I suddenly feel exposed much like the gowns that we use on our patients that cause their back ends to be flapping about the unit as the meander down the hallway. There was some recent buzz among the political arena that the new administration wanted to begin tracking nefarious websites that were contra to anything the new administration has had to offer. I certainly have my issues with Barry. I think I have more issues with the government and their intrusion into our private lives.  

It has long been a premise of blogs and internet postings that you could with some relative ease, maintain your anonymity with your online pseudo-personality or identity. I have also long known that the extremely long reach of government could find on me anything they wanted because they have been an intrusion into the lives of well meaning law abiding citizens for some time now. The subversive guise through the idea that it is a tax issue is a wee bit bothersome. Big Brother is and has been in the house.

I would have to say that yes, my political standings are no where near in-line with the current administration or any of the goofballs in D.C. that have been in office for say…oh the past 20 years. I am no conspiracy theorist by any means and I know the internet has greatly expanded the fear mongering of those that think our government is out to get us. I am beginning to believe them. And why would they have any interest in someone like me? Someone that has next to nil readers of his little opinionated, non-revenue generating blog?  But how creepy is it to receive the following email from your internet or web host provider indicating the following:

Murse C,

In order to be in full compliance with U.S. tax laws we now require a signed W-9 tax form from all affiliates.  Please make sure you SIGN AND DATE the form before sending it back to us.  Forms can be returned via email to forms@internethost.com or faxed to 800-328-7448. If you prefer to send via post, please remit to:

InternetHost.Com Inc.
ATTN: Forms Dept.
12324 S Jacass St.
Hometown, ST 90876
USA

Regards,

InternetHost.Com
(800) 218-6666 (fax)
forms@internethost.com

Tags: politics, ramblings, random thoughts by qec
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Well first, I’ve been hijacked. By a silly game. Yes, my incredible capacity to make good grades and graduate on the dean’s list won the argument with my wife to allow us to purchase a gaming system. Not that it matters which one, but Guitar Hero is an amazingly addictive game. And a few others could be included but if I allowed myself, I could spend inordinate amounts of time mindlessly playing games. Thankfully I have matured some and now know when to turn the thing off (hence my blog going to the wayside). My wife all too often reminds me the bachelor days of spending days on end trying to conquer the likes of Halo with the old roomie are over. She however will not confess to the fact that one snow-filled day that shut down Austin a couple of years ago, she kicked me off the Playstation and proceeded to sit in front of the boob tube for 6 hours in a land of fun filled fantasy fights and conquests.

Second, I am working nights and having a hard time adjusting to screwy schedules. Enough said.

Third, back to the main reason I haven’t written lately. I guess I can call myself an author. It’s incredibly difficult to write original material. I have always thought myself to be a creative person and for the most part, all of us have some sort of hidden talent that if we do not try to tap into the potential then something could be amiss. I hit a wall when I realized that I had originally though I was only going to write about nursing and all the things that male nurses seem to struggle with in the industry, etc. No biggie. We struggle with the same things that female nurses tend to, but we’re just much less expressive about those things. Silly bosses, goofy management and administration are relatively the same at most hospitals. Guys tend to roll with it much better and not get into cat fights about all the hubbub. So the stories from nursing blog to nursing blog tend to run together. We can all gripe about the same thing but where would that get us? Blogs do allow for venting and I will still use this as outlet from time to time but I want my blog to be creative and thoughtful. And I certainly DO NOT want this to turn into something like a Twitter update or a status post on Facebook where (some) people live out their boring existence from day to day hoping that someone cares about what they are doing every…5…minutes… of the day. So stay tuned to those 3 of you my audience as I try to get the creative juices flowing again. In the meantime, I need to unlock another level so I can be my wife’s Guitar Hero. Rock on!

Tags: motivation, nursing, random thoughts by qec
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On my honor, I will do my best - to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the law; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

Well, I have plenty to write about, however, I have had little time to express the things that running through the vast amount of grey matter I have added over the course of nursing school considering I have been on orientation and studying for the dreaded NCLEX.

During the absolutely mind blowing (ahem) orientation where it seems the nurse educators are trying to cover the entirety of nursing school in 5 days, I realize that nurses should do more for themselves when it comes to preparedness. We are the Boy (or Girl) Scouts of the medical field along with our First Responders. It’s required that we show up with our pencil, pen, eraser, calculator, stethoscope, scissors and especially our brain. I want to thank the Civil Air Patrol for providing the following suggestions for creating your own emergency pack. However, if you don’t want to spend a bazillion dollars, here’s one that an incredible nursing instructor from the beloved state of Arkansas suggested:

Suggestions?

