Sometimes it is boring...

I spent a fair amount of time working with children of all ages, but most time with middle schoolers lately. I have been with one system for three years and the students know me well, I have very little issues of any kind in the classrooms. This makes the work easy and even boring sometimes.

Today was one of those days. I was working with a couple of groups of very high functioning students, I handed out the assignment and they worked diligently for double blocks (120 minutes). They needed no help from me, and there was no discipline issues or off-task students, and early finishers sat and read quietly. This makes for a looonnnggg boring day for me. Of course it didn't help that I forgot my glasses, making my own quiet reading difficult. So time seemed to ooze by slowly, what seemed like an hour was actually only four minutes. I did get to help a few with a couple of "hard" words like stenographic, verbatim, and pedagogical.

The good news is, I get to do it all over again on Monday with the same group, I hope I remember my glasses and a good book.

The NFL

It seems that everyone has an opinion with what seems to be an epidemic with players in pro sports, particularly the National Football League. So here is my two cents worth...

Players are being arrested for domestic violence, child abuse, and/or drug and alcohol violations, yet if you murder someone, that is OK. Ray Rice-suspended for spousal abuse, Adrian Peterson- suspended, then not suspended, for whipping a child with a stick, 31 players in 2014 so far for drug/alcohol violations including Wes Welker and Josh Gordon (league standouts). Yet Aaron Hernandez can gun down several people and sit waiting for trial and not be suspended from the NFL. If all charges were dropped against Hernandez today, he could be playing next weekend. Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend and then turned the gun on himself, I guess saving the NFL from levying sanctions against him (if any).

Lesson and message is...it is ok to kill, just don't abuse.

Now I am against domestic violence, really against child abuse, and think there should be consequences for some drug and alcohol violations. I am also against murder. But should the NFL have its own court and laws for this? Is this not double jeopardy? Are these players being tried and punished twice for the same crime? Shouldn't the NFL wait until courts make a decision before placing their own judgement on the players?

Michael Vick is a good example. He was arrested for abusing animals and did time and paid his debt to society. Many do not like the fact that afterwards he was allowed to return to the league. But as with any criminal, he met his punishment and was deemed rehabilitated, so he should be allowed to return to society as a member. Now once again I do not like what Vick did, and I am against it, but understand that he served his penance, so should be allowed to work, his job and career just happened to be professional football.

Remember that this is the same organization that has ignored head injuries and establishing any kind of protocol for dealing with the long term effects of concussions. This past year they finally passed a poor program offering just financial compensation for former players that have had documented head injuries. May be they need to start looking and supporting research how head injuries effect the cognitive function of players current playing the game and decision making.

Mental illness, both psychological and physically caused, are some of the most under studied and non-addressed health issues facing our society. We witness the mass shootings, the road rage, the suicides, and more, yet we still are afraid to talk about it. We will engage in our own inane way the "Ice Bucket Challenges" to try and cure a genetic disease that affects a very small amount of people, but do nothing about something that is much more treatable and much more widespread. Warped values in my eyes.

Books I Want to Write, but......

...I don't have the discipline, the completed plot, and/or the skills.

I have always thought I wanted to write a book. The problem with this, is I don't know where to start, how to start, how to end, and most importantly, have all that goes into the middle. I have several friends that have written or are writing books. I am so envious of their endeavor(s). I have trouble coming up with enough to write several paragraphs for a blog that no one follows, so I can't imagine coming up with enough to fill a book that no one would read. Book tour would at least be short as no one would show up.

I have ideas on the theme or story line for several books. Some based on the style of my writing influences (except I don't live that la vita loca) and others based on my beliefs or view of what I think the world should be like. A political thriller, if it must be placed into a genre. I would share the simplistic plot, but I don't want someone else taking it and constructing a master piece.

I am one who does not write with a lot of detail, going verbose and consuming page after page of  painstakingly oriented, minute, in depth descriptions of the setting, characters, or situations. I am much too direct. It sets me up to be more of a technical writer. So maybe a manual or a how-to book...the only problem with that is I am not sure if I know enough about any one thing to write a complete book. So maybe pamphlet writing.....

An autobiography maybe, but that would be pretty boring. A brief paper on fifty years of failings and oh so close....it would turn into a how-not-to book.

A book filled with romance...not really the romantic type, probably would be more of Rom-com in a very dark, very cynical satirical voice. Would make anything by Woody Allen look bright and cheery.

Syfy- once again, my technical knowledge is just enough to get in the way of writing anything of fantasy and vision. I would be stuck in the reality of known scientific theory and could not break the rules like most that is out there today. I would name some that do this, but don't want to burst any one's space bubble.

Fantasy- see above comment about details, setting, characters, and situations.

I would also feel sorry for the editor and proofreaders that had to suffer through my mutterings on the pages, along with trying to find continuity in the storyline. Not enough Advil in the world for them.

Reading.

Reading is an import part of society, and being a part of society. If you can read you can succeed (may be should be part of an ad campaign).

Many people read for pleasure, to entertain themselves, they will read maybe a Stephen King book, or something by JD Robb, or JK Rowling. Oh and that Grey Shades book.... Me, I read Hiaason, Twain, and Thompson, my writing inspirations, also James Rollins, David Morell, and Tom Clancy. All for pleasure, but not very often and probably not enough.

