Saturday, September 30, 2006

Civil War


I few months ago, I mentioned that I was reading a series called Civil War. Actually, hearing that it was coming is what got me back into comics. It just sounded like an interesting concept. Basically it started like this....







A young superhero group called the New Warriors had a reality show where they were filmed catching criminals. However, something went wrong. A villain named Nitro fought back and blew up the whole area, including a school yard full of kids. All but one of the heroes died.








The public decided they had enough of heroes. They cry to the government to make heroes register and be regulated. Quickly, Congress passes the Superhero Registration Act, making all costumed heroes have to register. Many heroes, led by Iron Man and Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic 4 get behind the bill and encourage many other heroes to follow suit. This leads to Spiderman unmasking in front of the world to send a message that he is behind the bill.


Other heroes decide the law is wrong and go into hiding led by Captain America. They will still fight villains, but do it in secret as they are now fugitives. They also free heroes who decide not to register as they get captured.






While every other hero is worried about the bill, Wolvering decides to find the one person who started it all - Nitro, the one who caused the initial explosion. He is able to track him down and capture him. In his adventure, he finds out that Nitro was given extra power to make the explosion so powerful. The one who gave him the power - a company called Damage Control who makes money by cleaning up messes left up by superhero/supervillain battles. They made and are making tons of money by the current state of things. Wolverine is not happy....



The registered heroes trick the anti-heroes into meeting. A battle ensues. The battle is fairly even until Thor appears. Everyone thought he was dead. He starts attacking all the anti-heroes. In the ensuing battle, he kills the anti-registration hero Goliath by driving his hammer through his chest. As he goes to attack the rest of the anti-reg heroes, the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four puts a shield around them allowing them to escape even though she is not on their side. This was a great image as the heroes say thank you to her as they escape.





We find out that the Thor character was just a clone made by Iron Man and his brightest men. Thor would never act like that. Some of the registered heroes, especially Spiderman, start to second guess the side they are on now that a former friend of theirs is dead. Invisible Woman, angry with her husband Mister Fantastic and the role he has taken in the war, leaves him a Dear John letter saying she loves him, but is leaving him to go join the anti reg heroes along with her brother, the Human Torch. She is saddened by the direction the war has taken. To make sure they don't run out of numbers, Iron Man gets imprisoned super villains to begin hunting the other heroes. He's clearly gone mad. Spiderman decides he is switching sides, but as soon as he tells his wife and Aunt May, he is attacked by Iron Man...

I am in love with this series. The drama is just unbelievable. Deaths, hero vs hero, wives leaving husbands, big business conspiracies, it is just so unbelievably exciting. Can't wait to see what direction the story takes next...

Here is a video that has images from the first few issues up to the part where Clone Thor arrives. I think it is pretty well done...

Thursday, September 28, 2006

I'm a murderer

I killed yesterday. I'm a murderer. Something that was once alive and breathing is no longer alive because of me. I was moving the trash cans out to the curb for garbage pickup when it happened. How was I ever supposed to know there would be a living creature under the wheel. Who takes a nap under a wheel. Didn't their mommy or daddy teach them better? So I moved the trash can and out it moved...or hopped in this case. Yes, I had mortally wounded a frog. A frog, in my front yard. In all my years in Sacramento, I have never had a frog appear on my property so it was quite the sight. Too bad I had damged him so much that he wouldn't live much longer. I decided to put the poor creature out of his misery. I hope the court goes gentle on me.

My love for the Civil War storyline in Marvel Comics right now is bordering on obsessive. It is THAT good. I will be writing an update on the storyline tomorrow.

I tried finding a picture of the Merman in Zoolander online, but have come up empty unfortunately. If I had the DVD, I could just get a screen capture, but it is not in my library. I just can't bring myself to do the Desperate Housewives picture.

I am adding a new feature on my sidebar. Since I am usually in the middle of reading a book, I will have an image of what book I am reading there. The review of the book will come when I am done. Have a good weekend everbody.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Guess who's back...back again....

Ok, I know it hasn't been THAT long, but it feels like I have been away from the blog world for a while..especially as far as reading my fellow bloggers posts(GO CHECK THEM OUT!) I felt bad that I missed so many great posts and just got done catching up. No real good reason as to why I haven't been to active in the last week. Probably mainly because my mother in law has been here since Wednesday and I didn't want to be too antisocial and spend all night on the computer like usual. I did miss it though and once she leaves tomorrow, I am sure my addiction to the net will return to normal.

Still no word on jobs yet. Keep applying, but no news yet. I did get a phone call from one I sent my resume to (Thanks for helping out Jen!), but the job wasn't really something I was interested in. I guess all I can do is keep applying. For now, I have been working for my "step-mother in law" here in town at her medical billing job. I'm getting paid to do some pretty easy stuff - computer work, calling insurance companies, etc. so it's cool. Someone who works for her just quit so I am working way more than me or her thought. I'm not complaining. She interviewed someone new for the job, but told her she didn't want to have her start until I found a job. Pretty cool.

