As an RN, I am often asked to get out that Magic Wand and Make Everything OK.
Sadly, it's impossible.
Sometimes, aches and pains are going to persist, people will die no matter what lengths we go to keep you alive and no matter what we do.....things will not be OK.
Just in case you still believe in that Magic Wand: Here you go - - - - - -
The Magic Button — Make Everything OK
It's the closest you will get to it.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Having a Bird....
You know how I am about the eagles. Click on that "Eagle" picture in the column to the right and take a look at the little babies! Yes, the eggs have hatched!
I haven't been as vocal about them on my blog as last year, but I have been watching them just as closely! You can watch the mom and dad feeding the babies! They are approximately 10 days old now.
On another note ... Remember the chickadees we had last year in our little decorative birdhouse outside our back door?
They didn't come back. :(
So sad. They were so cute!!!
However - we do have some Robins that have decided to build their nest on top of the birdhouse!!! They are quite the decorators, using shiny plastic and matching ribbon for their nest!
I haven't been as vocal about them on my blog as last year, but I have been watching them just as closely! You can watch the mom and dad feeding the babies! They are approximately 10 days old now.
 |
| Last year's chickadee |
On another note ... Remember the chickadees we had last year in our little decorative birdhouse outside our back door?
They didn't come back. :(
So sad. They were so cute!!!
However - we do have some Robins that have decided to build their nest on top of the birdhouse!!! They are quite the decorators, using shiny plastic and matching ribbon for their nest!
 |
| A Robin "Condo" |
 |
| Notice the blue matching ribbon! This is an iPhone photo my husband took |
Friday, April 27, 2012
Fish Can't Say NO to Drugs....
Tomorrow is national "Take your Drugs back" day in the USA.
If you have any expired/unused medications - it would be a great time to dispose of them. (By the way, this includes herbal medication and non prescription too!) Some medications can become less effective once past it's due date.
Unfortunately, in the USA, the DEA says that it's OK to put them in your garbage if there is no disposal plan in place in your community.
I have an issue with that. It's no surprise the DEA suggests people flush certain drugs (notice that the list includes only narcotics!) down the toilet.
Why can't pharmacies in the USA help with the disposal, as we do in Canada?? (You might find the answer to that question here)
Here, we advise NOT to flush medications down the toilet or throw in the garbage any old medications. This is because it can get into our water and soil.
I know that the USA DEA gives the excuse that more medication goes into our water system via urine in our sewage - but why increase that amount by throwing more in?? ( And no - craigslist is not an appropriate place for your drugs!!!)
It doesn't make sense!! The last thing our water and landfill needs is more contamination, no matter how small the perceived threat.
Not only is it increasing the chance of long term exposure to traces of dangerous drugs to the vulnerable - pregnant women, children and newborns....but when antibiotics enter our waterways - it increases the chance of increased antibiotic resistance.
Why would we want more Super-bugs?!
Another problem - what happens to those old medications in Granny's cupboard? A new study out shows that 25% of seniors do not store their medications safely and 36% of all medication poisonings involving children and prescriptions - are with their grandparent's medications.
Would you put your child at risk whenever they go to visit Grandma and Grandpa??
In Canada, most communities direct people to their local pharmacy for disposal. You can check here for return of old/expired/unused medications in your province. 90% of pharmacies in Canada will take old medications. A non profit spearheaded this push for proper disposal.
In 2009, more than 50 thousand kilograms of unused medications were returned!! So, yes, each one of those "small amounts" can add up to a LOT of medications!!!
Please! Do the right thing because......Fish Can't Say No to Drugs!
If you have any expired/unused medications - it would be a great time to dispose of them. (By the way, this includes herbal medication and non prescription too!) Some medications can become less effective once past it's due date.
Unfortunately, in the USA, the DEA says that it's OK to put them in your garbage if there is no disposal plan in place in your community.
 |
| Problem: Factories & Pharmaceutical companies have released TONS of drugs into the US waterways! |
Why can't pharmacies in the USA help with the disposal, as we do in Canada?? (You might find the answer to that question here)
Here, we advise NOT to flush medications down the toilet or throw in the garbage any old medications. This is because it can get into our water and soil.
I know that the USA DEA gives the excuse that more medication goes into our water system via urine in our sewage - but why increase that amount by throwing more in?? ( And no - craigslist is not an appropriate place for your drugs!!!)
