. Crap I'm not even going to have time to get my eyebrows waxed before the reunion. Shit again. I'm very lucky to have a job I love, I just wish I had time to get fixed up a little this week. Wine yet? No. Arrgghh. Well I guess thats about it. I'll go count some drugs now...

Pharmacy Friday Follow-up

I received this email today and thought it was very timely considering last fridays edition of Pharmacy Friday. Let me know what you think...
**I didn't write this, not sure who did**


The American Medical Association has weighed in on the
new health care plan being developed by the current Congress.


The Allergists voted to scratch it, but the Dermatologists
advised not to make any rash moves.

The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gu t feeling about it,
but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot
of nerve.

The Obstetricians felt they were all laboring under a
misconception.

Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.
Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!" while the
Pediatricians said, "Oh, grow up!"

The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness,
while the Radiologists could see right through it.


Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole
thing. The Internists thought it was a bitter pill to
swallow, and the Plastic Surgeons said, "This puts a
whole new face on the matter."


The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the
Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea.
The Anesthesiologists thought the idea was a gas, and
the Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.

In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire
decision up to the assholes in Washington.

Pharmacy Friday

I can't believe it's already friday again and time for another edition of Pharmacy Friday. Unfortunately I haven't gotten too many questions this week so I thought I'd pose one of my own.

I'd like to know how you feel about the Healthcare Reform Bill. What do you think needs to be included? What should be left out? Who should be responsible for shouldering the enormous cost? Do you think a single payer system would be better? From talking to people it appears that no one really has all the facts, myself included.

If you have experience of other countries healthcare systems, how do they compare with the US? what are the pros and cons? How do the healthcare professionals feel about the system?

Also, for those of you who don't follow me on Twitter (and why is that??), here is the highlight of my day. These guys always make me laugh. Today I laughed so hard my abs were hurting and I almost peed (I know, TMI, but it sure was funny). Luckily we were slow so I had time to compose myself.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts...

The Rush That Wasn't

I grew up in the South, and as anyone from that area knows, being in a sorority in college is the thing to do. I think some of the schools are 80-90% greek or something like that. When I was a senior in high school, my boyfriend was at Ole Miss and in a fraternity. I'd go down to visit and stay with some of his friends that were in sororities, so I was fairly certain I'd have no trouble getting in. Afterall, it's who you know, right?

A few weeks before I was supposed to leave for Ole Miss I got a wild hair and decided to go to college 2000 miles away. I packed my bags and left within a couple of weeks. The foremost thing on my mind was making it in time for Rush Week. I didn't know any of the sorority girls, but I'm basically pretty friendly and outgoing and have never had trouble making friends so I wasn't worried.

During Rush I went out with several of girls from different sororities and a good time was had by all. I picked my two favorites, then saturday morning I jumped up to go to the University to get my bid. I was so excited, I thought for sure I'd get a bid from my number one pick, but I'd resigned myself to be happy if the bid came from my second choice.

They called my name, and I went into the office to get my bid. Only there wasn't one. They called me in to tell me I didn't get a bid. Not one of the sororities wanted me. I was crushed heartbroken devastated. The girls I met tried to soften the blow by telling me it was because I didn't go to high school there, I didn't know any of the older members, etc. It didn't matter though, I thought my life was over.

Luckily I soon realized my life wasn't over. I dragged myself out of bed went to school and realized that although there were plenty of greeks on campus, it wasn't the norm as it is in the South. I even stayed friends with some of the girls I went thru rush with.

However, I've never forgotten how it feels to be shunned by a group of people with whom you want to belong. I still dread having to be voted on for anything. I had to apply to be on the Board for our local Habitat for Humanity, and these old thoughts of rejection were awakened once more.

What I've learned from this is that sometimes rejection is inevitable. Not only am I on the Board of HforH, I'm also the Family Selection Chair. This is a gut-wrenching job and as much as I love it, I also dread it. It is my groups responsibility to decide who is qualified to get the Habitat house. It's like trying to decide who lives or dies. Luckily there are straighforward guidelines we use to deselect families, but it's still hard. We work side by side with the families applying for the Habitiat house, and get to know them very well, inside and out, acheivements and skeletons in the closet. Some families are easier than others to omit from the running. We occassionally encounter people who abuse the system and are only looking for a hand out. I explain that a Habitat house is not a free house. There is still a mortgage, taxes, insurance, etc. There is also the general upkeep of the house that many of our applicants have never had to deal with.  Habitat is about giving needy people a helping hand. We are about providing decent housing to people from all walks of life that otherwise would not be able to do it on their own.