I haven't done a photoshop pic in a while. I want to do a new one. Got any suggestions? All submissions will be considered and maybe even done. Ideas? Please...

Friday, September 22, 2006

NOT Politically Correct - Consider Yourself Warned

Last night, while watching Survivor, Manuel and I were exercising our First Amendment rights and making ethnic/racist comments. (Hey, we live in the great and mighty USA, people continue to die to protect the freedoms we have, so we may as well use them.) I thought the conversation we had was pretty damn funny, so I'll continue to exercise my First amendment rights and share them with you now. Plus, this will help keep the Survivor race-separation scandal alive and well. Nothing like stoking the fire...

Background:
The Survivor tribes are currently named as follows:
African Americans: Manihiki
Hispanic Americans: Aitutaki
Asian Americans: Puka Puka
Caucasian Americans: Raratonga

The conversation:
J: They named the tribes all wrong. They should have called the Hispanics "Beans-a" and the Asians "Rice-a."
M: Yeah! And the blacks "Grits-a."
J: And the whites "Cracka!"

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Come on, you know you at least cracked a smile...

Thursday, September 21, 2006

My love for Weird Al continues...

This guy is just gold. This is funnier if you know the song he is doing a parody of. Brand new stufff......

My New Mantra

Without giving you all the details on the situation, suffice it to say that an emergency occurred with my patient yesterday and we had to run to the operating room for a cesarean section. That didn't piss me off - that's my job. I'm trained to deal with that and occasionally the adrenaline rush is cool. It's what happened after that that threw me over the edge.

The emergency occurred early in my shift - about 830am. By the time I was finished recovering my patient and was ready to move her to the post partum side, it was 1145am. Notice that I was otherwise occupied during the time I would normally get a 15-minute break to eat my breakfast, so by 1145am I was pretty hungry (and tired already from the adrenaline and stress.)

The charge nurse tells me to take my patient over to post partum, then I can go to lunch. Cool.

I get her over to post partum, transfer her to her bed, clean her up (all by myself because the post partum nurse is nowhere to be found) and go to the nursing station to find her so I can give report and take my lunch.

But apparently there has been a change of plans...

The charge nurse comes to me and says, "Change of plans. You are going to relieve post partum nurse #1 for lunch, then when she comes back, you can give her report and go to lunch."

Ummmmm... I'm not pleased, but ok, whatever. My new mantra runs through my head.

At some point during post partum nurse #1's 30 minute break, it is brought to my attention that plans have changed again. Now I'm to relieve post partum nurse #2 for a lunch, then I can take my lunch.

Now I'm pretty pissed off and I call the charge nurse on it.

"I didn't get a morning break!"

"Nobody got a morning break, Jessica."

Yeah, and I'm sure it's because they were all running their asses off dealing with an emergency.

But I'm too tired to fight. My new mantra runs through my head. Again.

Finally, at 145pm, I take my lunch.

And they wonder why I'm leaving...

What is my new mantra, you ask? Well it changes with every shift, but yesterday it was

4 shifts left.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

The Insightful Mrvideoguy

Ya remember that kid who sat in the back of the 12th grade English class and said nothing to anyone and got the highest grade? He became Cassie's love interest that's what! Where were ya tonight kiddo? I'm housesitting for a friend who has a pool and a spa in the backyard and you just go and leave me high and dry. What's up with that? I can't help it now cause now I get to bug your brother and amuse your mom all at the same time. Plus sooner or later I will get you admit that "brother's hot friends" thing to the world. I will crack you sooner or later. Or I will get the restraining order. Either way should make for a fun time and one hell of a blog from JAIL someday for me. Promise to bail me out Manuel please?

So, it's 3 am and we all know I do my best thinking at round this time.

Here are a few things I have been called in my life..........If my memory serves me right that is.......................

Kind
Caring
Insightful
Chubby
Fat
Smart
Funny
Shy
Adorable
Cute
Hot
Normal
Calm
Hostile
Unemotional

You get the point. The opinion is still out I think as far as what others think. Me, myself, well I can sum it all up in one well-rounded word.

Introverted.

I will give the audience credit here and not go and define the word as much as just define myself through it. It is 3 o'clock in the morning and the only light in the house that is on is coming from the computer screen and I couldn't be happier. I have one more day off till I jump back to work and I just want to spend it alone. I have a job that requires me to leave in a vehicle alone and come back solo having done the tasks I was assigned for that given day. I will probably make my way to a basketball court tomorrow in search of an empty basketball court. Meaning I'd rather play with myself than with others. And for those who caught that, stop laughing you filthy dogs you. I find my introversion tends to lead to the development of my better qualities, but I will focus on a con

I have been called selfish on more than one occasion. I would like for others to know that I don't find myself so important that I have to sit around alone thinking of only myself. There are more variables than that. It is with sadness that I find that my introverted lifestyle has led to a foundationless spirit within. This is why I can focus on something so completely and totally and then drop it within a month. It's the reason why when asked if I wanted or desire a family of my own I have no other answer but "I don't care." A life spent shooting holes in the beliefs of others leaves me very much island bound. Stuck to forever shout that I really do care.