It doesn't make sense!! The last thing our water and landfill needs is more contamination, no matter how small the perceived threat.
 |
| A staggering 40% of all 4 billion RX'd meds in the USA are NOT USED Where are they all going? |
Not only is it increasing the chance of long term exposure to traces of dangerous drugs to the vulnerable - pregnant women, children and newborns....but when antibiotics enter our waterways - it increases the chance of increased antibiotic resistance.
Why would we want more Super-bugs?!
Another problem - what happens to those old medications in Granny's cupboard? A new study out shows that 25% of seniors do not store their medications safely and 36% of all medication poisonings involving children and prescriptions - are with their grandparent's medications.
Would you put your child at risk whenever they go to visit Grandma and Grandpa??
In Canada, most communities direct people to their local pharmacy for disposal. You can check here for return of old/expired/unused medications in your province. 90% of pharmacies in Canada will take old medications. A non profit spearheaded this push for proper disposal.
In 2009, more than 50 thousand kilograms of unused medications were returned!! So, yes, each one of those "small amounts" can add up to a LOT of medications!!!
Please! Do the right thing because......Fish Can't Say No to Drugs!
 |
| Check out this article. It's from 2009, but is still applicable to today |
And just because I can.....
 |
| Thank you, buzzfeed. |
They are amusing....
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Food Bank Donation...
Help Fill the Food Banks just by watching this video and sharing it on Facebook and Twitter.
For every YouTube view, before May 11, 2012, Shaw (Cable) will donate $1 to the food bank drive and Campbell Canada will donate 1 pound of food up to $250,000 and 250,000 pounds of food respectively.
Please share and help us fill local food banks. Find out how you can donate at http://togetherisamazing.com
We have Satellite TV and I already buy Campell's soups for my husband's lunches (unless he makes his own homemade soup!) so watching it won't change how I interact with the products of Campbell and Shaw.....but I certainly would like to see them give to the foodbanks.
For every YouTube view, before May 11, 2012, Shaw (Cable) will donate $1 to the food bank drive and Campbell Canada will donate 1 pound of food up to $250,000 and 250,000 pounds of food respectively.
Please share and help us fill local food banks. Find out how you can donate at http://togetherisamazing.com
We have Satellite TV and I already buy Campell's soups for my husband's lunches (unless he makes his own homemade soup!) so watching it won't change how I interact with the products of Campbell and Shaw.....but I certainly would like to see them give to the foodbanks.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Sewing and Zippers.
Well, well. Just talk about zippers and look what happens!!! (the letters are machine stitching!)
Go to Google today and grab ahold of the zipper with your cursor and zip it up and down.
Apparently it's the 132nd birthday of the man that invented the zipper as we know today.
Thank goodness, because the one thing I really hated to sew were buttonholes - and if it weren't for Mr. Gideon Sundback....I would have had no choice but make a million of those little suckers.
Thank you, and Happy Birthday!
Go to Google today and grab ahold of the zipper with your cursor and zip it up and down.
Apparently it's the 132nd birthday of the man that invented the zipper as we know today.
Thank goodness, because the one thing I really hated to sew were buttonholes - and if it weren't for Mr. Gideon Sundback....I would have had no choice but make a million of those little suckers.
Thank you, and Happy Birthday!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Hockey Love Hurts....
Vancouver, as of tonight, is out of the playoffs.
Sad, but true.
The hype never got as feverish as last season....however, the diehard fans are still reeling from the elimination.
So, true to form, here comes the Hockey ads:
And Vancouver feels the pain.
(hey, wait a minute! Isn't the narrator on that video - Morgan Freeman????)
I am glad it's over with.
I might have to cheer on Ottawa....or Washington. Anyone but Boston - our nemesis from last year.
If I watch.
Sad, but true.
The hype never got as feverish as last season....however, the diehard fans are still reeling from the elimination.
So, true to form, here comes the Hockey ads:
And Vancouver feels the pain.
(hey, wait a minute! Isn't the narrator on that video - Morgan Freeman????)
I am glad it's over with.
I might have to cheer on Ottawa....or Washington. Anyone but Boston - our nemesis from last year.
If I watch.
Sew Unlike Nursing...
In High school we had the best Sewing/Textiles teacher in the world.
I learned more in that class than any other class I took - ever.
By the end of Grade 12, we could design and sew any outfit we wanted - without a pattern. We also learned invisible mending, alterations, replacing zippers in pants and other garments, general mending and creating new projects from old clothing.
In Grade 12 my final two projects were a reversible winter coat for my mother and my own Graduation dress....all done without a purchased pattern.