The house that we are building this summer had 19 applicants. Only one family can be selected, so 18 families were faced with rejection. What will become of them? Honestly I'm not sure. I'm thinking of the young mother with 3 kids living in a beat-up trailor in a drug-infested neighborhood. Or what about the familiy of 4 with a son that has a heart condition and the father stays home to take care of him and can't make ends meet. There was also the grandmother that took in her neices and nephews when their mother died so that 8 people are living in a 2 bedroom house.

I could go on an on, but it's depressing me. Rejection is all around us, and to most of us it's nothing new. You pick yourself up, shake yourself off, and resolve to do better next time. I guess if getting rejected by a sorority is the worse thing that happens to me, my life isn't so bad after all.

Secret: Twisted Sister

It was brought to my attention (ahem, TFM) that sometimes the names of my posts can be confusing. Some people thought that I Am Good In Bed meant something other than I tend to fall asleep quickly, and Otin had a great time with I Am A Screamer. I'm not sure what she thought Banging and Me meant. But she did tell me that my last secret, Alice in Chains, meant I was a heavy metal fan. Well TFM, This one is for you.

Secret: Alice in Chains

As you have probably heard by now, I love my job. Really, I love being a pharmacist. I went back to school after being a lifetime student (so basically I was totally over-educated and not qualified to do anything). After pharmacy school I worked full time for a grocery store chain for a few years. It was a great company and I really enjoyed the people, it was the hours that killed it for me. During the week I wouldn't get home until 10pm most nights, plus I had to work every other weekend. One saturday I had to go to work early and my husband was out of town. My daughter (#5) was 11 or 12 at the time and was taking an art class at the local university. I drove her over there and walked her to the art building. I had a couple minutes so I went in with her and showed her to her classroom. There was no one there. So, we walked around the building for a little while looking for her teacher, and again, there was no one there. There was no one in the building. No one. Not a student, a teacher, or even a janitor. At this point I had 20 minutes to get to work (a 30 min drive) and I was frantic. Daughter was very brave about everything and told me she'd be fine and to leave for work so I did. And I cried the whole way. I couldn't believe that I was leaving my 12 year old daughter in an empty building at the university. I put in my notice the following monday.

Now I do relief work according to my own schedule. I decide when, where, and how long I want to work. Mainly it is for my friends who have pharmacies, thru word of mouth for their friends, and there is also a temp agency in the area that calls me. It's really the best of both worlds and I couldn't be happier with the way things have turned out.

However -- there's always a 'however' -- lately it's been just about killing me. Ok, that's a little harsh, BUT, I've been covering a maternity leave and it is 43 hours a week and I am sooo freaking tired. Serious poopedness going on here. I like to work about 20 to 30 hours, so the extra hours are really taking their toll. I know, I know, many of you full time workers are thinking 'what a wuss' and I'd say you are so right. I am a total wuss and I know it. It's been 7 weeks now, and I am desperate for the next 5 to go quickly. 

My question is this: How do you do it? How do you find time to clean the house, do the laundry, go to the grocery store, make dinner, drive kids around, etc etc? I leave for work in the am and get home close to 11 or 12 hours later. When the hell am I supposed to do everything else? When do you do everything else?

Sometimes it just feels like I am chained to the pharmacy counter...

Banging and Me

I really don't get it. I did it because my husband has been asking me to do it. I mean for probably about a year he's been asking me to have David bang me. I thought it was just a phase. I thought maybe I wouldn't I like it. Maybe he was doing it out of jealousy. So I resisted and resisted, but he persisted and persisted. So, the other day, I asked David to bang me.

And he did.

Now I have bangs. I kinda feel like I'm back in 1985. Madonna anyone?

Comments that I've gotten so far have been:

• Wow! You are rockin those bangs!
• but this may be an insult, I haven't decided yet.
• Wow! You look so young!
• this may be an insult too, because I am young damn it all to hell. See, NO GRAY!
• I would never change my hair just cuz a man asked me to!
• Well, he is my husband, and besides, if I hate it I'll grow them out. It's only hair.
• Oh cute!
• this might also be an insult.