Take this blog for example. Anonymity. Quite freeing. Why do you think I keep writing? At this point I think I write solely for the response more than for the expression of my feelings. I will come back later today and just search for comments to see what someone says about my post. More to the point about me. Does this make me selfish? Am I whoring myself out just for a quick fix? Maybe I am an addict without an addiction and for the time being writing is my CRACK. Even the slightest mention of an outside fan I wasn't aware of makes me wanna "Show Off". That said I have no real sense of my own gifts or talents or if I am just simply wasting seconds of my life with documented babble. Even as I write this I realize I sound more and more like the tortured soul I only wish I was cause then I would have a reason for being this way.

Enough for now. I have some goals to reach, some errands to run, and some money to spend. Anyone know any good hair removal facilities? I could use a good waxing. That should be my closing survey question. Did everyone who just read this laugh at my final comedic attempt? Come on people admit it. Male waxing is funny. Rabble Rock!

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

The Coming Holy War

The Pope is an idiot. I was a little weary of him when he became Pope, but up until now, he has done little to raise my eyebrow. Truthfully, even though I am religious, I really didn't see who was Pope as having a huge impact on me. Last week might have started somethibg big though. In case you don't know what happened, let me give you the short version. Basically, last week, he was giving a lecture and he quoted a dialouge from the 1300s that said, "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

It is not my intention to get into a discussion on religion here. He can believe all he wants about Islam. But he should NOT be making his thoughts on another religion in public. It will get out. It was just a lecture, but when the leader of the Christian faith says something about another religion, even if it is just quoting someone else, it is in poor judgement.

He later said he was sorry for angering Muslims, but many feel his apology was not enough. He says the thoughts were simply quoted, but not his opinion. So what has been the result? As expected, there have been protests in many Islamic areas including Palestine where American flags, German flags, and effigies of the Pope were burned. An Italian nun was shot in Somalia in what many are saying is a direct result of the comments.

And Al Qaeda? Well, you know they had a comment. In a statement, they have warned the Pope that the West is doomed. They have declared, "We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion (to Islam) or (killed by) the sword."

The Pope now has an upcoming trip to Turkey, a largely Muslim area, and many Turkish officials are saying he should be arrested for his comments once he steps foot there. Some are saying this trip will probably end up being cancelled due to the tensions. But what if he does go? What is an attempt on his life happens when he is there? What if it is successful? I don't even want to imagine what will happen in that scenario. Like I said before, I don't want to make comments on actual religion here, but I am still ashamed that he made these comments. I'll be wearliy paying attention to what happens next.

Monday, September 18, 2006

October 2nd Can't Come Fast Enough

First the good news: I got the insurance thing figured out - and it won't cost me a penny! If I work for the hospital for just a single day in October, I'm covered for the entire month. So, instead of 9/30 being my last day, I'm going to work 10/1. It sucks that I'm not going to get a day off before I start my new job 10/2, but sometimes you have to sacrifice for the greater good. It'll be worth it. Way to screw the system on my way out! Yeah!

Now, about my patient today...

She was 18 going on 12. A total immature brat. BRAT. It's harsh, but completely accurate when I say that I HATED her by the end of the day. HATED her.

When I first got her at 7 this morning, she was still not admitted. We were waiting to see if she was really in labor. Her baby didn't look good enough to take off the monitor, so I told her I'd watch her closely and the second it looked ok, I'd take the monitors off so she could walk. Her response? Silence. I asked her if that was ok. Nothing. I finally said, "Can I have some form of acknowledgement so I know you understand what I'm saying?" She said, rolling her eyes, "Fine. God. I have nothing to say to you."

And that's how we started our day together.

It only got better from there. "Get me a blanket." No "thank you." I got her an epidural. No "thank you." "Get me some juice." No "thank you." Ungrateful little bitch.

And here's the doosey. When she was 10 cm and ready to push, her epidural wasn't working as well as it had been, and she was feeling pain. At this point, it wasn't worth my calling the anesthesiologist to come give her extra medicine because she'll just have the baby and it'll be a waste. So we start pushing. Most women are relieved to push. She pushed real well for about 10, 15 minutes, then all of a sudden decided she was done. Now, instead of pushing with each contraction, she screamed. And screamed this awful, heart-wrenching, blood-curdling scream. I encouraged the hell out of her - you get this baby out and the pain will stop, only you can do this, everyone gives up now, you can do this - you ARE doing this, etc etc etc. Each word of encouragement was met with a scream of, "I CAN'T DO THIS!!!!!!" The thing is, she was SOOOOOOOOO close to pushing that baby out. Honestly, if she just sacked up, she could have pushed the kid out in 5 contractions and been done with it. If I was in excrutiating pain and knew there was something I could do to end it, I'd friggin do it!

