Frustration

So we just got back from my parent's house after having dinner there. My concert was supposed to be broadcast over the radio while we were gone today, so we set up the computer antenna and programmed it for recording. As I was changing into my PJs, Peter started to review the recording, to see how it sounded.

Despite the fact that on the listing on WBFO's website that they would be playing this year's concert, they played last year's performance. I'm pretty ticked off right now. It's the only way I ever get to hear how we sound and my only opportunity to have a recording of my performances. And I liked this year's program. Alot. We did some pieces we've done in the past, only we did a much better job with them this time around, plus some new pieces I really loved. And now I won't have a copy of it.

Plus we always make a copy for the BCAS archives, and we won't even have that. I also know we hire union musicians to accompany us and we have to pay them extra to be allowed to broadcast the concert, so we wasted money we really don't have.

A Bit of Christmas Cheer

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!!

Here's a quick Christmas clip for you.

I need to say that I have the greatest husband in the world. He got me The Christmas Toy on video (it's never been released on DVD except as an extra) and he had to buy it used off amazon. Definitely my favorite present this year (but the sabres jersey is a close second Pat).

Night OB call round-up

So I've been on nights all this week and I still have one day to go. Here's the highlights of the last 4 shifts.

Total Patients: 14
Average age: 23
Age range: 17-40

Low Points:

Monday night - I was paged every hour, on the hour, usually just as I was drifting off to sleep in the call room
- I finally got to sleep at about 4:30am (and got up for sign-out at 6:30)

Tuesday night - even worse than Monday
- I was in the OB wing from 7pm until 4am
- not a single epidural that was placed before I arrived was working well
- my first case was a c-section on a 171kg 40 year old
- 1:30 am stat section just as they were about to do a 3rd degree repair
- the OB team deciding to start the 3rd degree repair while we're still in back with the section and then deciding they needed anesthesia for the repair (leaving the poor woman in stirrups at least 15 minutes waiting for me to finish with my other case)

Wednesday night - all of my patients were 19 years old and some were on their second baby
- another 7pm urgent section
- I was told the room was "all set" and then found I practically needed to re-stock it
- during the day 1 c-section had been done - and no other work by the OB person (no post-ops, no new drug tray, no restock of the cart) so I had tons of catch-up to do

Thursday night - we have friday am conference at 6:15 (and I was presenting), so I told the entire OB staff that I
would be unavailable for epidurals and such; so of course at 6:10 they asked me to do an epidural
- yet another 7pm urgent section
- I got to do a blood draw/iv start on a 15 year old with major attitude

High Points:

Monday night - I got to do a combined spinal epidural
- no c-sections

Tuesday night - the attending bought me food (of course I was too busy to eat it)
- I got the spinal on the first stick, no re-positioning of the introducer, all I needed was a longer needle
- all of my patients delivered before I left, so I had nothing to sign out
- the OB attending on that night said she liked working with me

Wednesday night - I managed to get an epidural on a pt stuck at 9cm for 2 hrs (she delivered 2 hrs later)
- I put in one epidural in 15 min start to finish (a new record and I wasn't trying to rush)

Thursday night - I put in an epidural at 9pm, she went for a section at 11
- no pages after the section until the 6:10 am epidural request (aka SLEEP)

Last night I heard one of the funniest things ever said by an attending. There was a discussion about the 15 year old. She had told the nurse she was too dehydrated to pee for a urine sample and told the resident she was peeing all the time. The OB attending commented that the patient had a diagnosis of LLPOF. And what is LLPOF?

Liar liar pants on fire.

I know I'm going to use that one someday.

What the Fsck is Wrong with Denver?

Denver.

Colorado.

Rocky Freakin' Mountains.

Snow.

They should be used to snow by now. I just heard a news reporter refer to the Denver Airport as "the one that was never supposed to close because of snow." The news outlets have been all over the city having been shut down for days, the airport still not up and running, chaos, dogs and cats living together, etc.

First, it annoys me that there is wall to wall coverage there, and for the earlier damage in the Northwest, but there was barely a mention when our area, the second most populous in New York, was slammed and shut down due to every tree in the area being virtually obliterated!

What tears it, however, was the snowfall. ES1's reaction was "What the &*@#?"

We thought it was a real blizzard.

Total snowfall:
"up to 25 inches fell in the Denver metropolitan area."

2 feet.

2. Freackin'. Feet.

A few years ago, at Christmas, Buffalo was sacked with 8 feet over the course of a few days. Our airport was reopened after a day or so. Even during the October storm, with every road in the region cluttered with downed trees and power lines, people were back out driving in a few days (against driving bans in many spots).

All Denver got was a little snow. How can they be so inept as to still be having difficulty? Aren't they used to snow? Do they just have incompetents running snow removal? Was the blowing/drifting just that bad? I'm watching the snowplows just now doing something with the runways. 5000 people stranded in the airport.