So for now, I'm banging all the way.

Secret 6 - The Cover-Up

Before I say anything I just wanted to say "Whoo Hoo!" cuz I have 50 followers! I know, I know, when you look at Julochka's 885 and Extranjera's 1162 followers, 50 might seem like beans. But not to me. I am totally excited that you all are here and actually somewhat paying attention to what I have to say.
So THANKS and BIG HUGS to all y'all of you. XOXO

Anyway, I don't have much time because I have to run #6 (the only person in the house without a drivers license - a whole other post coming soon about her driving into the garage - literally- but she's only 14 so I'll give her a break) anyway, I have to run #6 on an errand.

So, I just want you all to know that I do not have any gray hair. Nope. Nada. Zilch. Ingen. Ei Mitaan. (Those last 2 were for Jul and Ext, but I couldn't get those little thingies above the a. Umlauts? I think.)

Anyway, the reason why I don't have any gray is that I am not old enough to have any. I am young and sassy and carefree and worrying about gray hair isn't a part of my life. Seriously, would an old person have shoes like this:

So no matter what you may hear or what you may see to the contrary, it is all a big fat lie. I have no gray hair. Remember that.

Ok, that's all I have time for. Hope you all have a fantastic day!

Secret 5 - The Shrine

In case you haven't heard, I enjoy a glass or three  of wine. I don't think I have a favorite kind, it really depends on my moods. Lately I have been in a Chardonnay mood. Some of my favorites are Fat Bastard, Estancia, Robert Mondovi. I enjoy a dry oaky chardonnay with hints of citrus (maybe, really I just drink it). I like Pinot Grigio occasionally, but they tend to be lighter and sweeter and I haven't been on a sweet wine kick in quite a while.

However, as the weather turns chilly my taste turns to bolder flavors. I enjoy a bold Cabernet, one of my favorites being Estancia. I like Merlot, but it has to be a really good one because a basic Merlot tastes like sweat socks. At this point I should mention that I have never sucked on sweat socks, but if I did, I imagine it would taste like a crappy Merlot. Rombauer has a good one though if you like them.
Pinot Noir is a good basic red, usually pretty light. My favorite is Sock Eye.

Husband and I have been married for 6 years. Here is our little collection of corks. I've been saving them thinking that eventually I'll do something creative with them. Alas, I am not very creative, so here they sit. Last year I tried making ornaments out of them, but they are fairly crappy. Certainly not something I'd give to my friends. If you have any thoughts (other than the fact that I drink too much) please share!

In Vino Veritas!

Secret 4 - The Pickle

There are many things you know about me by now, but this is probably the most Important thing to remember...

I ABHOR THE PICKLE.

Seriously. I think William Langland said it best:
There smites nothing so sharp, nor smelleth so sour as a pickle. 


Well it was something like that. The point is, in case you didn't quite get it yet, is I hate pickles. I hate their smell, their look, their taste. One of my biggest pet peeves is to be at a restaurant and have a pickle and its juice splashed all over my plate. It makes the buns soggy, ruins the fries, and pretty much makes me want to smash my fist through the table. Ok, that last part isn't true, but it does tend to make me a little cranky. Especially because I've been on this world long enough to know that many places serve pickles on the side (why? why do they do this??). I also know well enough that it will ruin my meal, so I always tell the server "NO PICKLE ANYWHERE PLEASE" so when I get served and there is pickles it does not a happy Bambi make. 

Oh the horror...

Secret 3 - I Am Good In Bed

And on the couch, in the car, on the floor, and at work. Pretty much I can sleep anywhere you decide to put me. It really drives my husband nuts because whenever we get in the car to go somewhere I promptly fall asleep. And in airplanes, forget it. I'm asleep right after take-off...well let me amend that and say I fall asleep after we get to cruising altitude, because then an accident is less likely to happen (or so I like to believe so don't try to change my mind).

Also, as I've mentioned before, one of my favorite things to to do is nap during thunderstorms. We have woods in the back of our house (something that you'll hear me bitch talk about more in the fall when all the leaves are cluttering up the pool) and I love the way the wind whooshes through the trees. In the mid-west we can get some really wicked thunderstorms, and I love being all snug and cozy while the storm is raging outside. I might change my mind if one falls on the house during one of those storms.