Most of the time I read for information, something to answer a question, a need, or a curiosity. The books can range from cookbooks, manuals or how-to, rule books, to politics and economics, and everything in between. I am one of those people that reads the car manual cover to cover. I have a thirst for knowledge. I like to do my research. I want to have a basis to grow my opinions, and I have a lot of opinions. I like Daniel Yergin,  Chris Mooney, or Matt Taibbi in this department. I also read sports pages to keep current with what is going in that realm.

Having a young reader in the house, it is always good to set an example of being a reader. Both my children have seen their parents read a lot, the older one is a ferocious reader and reads for pleasure. The younger one reads, but is more like me and wants to read for information, and needs to be prodded to read for pleasure. But she still reads which is important.

Reading will also benefit you for advancing in your job, keeping up with changes, trends, and innovations within your industry. Nothing more impressive then knowing what is going on and being current. Also being willing to research and read will maintain a healthy career.

Well thanks for reading this, and feel free to post below, what you enjoy reading and why.

Telephobia

Telephobia is the reluctance or fear of making or taking telephone calls, literally, "fear of the telephone". Telephone phobia is also considered to be a type of social phobia or social anxiety problem. Is it an offshoot of glossophobia (fear of public speaking)?

I bring this up, because there are many in my family who have varying degrees of this (Is there a spectrum?), especially when it comes to making phone calls. They simple will not make or return phone calls. Some will also sit and watch (or listen) to the phone ring and make no attempt to answer it.

This may be because of where technology has taken us, with texting, tweeting, etc., and with the invent of caller ID (some of us just choose to ignore the incoming call when we see who it is). It may also be complicated with the over use of robocalls and getting stuck in the never ending automated answering gauntlets prevalent in today's business world.

This phobia gets in the way of scheduling events, or appointments, returning phone calls and following up on what is needed. This leads to a denying, not receiving, and/or getting important useful services.

I know people that have cellphone break downs of their usages, and it will have 6 or 7 minutes of talk time and 5,000-6,000 texts per month. For a society that has become collectively obsessed with our cellphones and social media, this is just weird in my opinion. Yet there are those that join social media sites and then fret over their privacy settings, just a different kind of social anxiety I guess.

If you have any questions call me.

My one fear...what me, worry?

My last post was about my surgery for kidney stones (see My Surgery: By the Numbers), while considered "major" and invasive, I was not worried about all the complications and possible outcomes. I just needed to stay positive. I trusted the people involved at all levels. Also I am not one to panic in situations that I have no control over and cause most other people stress. Not my monkeys, not my circus.

But I did have one small concern going through this procedure. The protection, care and upkeep of the HBM. I have developed a liking for my facial hair and take pride in being able to grow and groom a well coifed lip cover. Every where I go, I receive complements for my 'stache. It is nice to get kudos on my looks, something I have not gotten much in my life.

My fret was that at some point during the operation they would need to shave it off. I would wake up with a clean upper lip and have to start over. I know it is facial hair and like most it hair grows back. Over the last 8+ months I have nurtured the 'stache and developed it nicely, having to start over at this point would be disheartening, at least to me.

The HBM survived as did I, and things are returning to normal, whatever that is?

My Surgery: By the Numbers

So the following is a breakdown of my kidney stone removal surgery by the numbers (not prices) as best as I can remember (was there the entire time, but not awake for all of it)...

Doctors (10)

• 1 Referring Urologist
• 3 Urology Specialists (all surgeons) -1 consulting, 2 in operating room (1- regular attending/professor, 1 5y in program).
• 1 Primary Care
• 2 Anesthesiologists (1 attending/professor, 1 2y student)
• 1 Cardiologist (see note below)
• 1 Hospitalist
• 1 Intern (4y in program)

Nurses (13)

• 1 Office Visit Nurse
• 2 Pre-op Nurses 
• 2 OR Nurses
• 3 Post-op Nurses (see note below)
• 3 Floor Nurses (my night shift nurse was outstanding, even remembered me from my baseball officiating days)
• 2 Nursing Assistants

Other Medical Personal (8)

• 4 Phlebotomists (1- lab, 1- Pre-op, 1 Recovery (see note below), 1- on floor)
• 2 CAT Scan Techs
• 1 OR Tech
• 1 Pharmacist

Drugs (7)

• General Anesthesia
• 8 bags of saline solution
• 7 doses of Fentanyl (people this is the stuff, it is a synthetic opioid 50-100 times more powerful then morphine, works in seconds when pushed through an IV)
• Oxycodone
• Lopressor
• Laxative
• Lexvaquin

Equipment

• Robotic Surgery Unit (with Nephroscope, dilators, laser, camera and suction attachments)
• Cat Scan
• Fluoroscope
• Foley Catheter
• Nephrostomy Tube
• Lymphadema pump

Miscellaneous

• 3 different beds
• 3 lousy meals
• 5 hospital gowns ( I liked the one with the built in heating ducts)
• 4 linen changes
• numerous dressing change

Cause

• 1- 2.6cm by 1cm kidney stone

(NOTE: About the cardiologist, extra post op nurse and phlebotomist...while in recovery I was asked how I was doing, I said pain was minimal, but stated that I had a tightness in my chest, within minutes I felt like an episode of some medical drama on TV. I had an EKG attached, blood drawn, oxygen attached, and a statin administered. Turns out to have been muscle soreness from spending 4 hours face down on the operating table strapped to hard rubber supports for the surgery. My heart is still good and strong.)