Sorry, I just Had to!!!

Disclaimer: This is NOT an endorsement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just a sad truth!!!!!!!!!

Click on the Picture for bigger image.

Here's to new Beginnings!!!

Yep, I started my Mon-thru-Friday day job today in PACU (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit... Aka: Recovery Room)... I had to take an extra dose of Melatonin last night just to get to sleep by midnight (my goal is to have the kids in bed by 8:30-9:00 and for me to be in bed by 10-10:30... we'll see how that goes)...
So, it was a new experience for me... Got the kids up by 0630 and off to school(I mean, the bus stop) by 0655, got myself ready while Melinda packed my lunch and made our breakfast smoothie, was in the car and on the road by 0715 and clocked in by 0750, funny thing: it is almost 10 minutes quicker to get to work in the a.m. than it is going to work @ 6 p.m. (who would've guessed?... even with school zones and all)
I like PACU so far, the pace starts off kinda slow, crescendos to a peak somewhere between 12 and 2 p.m., then starts winding down... it's got a rhythm and right in the middle of the crescendo, guess what? You get to go to lunch!!!! a 45 minute, away from your work station lunch!!!! one of the charge nurses or a "floater" nurse takes over your beds while you eat... what a novel idea. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've actually walked away, sat down and had a civilized meal in the middle of my work day (er, uh, night). I've probably spent more 12.5-13 hour shifts without taking a real break than I have actually taken a lunch or a break period!!!
By the way... I figured it out, I have not had a day job (the Monday-thru-Friday kind) since I was 19 years old (I'm 36 this coming Saturday)... yeah, my last Monday-Friday 9-5'er was when I pulled cable for my uncle Mike @ Coastal Computer Connections back before I moved out west! Since then it's been hotel/restaurant hours until nursing school, then it became the 7pm-7am torture that my family and I have had to endure for the last 4.5 years.
So, I "shadowed" someone before lunch, then after lunch I had my own patients with someone "shadowing" me... on the average, the work is easy compared to ICU, it's really just going to be a matter of me getting my routine down, learning the paperwork, and learning doctors and their specific preferences (procedure specifics)... But I'm digging it now and everyone who works in PACU seems to be pretty cool (it's an interesting mix: a few O.R. nurses, a few floor nurses, a few ICU nurses, and a few E.R. nurses... oh yeah, and one CCU nurse) each with his or her strengths to contribute. Excellent teamwork and attitudes.
You want to know a crazy thing? When I clocked out 4:30 p.m., there was still a couple hours of daylight... I got home just after 5:00 p.m. where I was greeted by a sexy young lady whom I've had a crush on for more than 12 years now... then we commenced to get down and dirty for an hour or so!!!!





Yeah, we got down and dirty!!! you heard me right!!!




We put on our riding clothes, went out to the trails in the woods behind our house and rode our bikes and worked on the trails for a while!!!! That's what I call down and dirty!!!! You might not see how this can be so exciting to me, but here's the deal, usually when I get home from work @ 0800, I have just enough energy to get a shower and crash into bed, just to wake up in time to eat a little something, hang out with the family for 20 or 30 minutes (or tend to whatever kind of business that needs attention), then head off to work just to do it all again the next day. So the excitement comes in here: I actually have enough time in the day to do something other than work and sleep!!!!! Look out world, once I'm acclimated to my new environment (I figure 2 weeks or so), I'm gonna be one tough customer!!!!

Hey look, it's only 6:40 pm and I'm gonna go have "Family Home Evening" with my family on an actual Monday evening!!!!! Who would've thought? It's almost like I'm a REAL person... suddenly!!!!

Birthday time!

Today is April's birthday! Happy Birthday April! She's a couple years younger than me and a couple years older than Ginger.... that's all I have to say about that. Oh yeah, she's about 10 years younger than Melinda which brings me to mention that Melinda's birthday is tomorrow... I'll wish her happy B-day then.

Our new(ish) computer recently crashed and we lost every photo and music file that was on it so I'm digging through online storage places to find a pic to post. Here's one of April from the July 4 weekend of '07 when we camped @ Ft. Mountain in Chatsworth, GA. She's giving someone "one of her looks"... wink/wink
picture deleted per Melinda's request. Sorry
When I get a chance, I'll scan or upload a newer/nicer picture...
Anyway, Happy Birthday April, we miss you and hope to see you and your family again soon.

Love,
Scott

(FWIW, I'm very sleep deprived and will likely re post this Birthday wish when I have my wits about me)

Job Update

1 week and counting!
4 more 7p-7a shifts in the ICU before I start my 8a-4p monday-friday job in the PACU (recovery room)!!! after I orientate for a few weeks, I'll be working 10a-6p mon-fri with some night time call and every 8th weekend on call. Hey, I'll take the good with the bad and right now, I'm stoked about it!!!!
That's all for now.
Stanton's got a 1st grade Chorus concert tonight, I'll shoot some pictures and post them when I can.
Later,
Scott

COPE with it!

Hey y'all, I hope everyone's been doing well. I haven't posted lately due to the whole work/sleep thing, but had a moment to zone out on the computer, so I figured I'd share one of my and Melinda's passions. Music. All kinds of music. Live, studio, acoustic, electric, vocal, metal, blue grass, hip hop, folk, blues, rock,... we love it. The only exception would be most of the crap they play on the radio and oh, yeah, recorded opera. I didn't mind playing in the orchestra for an opera (when I was playing bassoon in college), and I would go to an opera, but can't stand to hear it on the radio/tv. And as far as radio... well regardless of whether it's top 40, country, "alternative", or whatever, Most of it boils down to mediocrity. I'm not saying that those musicians are not talented, but I am saying that the stuff they're putting on the radio tends to be fabricated on some sort of "American Idol" like assembly line. BTW, the best part of American Idol is the auditions!!! I would like American idol IF the contestants were only allowed 1 or 2 covers for the whole show, the rest of the shows they had to sing/play their OWN songs which they had written themselves or in collaboration with each other. Then, it might be impressive. Again, I'm not saying that those folks aren't talented or can't sing, I just think it's lame that they get sucked into the whole "sellout" mentality and become another generic "Pop Sensation" for a year or two then gone.