I encouraged her, her family encouraged her, and she stubbornly kept screaming. I finally tried the good cop bad cop approach and got a little rough with her. I said, "Listen, if you don't push this kid out, you're going to be in pain and be pregnant forever." Her response? She yelled at me, "I DON'T FUCKING CARE."

"Then neither do I," I said as I took my gloves off. I covered her up and told her to call me when she was ready to push, then closed the door to her room on my way out so we didn't have to hear her scream.

Although we still could.

Finally another nurse went in there, tried, and eventually got her to sack up and get the job done. And you know what pissed me off the most? When the baby was finally out, everyone, including the doctor, told her what a good job she did.

What? Were we interacting with the same screaming, cussing patient? Why didn't they just tell her the truth - You were rude and obnoxious, you immature little shit. You have a rude awakening coming, taking care of that newborn.

But how trying was that? I work my ass off for her, getting her things, making her comfortable, encouraging the hell out of her, and NOT ONCE did I get a thank you.

Yeah, the new job can't come fast enough...

Celebrity Interpreter

Jerry over at One Sided War gave me a heads up on this. Had to post it. Thanks!

Sunday, September 17, 2006

No Comments Needed

First, I open with some hilarity before I bombard myself with a beat down. Yes, Mom it's true. Cassie has been sneaking around with me for the past three months. Our secret is finally out. She enjoys late night trips to Baskin Robbins and hanging out at Southside Park in downtown Sacramento. Hehehe. I could only be so lucky. Had to do that once just because your son told me what ya asked and it's just precious.

Now on to what this really is and I apologize cause this may have some explicit language. I might not write anything on here for a while cause I have a problem. I really lied to myself. I talk and talked all this bullshit on here and to other people in my life and I truly haven't progressed from the time I was 18 years old. I got to feel like that this past Sunday morning. I skipped my 10-year high school reunion. Why you ask? Well up until the actual event I had a ton of answers in my mind for you that all sounded great. Turns out I really didn't believe any of them.

I was just a pussy.

I couldn't get over myself. I said I didn't really care when it is so blatantly obvious that I did care. I was just too embarrassed about myself. I made up all the same excuses that I used when I was busy avoiding everything back when I was actually attending high school. I got to bring them all out again and use them for everyone to hear. I couldn't get over what I had become in my eyes. I honestly know that as I sit here today I think of myself as a failure and I didn't want to have to face that in front of all these people I grew up with. That said I realize that I didn't give any of them credit enough to know that no matter what I actually said or felt, I could have still enjoyed myself and got over that awkwardness in less than 5 minutes and they wouldn't have cared if I was a base jumper or not. Shout out to my brother for that joke and to Phil for carrying it out.

I think I have given myself a complex. I have no real official title for it, but it basically involves screwing myself over in order to make myself feel like I actually went through something tougher than it actually was. I call it looking for that defining moment to galvanize my journey in life. Rather than actually just letting it happen, I have been busying fucking my own life up simply by overthinking everything. So for that I missed a few laughs, a few dances, a few drinks, and a few faces that I won't see anytime soon. I got to be that ghost on the wall once again. I got to be that guy that wasn't in the pictures. And for what you ask? Cause I don't like the man I see in the mirror?

What I should have realized is that for one night I didn't have to be that guy. I just had to be honest and be ok with myself for once. Rather than using this night as some sort of false motivation. Trust me I know I have a lot more foundational problems that led to this debacle of a night, but it's a microcosm for the past 10 years. Protect myself from the outside world and it can't hurt me, right? Live in my fantasy world cause it's safer. NO. It's just sad. And lonely. I guess that's why I am a good poker player every now and then. I can even make myself believe my own bullshit.

I guess I just say this cause it will be my answer for the next week when I have to tell people why I didn't go. Vague answers are just cowardly and pathetic. I think all any of you can take from this is don't be like me. Don't be like Rich. Instant regret. Not a good thing to have deep down in your heart. This all doesn't make me a big man for admitting my own faults. It's just another thing to add to my list when I look in the mirror. Sadly, 99 percent of my reunion mates won't ever really know this or read this. And even if they did it really shouldn't make them care much at all. I just had to document this moment and feeling and admit it to myself. Cause just walking around with it in my head as some kind of secret would hurt a lot more than actually saying it. I am not sure where all this comes from. I don't know why I acted this way and how it all came back to me so easily. 6 hours of my life and I couldn't do it. To top my horrible Saturday off I even got the honor of losing 100 bucks to my friend Buddy cause Notre Dame decided to no-show this weekend against Michigan. So, how was your weekend everyone? Rhetorical people. Rabble Rock!