Tags: nursing, random thoughts by qec
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My mind is all over the place. I have a hard time concentrating on a given task for any amount of time. I recently listened to a broadcast where a preacher admitted to his bout with depression and that a person can only tolerate hyper-stimulation (my school program) for so long before they even realize that something is terribly wrong. I can relate. I’ve been there before. I had a bout for about 6 months several years ago. I was lucky in the sense that I was still able to function but just could not place my finger on this lingering feeling of utter emptiness and activities that normally brought me joy were now tedious. I had an immense social schedule and a relationship had just gone sour but I tried to fabricate that everything was going hunky dory by filling my schedule to the brim. I at times feel like I am at that same edge again as I am on my 2-week summer break and have a hell of a time trying to relax. I blame our program going a million miles a minute and then you just… stop. But there are other underlying factors that I can’t hold to the system. It runs in the family. Even winning major recognition from your professors doesn’t seem to appease the feeling yet I know I have chosen the right profession. I am dreading the start-up of school next week to finish the last 2½ months and I haven’t been sleeping and I cannot relax for the life of me when I need it most. I sleep a couple of hours a night and I am exhausted. I never thought it would happen to me just like I used to make fun of people with back pain until I began to experience it myself due to sports injuries from rugby. This disease sucks.

Tags: random thoughts by qec
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Just when you think society has gone to the piss-pot, it’s heartening to know that there are just some plain common decent folk out there. It’s a minor thing. It’s not really a big thing at all. The principle behind it is. I recently took my truck to the shop and when I left, never realized that my insurance card had been AWOL. Lo and behold, when I arrived at home and checked the mail a couple of days later, there was a envelope with our insurance card and a kind note included from a stranger indicating it had been left in their vehicle instead of mine.

THE DEFINITION OF A GENTLEMAN

The forbearing use of power does not only form a touchstone, but the manner in which an individual enjoys certain advantages over others is a test of a true gentleman.

The power which the strong have over the weak, the employer over the employed, the educated over the unlettered, the experienced over the confiding, even the clever over the silly–the forbearing or inoffensive use of all this power or authority, or a total abstinence from it when the case admits it, will show the gentleman in a plain light

The gentleman does not needlessly and unnecessarily remind an offender of a wrong he may have committed against him. He cannot only forgive, he can forget; and he strives for that nobleness of self and mildness of character which impart sufficient strength to let the past be but the past. A true man of honor feels humbled himself when he cannot help humbling others.

-Robert Edward Lee

Having come across this on the eve of the conclusion to our mental health rotations, which included serving in soup line, navigating the city streets via public transportation and feeding those afflicted with Alzheimer’s, I can only hope to incorporate that motto in my practice. We who have opted for these difficult paths would not have chosen them if we didn’t live this in our daily lives. I understand the difficulties we face in the medical field and I do not have all the answers, but the one thing I do have control over is my attitude and how I respond to people and situations.

Tags: nursing school, ramblings, random thoughts by qec
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I had considered filling my blog entirely of nursing stories from the viewpoint of a student who has spent a majority of his clinical hours in a very intense ICU. I am not saying any one ICU is better than another, I am just saying that from my current viewpoint considering the length of stay of a majority of our patients and the absolute physical labor required to work with them. Now life is too interesting just to post solely about nursing. Those of us who have spent any amount of time working in an E.R. are well aware of the surprises… yeah… surprises, life can throw at you. Since I am on psych rotations this week, and I am a football fan, I came across an article describing how The Dallas Cowboys take care of their own?! With some of the shenanigans we see in any of the professional sports, why am I surprised to see that Jerry Jones thinks he can run his own rehab unit?! Why the attraction to the wayward children in the NFL? The acquisition of Terrel Owens, then troubled Tank Johnson from Chicago, then the gerontological acquisition of Zach Thomas. And now rumors of picking up Adam “Pacman” Jones from Tennessee?! I guess I should be very well aware that all entertainers, Jerry Jones included, live by the adage that any press that will bring them attention is well worth the effort. Now what’s that disease called? Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

Tags: ramblings, random thoughts, sports by qec
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The rambling thoughts of a student sitting through a psychiatric staff meeting.

Why psychiatric nursing? Why psychiatric anything? Why would anyone subject themselves to the constant lunacy? I know the reasons most of us get into healthcare so we can ‘fix’ something broken. What gets you out of bed in the morning when you have slid from optimism to pessimism? When psychiatrists poo-poo the repetitious behavior of their own patients, how do they stay motivated? What is their reasoning for continuing to treat those not wanting to be treated, yet those same patients go through the motions to try and prove to society they are trying to heal themselves? Do we do so out of self-preservation? Do we do so because we want them to fit the mold that society deems as normal? (Heaven forbid!) Out of selfish pride are we thinking that we do not want to run into them on the street? Why the risk investing in their care if we saw them publicly knowing we would turn the other way? I sit here pondering, knowing that us “healthy people” are one step away from any of the myriad of conditions that we readily treat. We have our own dysfunctions, addictions and behaviors that could just as easily push us over the edge. I know one thing for certain. We are not promised tomorrow.

Tags: ramblings, random thoughts by qec
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