Speaking of sellouts (just kidding!), one of our FAVORITE musicians for going on 7 or so years now is Citizen Cope (aka Clarence Greenwood). You might recognize some of his tunes on recent tv commercial (hence the "sellout" I was alluding to... I really don't think he's sold out, I think the man is just trying to make a living... and probably has a promoter who elbowed his way into some kind of "commercial" contract... that's all). Anyways, we usually go to a big concert or two per year and we saw Citizen Cope in a small-ish venue in Atlanta last year called "Center Stage" and it was greaat... we just missed him last week (bummer), but we'd already been to our big show this year (G. Love & Special Sauce with John Butler Trio opening... JBT took the show by the way)...
Anyways, Cope is an incredible songwriter and is good to listen to anytime, even with the kids (not his debut album though, unless you can get a censored copy). I just thought I'd put a link or two for you folks to check out... he's got a new acoustic album coming out in December... would make a pretty good Christmas gift!
Hope you enjoy it!

Preserve Family! Politics affect you!

Please watch this video and pass it on.

Yeah, I know it's California, but there's a mindset that California sets the pressadent.

Family Weekend Update.

Hey Folks,
Hope everyone had a good weekend. I know ours was good. The kids got out of school early on Thursday, off Friday and today (Monday) for "Fall Break". So, we went to Eclectic (North of Montgomery,AL just east of Wetumpka) for a family reunion. It was @ Melinda's Sister's house and it was the first big reunion on her side since her parents died in '03. It was just for the Saturday, not one of these all weekend events. We got there our usual 2 (ish) hours late, where we were quickly informed that bets had been placed that we would be the last to get there and what time we would get there. (Melinda's cousin, Holly and her son were only a few minutes earlier than us...) Glad we could provide a bit of conversation and entertainment.
It was good to see everyone. They had invited both families (Melinda's Mom's side and her Dad's). Being that they were all originally from Hokes Bluff (a little Mayberry like town east of Gadsden, AL), and many of them still reside within a 10-15 mile radius, they all are well acquainted with each other and for the most part, mix well in social settings. I think the head count was close to 75 people, but with this group, in contrast with my family, little kids were the minority... though they were well represented. I like Mel's family, and have grown quite fond of them over the years and it's times like these when I regret not being closer to them so the boys can know them too. It seems easier to go to my families events because there are so many cousins their age and they're used to seeing each other, but I hope we can make this a frequent gathering too.
Allison (Mel's sister who hosted the gathering) has 2 or 3 stocked ponds (one is probably big enough to call a lake... not sure of the qualifications though)... we've been fishing there before and of course Ethan caught 12 or 13 fish to mine and Stanton's 1... But not this time!!!! I think he was distracted by his cousins who were cruising around the property on a golf cart...
After lunch, many of the men, a wife or two, Ethan, Stanton, one other little boy and a few of the little girls headed to the water with their tackle boxes in tow... we went to the lake where we had not fished before, but where more folks were and put our hooks in the water. After a couple bites, it had come to our attention that people were catching a bunch of fish in the other pond. So, Everyone but Stanton and I went over to where the fish were biting. As soon as they were out of sight, I felt a couple bumps on my jig, then wham!!! I pulled in a 4 (ish) pound large mouth bass... Stanton pulls up next to me, then he pulls in a little bluegill (bream)... as we worked our way down this grassy shallow of the lake, I started pulling in nice 1 to 3 lb. basses with every other cast... now that's how I like to fish... I put a picture of Stanton's only bass... we were using the same kind of lure, but he mostly caught bluegills. After Stanton's big bass, he was anxious to go tell everybody else so he says: "Daddy, would you be lonely if I go to the other pond to fish?" I chuckled and told him that I'd go over there with him...
When we get over there, only a couple people were catching fish, no bass, only bluegill and a crappie or two... so we told them about what we'd been catching and thanks to the invention of cellphone cameras, we were able to back our story.
Anyways, I posted a picture of the biggest fish that I saw Ethan catch... a nice little bluegill... and I have had the pleasure of finally out-fishing my 10 year/old... I bet that if he weren't so concerned about fishing where everyone could see him (yes, a bit of a show-off)... then he probably would have done what he usually does and out fish me and Stanton.
It was a good time though and I look forward to our next visit.
After we left Allison's, we went to Ginger's house in Pine Level (just about 30 minutes NW of Allison's, and hung out with her 5 young'ns while she and Blake went to their Saturday session of Stake Conference. We stayed with them that night, had breakfast Sunday, they went to church and we went to Pelham (about 1 hour north)to go to Sacrament meeting with April and her family... we were going to stay for the rest of church, Stanton got sick and puked en route to the bathroom so we felt that we better head on home (yes, we cleaned up his mess first)... All-in-all it was a good weekend and nice being able to visit with all our family. I'm glad that we live close enough to visit, but far enough away to make most visits special. Thanks, Ginger for letting us crash there.
I gotta go, I hear some kind of commotion in the boy's room.
Later,
Scott