Foothill High School Class of 1996 10-Year Reunion

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Nervous

I got my new hire packet in the mail today. In it was information on disability, family leave, dress code, computer use rules, employee handbook, sexual harassment, things like that. It also contained my offer letter, which outlines my pay, my start date, etc. One of the things it also said was that my medical benefits wouldn't be active until 1/1/07. 3 months without insurance? I called right away. She said there was a 3 month probationary period for all new hires. I was completely silent - my head was spinning. What are we supposed to do without medical benefits for 3 months?! She asked if nobody explained that to me, and I said they hadn't and I thought the benefits would just carry over seeing as how I was already employed by the company. She said, "You are?!"

So now we're just going to be 1 month without medical benefits. I don't think we're going to leave the house for that month. This is SO scary...

The Survivor Controversy

The 13th season of Survivor starts tonight and like always, I am looking forward to it. However, this season has been getting a lot of buzz lately over the decision the producers have made over how to split up the teams. In case you haven't heard, this is what is happening. The producers have decided to split the teams into groups of 4 - each one of a different race. The 4 teams are divided into Caucasian, African America, Asian, and Hispanic groups. In the past, the contestants have been primarily Caucasian, mainly because that is who primarily applied for the show. The show received heat for not having more of a diverse cast of contestants. In response to this, the producers came up with the above idea. However, since they announced this, there has been a media backlash over the decision.

Frankly, this whole uproar over the decision has me pissed off. They respond to what people say is wrong with the show and people are still upset. Cries of racism and segregation have been rampant. I think people are just overreacting. It's a GAME! They aren't trying to create a race war. It's just for fun. Back in my senior season of high school varsity soccer, we used to split the team into two to scrimmage- "Whites vs. the Others Races." Why? Because it was fun. When the game was done did my teammates hate our white counterparts? No! It was just for fun. Did it split our team in two over the course of the season? Absolutely not. My oldest friend on the team was on the other side. It was just to make it more interesting. For FUN!

Other critics are saying, this is just a publicity stunt to get people to watch the show. You know what I say to that - so what?! Who cares?!? Is it not the job of producers to get more people to watch the show? Last season, they divided the contestants into 4 separate groups according to age and sex - older males, older females, younger males, and younger females. Did we have quite the uproar we have now? No. But you throw race in the cards and everyone gets their panties in a bunch and calls it racist. Talking about it and making a big deal about it only makes it worse. If they had just let it go and not brought up the race card, things would have been fine. And you know what, last season the groups were only divided like that for about 3 episodes. Are we really getting upset over three episodes? I am tired of people calling everything racist and making it seem like everyone has a hidden racist agenda. Get off it people. Just enjoy it for what it is. Entertainment. Am I going to watch the show knowing ahead of time that I am going to be cheering for the Hispanics simply because that is my race? Hell no. What if all the Hispanics on the show are a bunch of dicks? I'll cheer for the most likeable person. People just need to get off it and stop being so fucking sensitive.

Monday, September 11, 2006

This video is AWESOME!!!

Ok, so here is the supposed back story of this video. Back in the early 90s, Universal wanted to remake their image as they were having some rough times. They hired some young filmmakers named Trey Parker and Matt Stone(pre South Park Days) to do a video that would required viewing for all new hires. This was the result. It is almost 14 minutes so make sure you have time to see the WHOLE thing(hint, hint) as it is really a blast. Let me know what you think...



Via: VideoSift




Unfortunately, in the end, the head of Universal vetoed the video as he didn't think it was up to Universal standards. But, luckily, it was never deleted from memory...

A couple of driving related posts

Found some funny stuff today while prerusing Dave Barry's blog.

The first is quite an embarassing story for one individual. I assumed the article was translated into English as the grammar is a little off. You get the picture though...

Rescuers Find Driver Unconscious With Pump Attached To His Penis

September 8, 2006 9:59 p.m. EST
Yvonne Lee - All Headline News Staff Reporter
Bratislava, Slovakia (AHN) - Rescuers in Slovakia find a driver who crashed into a bus unconscious, with a vacuum pump attached to his penis.
Police say the 42-year-old man was half naked while driving an old Citroen in the town of Levice.
He crashed after ignoring a "give way" sign.
Police officer Peter Polak tells Reuters, "It's very likely he had auto-sex while driving, it is a matter of investigation. After the accident he was found lying in the seat, his pants were off and it (the pump) was placed on his penis."
He adds, "I've never seen anything like this, nor have my colleagues."
The man was hospitalized with head injuries.


Now, we have always heard the tip to wear clean underwear when we go out in case we get in a crash. Nothing would be worse than being caught with dirty underwear, right? Well, this guy seems to have topped that. THIS, has to be the most embarrasing thing that could happen to you in event of a car crash.



He also posted this video from YouTube that shows traffic in India.

So....are there no traffic laws there? Do they use lanes? Speed limits? Although you saw no crashes in THIS scene, I can't imagine there are never any with driving like this.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

A Midnight Adventure

This post is for you, Rich...