At night it really drives my husband crazy because, even with an Ambien, he tosses and turns for a couple hours before drifitng off to sleep. I can usually be asleep in a half hour or less. Occassionally I might have a somewhat difficult time sleeping, but that usually only happens on vacation (or if I've hit one too many Starbucks during the day). And if I take an Ambien I'm ususally out in about 10 minutes, sleep-talking not-with-standing.

One of the hardest places to sleep is at work. I've found that if I try to rest my weary head on the counter someone always comes along and tries to make me be productive. I hate that. 

 

 

Secret 2 - Mother Nature I Am Not

I love walking thru gorgeous flower gardens. One of my favorite places to go is the Missouri Botanical Gardens. There are different types of gardens to explore like the Japanese Gardens, the Climatron (my personal favorite), even a maze in which to get lost. I also love walking thru my neighbors yards because many of them have waterfalls or rock gardens, or just tons of flowers. They all spend hours making their yards beautiful and something to be proud of. They plant pansies and orchids, they groom their rose bushes, pull the weeds, feed the geraniums. I envy the look of their property.

As much as I love looking at the beautiful landscaping, I hate taking care of my own. I just don't enjoy digging in the dirt, pulling weeds, waging war against aphids and beetles. My mother used to talk about her mothers flowers and how gorgeous they were...but I don't really remember many flowers around our own house. She mainly talked about her moms African violets. Apparently my grandma was a whiz growing them. I figured maybe I'd have the knack too.

I was wrong.

Here is my latest African violet. Not very pretty, but not dead yet. I thought about sharing my wine with  this little violet, but I figured I'd just drink it instead.

The amazing thing is the fact that I can grow weeds like nobody's business:

Crap.

Secret 1 - I am a Screamer

I seem to be in a bit of a funk lately as far as posting goes. I guess I just don't have too much to say because I have been working much more than normal. In playing around on the blogosphere this evening I came across yet another 30 Secrets In 30 Days. The first time I saw this was in Spuds blogs, and I thought for sure I could never measure up. Since then, Julochka and Sara have also started their secrets. So, always wanting to be part of the group, I've decided to give you 30 of my secrets. I hope they don't suck because at the moment I can only think of a few.

Secret 1 - I have quite a temper sometimes and I am a loud screamer.

Usually I am pretty chill. I've always been more type B - you know, laid back, easy going, go with the flow. Changes don't get to me. People, many times even RWP, don't usually bother me. I can just shake my head and thank God I'm not that person.

There are some people though that make me scream. These people are usually related to me. These people are usually my teenagers and they completely make me lose my cool. It can happen at home, in person, on the phone, even texting. I bang my fists. I bang the phone. I throw things. I yell. Loud. They make me nuts. I think that's because they are miniature versions of me...

Switching Teams

Do you remember your first time? I do. It's clearly embedded in my mind. It was 1990 and I was young, scared, and so uncertain of what I wanted. I was in college and I thought I knew everything. I thought I knew what it was all about. All the kids were doing it, some going one way and some going the other. I thought surely it was time for me to do it as well. The problem was, I didn't know which team I wanted to be on. Who was I to go to bat for? Some people said I should go the most acceptable route, others said I should venture onto the path less traveled. One way or the other I knew I'd always remember my first, and I wanted it to be special, to last as long as possible. I also knew that once I chose a team it'd be so hard to switch. Going back and forth was unheard of.

Finally I gathered the courage I needed and went for it.

I bought a PC. It was an HP. It was big and boxy and so ugly. I didn't know how to do anything with it except draw pictures, write papers, and play Police Squad. It was amazing. I'm not sure how long that PC lasted me, but it was only the first of many. I have had HPs, Toshibas, Gateways, Dells. But I was always a PC.

But today a significant part of me has changed. Today, after almost 20 years of being a PC, I am officially a Mac. I have heard there is a learning curve. In fact, I'm already experiencing some difficulties, but I am trying to be patient and accept things as they are. I knew that by switching teams I was going to come across some differences in equipment, but so far it has not been unduly difficult. I still have some questions, but I am slowly learning.

Have any of you switched teams? Do you have any suggestions to offer a newbie like myself?