What the fsck is taking them so long? If this had hit Buffalo, barely anyone would have blinked.

What am I missing here?

Edit - 4:27 PM, 12/22/06 True, as was pointed out, the 2 feet fell in a relatively brief amount of time. But we're going on a few days having passed now.


Post-script: There is one blessing - apparently there have been no storm related fatalities (of course, such numbers are always suspect, since they are composed primarily not of the storm killing people (i.e. trees falling on people), but people being stupid in storms (i.e. running generators indoors with no ventilation)).

Suburban Wildlife

A few months ago, ES1 & I were bringing in a load of groceries. As we were walking in, a black cat whom we had never seen before walked up to us, and started walking between our legs, rubbing his scent up against us. After we finished bringing in our groceries, he stayed on our back porch, watching us inside the house.

We called the owner, to make sure he wasn't lost. His name was "Boy," and it turns out that they allow him to roam the neighborhood. We just wanted to make sure that some kid wasn't worried about his or her kitty. Every now and then, we see him around.

This morning, we found him sitting on our back deck, apparently guarding it.

The following ensued.

Updated 8/16/07 to correct image links.

Prohibitionist Scum

Once again, MADD shows its true colors.

This group has long since ceased to be at all about drunk driving. A drunk driving group would concentrate on making sure that repeat offenders are taken off the road. A drunk driving group would be focusing on getting taxis to bars so that those who have had a few too many have an easy way to get home without risking anyone.

Most of all, a drunk driving group would be focusing on DRIVING.

This article on Reason magazine's website discusses MADD's latest angle. They are trying to get alcohol banned from NYC commuter trains.

One possibility, is that they are simply morons. Morons would not realize that by banning the alcohol from the trains, they will make some commuters drink before they get on. They will drink more, so they can be sure to maintain a buzz, and they will do so faster so that they can make their trains. Let's face it - you're not in such a rush to get something if you know you can get it whenever you feel like it.

There's another possibility. Let's be honest. MADD is a prohibitionist group. They only care about slowly lowering the legal drinking limit. They are trying to ban all alcohol altogether.

This post details it best. In New Mexico, a zero tolerance law has mandated that anything more than 1 drink is legally drunk. What is the result?

Thousands of people who are not a danger are jailed.

But what's worse? As 'Bgist' says, "If I'm legally drunk after 1.5 beers, (when I'm still sober, and competent to operate any machinery) then where is the incentive to NOT order a THIRD. OR FOURTH. OR FIFTH. OR TENTH."

Is this all part of their plan?

They always trot out numbers of "alcohol related auto accidents." There is never any indication of whether alcohol was actually a factor, or whether there was simply traces of alcohol found in the bloodstream of a victim. This artificially inflates numbers. This costs them credibility. Just as Greenpeace has ceased to be credible organization by purposely exaggerating or using flawed numbers to gain credibility (and admitting on multiple occasions to having done so).

What you have is basically a prohibitionist group which exploits emotionally vulnerable victims of accidents, as well as an army of useful idiots, to further their cause of pushing their lifestyle on other people. Take a look at their list of corporate sponsors. Most of them are auto makers or insurance companies. Can you say "protection money?"

As I pointed out in a previous post, if people really cared about auto safety, hands-free cell phones would be banned as well, and elderly drivers would be rigorously tested. I have always advocated no mercy for truly drunk drivers. But these dirtbags are only concerned with dumbing-down the legal definition of 'drunk' until you're already there. You make people sneak around to get a drink, and you wonder why they end up being funny about it.

Cool Picture

Yesterday, I saw a really amusing picture on Op-For . Check it out.

Peter and Nicole Go to Tim Horton's

So last night was the first of two concert performances for me this weekend. For those in the area, you can see BCAS at Our Lady of Victory Basilica at 7:30 pm on Sunday. Or you can listen to a broadcast of the concert on WBFO 88.7 FM at 2pm on Christmas Day.

The concert itself started out on a surreal note. Peter ushers every year. His area is the preferred seating section. A guy actually offered him $20 to get in to the section without the special ticket. Five years of ushering, and that's never happened before. And who tries to bribe someone in a church?

After the concert let out, I had a craving for Timbits. Since it was only a short detour to get to one, we decided to stop for them. First stop a Tim Horton's on Delaware near Hertel. "We don't have any Timbits right now." So then we remember there's a nearby Dunkin' Donuts and they have Munchkins (which are basically the same thing, if slightly more expensive). So we head to the Dunkin' Donuts on Delaware Ave in Kenmore. "We're out of Munchkins for the night". So we head to the next Tim Horton's on Sheridan and Delaware Rd. Finally we got the appropriate response. "Did you want your Timbits assorted?" I started to know how Harold and Kumar felt. All we were missing was Neil Patrick Harris stealing our car.