When poker night ended last night around 1130, I was hungry, Manuel was hungry, and there were some things we needed to pick up - milk and pineapple (for the stir fry we were supposed to have for dinner that night but couldn't bring ourselves to eat it without pineapple, so we scrapped that plan until we could get to the store.) Hungry and needing groceries, where does one turn? WalMart, of course, less than 5 minutes away with its McDonald's and grocery store all in one.

Let me say that we were absolutely amazed at the number of people there at midnight! And kids - so many kids! I know it was Saturday, but kids should be asleep at midnight, regardless of the day of the week.

So we go inside and get snacks first - we split nuggets and fries. We ate them there, in the McDonald's, fascinated with the 65-70 year old man pulling the graveyard greeter shift. THAT guy should be asleep too.

Then we cruised around the grocery section to see what they have and how much it costs. Fortunately we are very blessed and money is rarely an issue for us, but I admit that I like a good deal, I like a bargain. And man, does WalMart have them! We got a can of Dole pineapple for 88 cents, whereas at Safeway it would have cost $1.20-something. I often think about taking those little frozen Lean Cuisine or Weight Watchers meals to work for lunch, but they are so expensive. Not at WalMart! The WW meals were $1.29 each!! And the Yoplait yogurt we buy - at Safeway it's usually on sale 10 for $6. At WalMart they were 48 cents each!

Oh, the bargain hunter in me was getting excited. So excited, in fact, that the vomit incident nearly left my mind. I told Manuel that I could get past the vomit incident for these prices.

I hate what I've become...

Then something happened to reaffirm that no matter how good of a deal they offer, I can not be associated with WalMart shoppers.

We were standing in line, waiting to pay. In front of us were 2 women, close friends or sisters, with a baby, maybe a little over 1 year, sitting in the cart. They were eating a 4-pack of Reeses peanut butter cups they picked up by the register as they unloaded their cart. We watched them intently, as we both had the feeling they weren't going to pay for them.

They discarded a few things as they unloaded their cart, a shirt, which they hung on the magazine rack, and a throw pillow, which they put on a shelf next to the register. I asked Manuel why they wouldn't just give them to the checker and tell her that they changed their minds?

They kept giving the kid bites of the candy. I mentioned to Manuel that they better not get mad at that kid when he won't go to sleep at 2am because of all the sugar they gave him.

When their cart was finally unloaded and all of the items scanned, the checker told them the amount, and they had to start giving stuff back because it was more money than they had - which one of the ladies confirmed after she looked in her bra for more - NO LIE!

We noticed a bolt of fabric laying on the bottom part of the cart that they didn't give to the checker lady. We pointed it out to each other and had a discussion on whether they forgot about it (which we both knew they hadn't) and when was the appropriate time to say anything, and who to say it to, the customers or the checker.

Sure enough, just to confirm the thievery for us, when they started loading their cart, they put the big, king sized pillow they bought on the bottom part of the cart, right on top of the bolt of fabric. If they had forgotten about it, they would have seen it at that point and said, "Oh crap! I forgot about this." But no, they were intentionally trying to steal it.

By the way, the Reese candy wrapper was laying inside the cart, not paid for either.

Finally it was our turn. As we unloaded our few items, we asked the checker if she got the bolt of fabric on the bottom of the cart of the candy they ate while they were in line. She was surprised, excused herself and ran after them. She came back with the fabric and said they said they'd be back to pay for the candy. When I mentioned that that was a load of crap, she agreed.

Then we laughed at the lady who looked in her bra for more money.

The checker thanked us profusely, and we felt good for doing our good deed for the day.

So no matter how good the deals are at WalMart, I'm not sure I can be associated with a store who has that kind of clientele. I mean, are those the kind of people drawn to WalMart, or are those the kind of people who shop at midnight? It's an interesting question...

Friday, September 08, 2006

Mixed Emotions

It's official. I handed in my letter of resignation Thursday. What follows is the conversation I had with my manager...

Manager: What's this? (as I hand her the envelope containing the letter)
Jessica: A letter.
M: A letter? I usually don't like to get letters.
J: Yeah, you're probably not going to like this one...
M: Come sit down. (as she's opening and reading the letter) You're going to do office nursing? Do you think you'll like that?
J: I hope so!
M: Can I ask why you're leaving?
J: The things that are happening here just aren't cool. It's not cool when 3 or 4 patients are sitting on the bench waiting to be seen.
M: I'm working really hard to get more nurses.
J: I know you are and I appreciate that, but it's going to take more than just bodies to make it better. It's not cool to labor patients in the hall. It's not cool to labor patients in the anteroom. I heard the big wigs say, when they came to the unit the other day, that they had no more rooms to give us, and I'm not going to wait until 2009 for the new tower to be built. (What I wanted to say was, unfortunately, it's going to take someone dying for people to realize that we need help, and I'm not sticking around for that to happen. God forbid it be my patient. I'm NOT losing my nursing license for (insert name of hospital here.)) Plus, the other day I came in early to help and ended up working 14.5 hours without a break, and at the end of the day, I never got a thank you, appreciate your hard work, kiss my ass, nothing.
M: I'm sorry.
J: It's not your fault. It's just that I don't think it's right to dread coming to work. I'm not having fun anymore.

Then she said some nice things about how it would be sad to see me go and how everyone would miss me and things like that. I left her office on good terms.

But what really got me is that while we were talking, she got teary-eyed. I know she works her ass off to try to make things better for us, and the last thing she can really afford is to lose (another) nurse. I know she is beyond frustrated. What bothers me is that I truly love the people I work with - they are a fantastic fantastic fantastic group. I know that my leaving is like bailing on them - losing a body makes everyone left have to work harder to pick up the slack. THAT is what I feel the worst about.

But as numerous people told me Thursday, I have to do what is best for me. I know that in my head, because truly I wasn't happy there, but in my heart, I'm upset by it.

Then later in the day, another manager came up to me and said...

M: I'm sorry we drove you away.
J: You don't have to apologize. It's wasn't anything one person could apologize for and make it better. It's just not cool, what's happening here, and I don't think you should have to dread coming to work, and that's what I do.
M: Well, it will be a big loss to the unit to have you leave. Everyone loves you.

That made me feel good - that I'm that much of an asset, worker wise and personality wise.

I just can't seem to shake the thought though that I'm a weiner - that I've only been at this a little over 2 years and I'm already burned out. Like, who am I to be burned out - I haven't even experienced much yet. How much of a pussy am I that I run at the first sign of things getting tough? I'm having a really hard time with this...

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Yum, yum!!


I just saw this on Dave Barry's blog and had to post it.

"Product Details: Totally gross! You know what we're talking about. You've skinned your elbow while crashing your bicycle getting extreme over a gnarly jump in your neighborhood. You cry to your mommy and she gently places a bandage over the bloody spot. Two days later, you peel back the bandage to re-assess the damage. That same spot is now oozy in the middle and crusty at the edges! SO NASTY! You know you want to lick that puss spot.... don't deny it.... and now you can.... with Candy Scabs! Each pack includes candy scabs and 5 plastic bandages which are stickable just like a real bandage. A plastic compartment on the bandage opens to reveal a pressed dextrose candy scab. Open the compartment, lick the candy, and reseal for licking later! Unit Price = $1.65/scab. Display box contains 12 packs of Lick Your Wounds Candy Scabs. Shipping Weight ~ 2 lbs. "


Now seriously, I am not much of a candy guy to begin. Starburst, Twix, Kit Kat, Reeces Peanut Butter Cups, and those mini Snickers are all I really like. There is no way in hell I would try this. It is just to gross. I KNOW, it is JUST candy. However, I just have that feeling that I would get that warm saliva, I am about to barf feeling if I had one of these in my hand to try. I just couldn't bring myself to do it just because of what it looks like. Maybe as a kid, I would have been able to. Maybe. I just know, I can't do it now. So, are you with me, or are you a sick freak?

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

FREEDOM!!!

Yesterday was supposed to be the day, but instead the call came today.

THE call.

The call offering me freedom from the abuse I get at the hospital. The call offering me freedom from 12+ hour shifts without breaks. The call offering me freedom from unsafe working conditions. The call offering me weekends and holidays off. The call offering me a relaxed schedule with a laid back, fun group of people. The call offering me less stress.

AND I GLADLY ACCEPTED!

When I go to work tomorrow, I'll hand in my letter of resignation, effective October 1st, and I start my new career on Monday, October 2nd. I am SO excited!!

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Weekend Update


Well, unfortunately, I did not get to meet Tony Todd this past weekend. He got tied up with filming a movie in Canada and couldn't make it. He promised to make it for the next convention in December. Oh well!

I played two very small poker games with a few of my buds this weekend and won them both. It felt good as the previous weekend, I didn't win money in my home tournament for the first time in 9 tournaments. Seeing as how only the top 2 0r 3 win money out of 10-14 people, this was bound to happem eventually, but it was still disappointing. Winning both of the small games this weekend helped bring my spirit back up. I am now about $725 in the positive playing poker with my friends this year. Not too shabby!

Fall Schedule TV schedule











Well, tonight the Fall tv schedule officially starts for me so I thought I would do a recap of what we watch:

Sunday
America's Funniest Home Videos - Jessica LOVES this show. Always good for a good laugh.
Simpsons - May not be quite as funny anymore, but still a great show.
American Dad - Not the greatest, but it is in between what we watch so it goes on our viewing schedule.
Family Guy - Funny just for how shocking it is. At least once an episode, we wonder how they can get away with what they do.
War At Home - Another show we like just because it seems so wrong sometimes. Plus, we like Michael Rappaport or as we call him, Remy.

Monday
24 - Doesn't premier until January or so, but we love this show. It would be about 100 times better though if they killed off Chloe - the worst actress on tv.
Heroes - Thinking about giving this new show a try. We'll see...

Tuesday
House - Awesome, awesome show that we just started watching in the summer. Starts TONIGHT!
Scrubs - Supposed to start back up sometime in January or February. The funniest show on tv is also very touching.


Wednesday

Lost - No explanation is needed as to why we watch this show. LOVE IT!!!

Thursday
Survivor - Still watching this show after all these seasons, but still bitter that they have not chosen me yet to be on the show. Bastards! I have an upcoming post on the new Survivor controversy coming letr this week...
CSI - The only CSI that we watch. Tied with Lost as the best show on tv today.
OC - Guilty pleasure show much like Melrose and 90210 was. Should be better now that Marissa is dead.
My Name is Earl - We stated watching it simply because we love Jason Lee and it turned out to be one of the funniest shows on tv. Love it!


So there ya go. That is basically what we watch besides the occassional documentary/medical show in Discover or TLC. Or Dirty Jobs. Now THAT is a funny show. But for network tv, there you have it...

Monday, September 04, 2006

Two Goodbyes

Sunday was a sad day as I had to say goodbye to two people in the category of more famous than me. One I will never see play professionally again while the other has left this world forever.

Today, Andre Agassi played the last match of his professional career as he lost in the third round of the US Open. He had said going in that this would be his last tournament of his career so I watched his three matches with anticipation of what would happen. Today, he finally played his last match and it was truly a sad event. He has always been my favorite tennis player and inspired me when I played on the varsity tennis team in high school. Always the emotional player, he bawled on the court after he lost and thanked the fans in a really touching way. It was sad to see him go.

That was the only goodbye I planned for today and then I heard of a tragic death just minutes ago. Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, was killed today in an accident where he was stung by a sting ray. Apparently, he died instantly. You know, as crazy as he was, I never figured that he would die on one of his expeditions. I thought maybe he would get injured badly, but never die and die instantly at that. He truly was a great entertainer and had a great passion for his work. He will be truly missed.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

The Interview

Sorry I couldn't get to you sooner to tell you about the interview. Thanks for being patient.

It went really well. We talked for 30 minutes. I met 2 of the 4 doctors. They asked me why I wanted to change jobs (I gave them the reason of having the same schedule as Manuel, not that I am tired of being abused and unappreciated at work.) They asked me why I applied for this job (I told them I like patient teaching, I like being a resource for people - it's my favorite part of what I do now.)

They said that they are a tight-knit little family. They are relaxed and laid back. They laugh and have fun. In fact, I made one of the ladies laugh so hard she snorted (I asked what their patient population was, like, do they have teeth?)

Then they laid it on me. Apparently this position doesn't exist - I would not be filling an existing position. Instead, the person who takes this position will develop the entire prenatal program at the office - from designing a comfortable, welcoming room where the histories and interviews can take place, to developing a "cheat sheet" list of the patients and their issues so the on-call doctor can quick look to see who they're talking to, to attending conferences with the docs on the hi-risk patients.

They flat out said to me, "Your opinions, ideas and input will be taken seriously and valued."

I'll be valued. Imagine that...

I should know on Tuesday. My fingers and toes, Manuel's fingers and toes, my mom's fingers and toes are all crossed.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Night Panther rocks, US Basketball does not

A BIG BIG thanks to Night Panther for fixing my text size. The explanation he gave for how to fix it shows me that it was definitely an accident, something that is actually easy to accidently do with a touchpad on a laptop. But, I'm all fixed and can now read my teenie text. Give him a visit on my sidebar.

I have also added two new links two the sidebar which is also now in alphabetical order. My cousins Jennifer and Allison have taken it upon themselves to open their own blog after reading this one for a while. Go visit them at Crazy Bitch Blog. I have also had Jose's blog, Joe Cool's Blog. Jose, from Arizona is a Hispanic, family-oriented man who has written some funny and thought provoking posts since I started reading him. Give him a read.

Finally, congrats to US Basketball for their third place finish at the FIBA World Championships. This is an amazing achievement. SARCASM!!! Ok, third would be great for the US Soccer team, but not US Basketball. I am tired of getting pushed around by teams we should beat. We have most of the best players in the best league. So why haven't we won a tournament in basketball since 2000? Well, the other coutries have caught up to us while we haven't really improved. And frankly, the other teams just simply play a better team game. The international game is different and we have not adapted to that yet. From 1992-2000, it didn't matter because are players were jsut far superior to the other players that we could just rely on our individual skills alone. Not anymore. We have to adjust and it hasn't happened. It will be interesting to see how we prepare for the Olympics in 2 years. We might be better off just sending one of our good NBA teams, preferably one will mostly Americans who don't rely on a foreign player(getting harder to do now)because they know how to play as a team already. I think the Heat might have had a better chance in this tournament. Just speculation, but it would be fun to see. Heck, send the Kings!!!