If you are interested in how it's done, you can get an idea from this website.
It wasn't surprising to anyone that the first thing I bought when I graduated from high school wasn't a car.....it was my own sewing machine: A Bernina 830! It is presently 39 years old and still runs as perfectly as the day I bought it!
I really enjoyed sewing and had I thought of it as an option at the time, I should have gone into fashion design.
In the years after high school I designed and sewed two wedding dresses - one for my sister and one for my best friend. I created nursing uniforms for my co-workers that were different than what was available back then 30 years ago. Designing hats, drapes, stuffed toys - you name it - I made it!
Whatever you wished, I could sew. Pattern or not. Anything.
Several of my later projects were new outfits made from reclaimed leather coats from the thrift store. My girlfriend brought me a red leather jacket that I made into a vest for her motorcycle ride with her husband to Sturgis.
My brother's wife who was a BC Lions Cheerleader needed an outfit for travelling with the team to Edmonton - so I took an old leather trench coat and made her a leather dress - using the different bits and pieces on different areas of the garment.
I had to laugh because all her cheerleading friends were asking her where she got it. It was a running joke about my "NU2U Designs".....
The only "money" I made from all that sewing was a little design that made it to a CeBIT technology convention in Hanover, Germany - the world's largest and international computer exhibition:
I designed the little guy not ever seeing "Blues Clues"....but I can see how they are fairly similar.
Unfortunately, their child-phone/GPS business stalled due to infighting in the company, and then, of course the technology boom at that time left them in the dust.....and it became obsolete as other companies came up with similar inventions.
It was a great run though and I got to tour Switzerland, France and Italy from a Jaguar Convertible.
Nowadays, I hardly ever take out my sewing machine. Both my serger and my Bernina are stored under the stairs....mostly forgotten.
I truly believe that Nursing killed Creativity for me.
Originally, I considered my Nursing career to be "temporary" and a way to make a living on my journey to something else....art, music, creating fashion.....
Somehow, without me realizing, it instead became my journey.
For some people, their dream is Nursing. For me, it was anything but Nursing.
I learned more in that class than any other class I took - ever.
 |
| Some of my high school friends with our Sewing Teacher circa 1973 |
In Grade 12 my final two projects were a reversible winter coat for my mother and my own Graduation dress....all done without a purchased pattern.
If you are interested in how it's done, you can get an idea from this website.
It wasn't surprising to anyone that the first thing I bought when I graduated from high school wasn't a car.....it was my own sewing machine: A Bernina 830! It is presently 39 years old and still runs as perfectly as the day I bought it!
 |
| Here is the exact same one I have, also purchased in 1973, for sale on Craigslist Can you believe the asking price is $700 firm? I bought mine in 1973 brand new for $350 |
I really enjoyed sewing and had I thought of it as an option at the time, I should have gone into fashion design.
In the years after high school I designed and sewed two wedding dresses - one for my sister and one for my best friend. I created nursing uniforms for my co-workers that were different than what was available back then 30 years ago. Designing hats, drapes, stuffed toys - you name it - I made it!
Whatever you wished, I could sew. Pattern or not. Anything.
Several of my later projects were new outfits made from reclaimed leather coats from the thrift store. My girlfriend brought me a red leather jacket that I made into a vest for her motorcycle ride with her husband to Sturgis.
My brother's wife who was a BC Lions Cheerleader needed an outfit for travelling with the team to Edmonton - so I took an old leather trench coat and made her a leather dress - using the different bits and pieces on different areas of the garment.
I had to laugh because all her cheerleading friends were asking her where she got it. It was a running joke about my "NU2U Designs".....
 |
| Here is my sister in law with the dress made from the leather trench coat |
The only "money" I made from all that sewing was a little design that made it to a CeBIT technology convention in Hanover, Germany - the world's largest and international computer exhibition:
 |
| Here is the little guy, now hanging in my closet |
 |
| One of the instruction manuals to explain how it works |
 |
| Here is the CeBIT newspaper that was given out at the exhibition in the year 2000 |
 |
| Here we are featured on the 2nd page of the CeBIT news! The writeup explains how the puppy would work |
Unfortunately, their child-phone/GPS business stalled due to infighting in the company, and then, of course the technology boom at that time left them in the dust.....and it became obsolete as other companies came up with similar inventions.
 |
| Notice the number of phones sold....very small numbers back then....!!! |
Nowadays, I hardly ever take out my sewing machine. Both my serger and my Bernina are stored under the stairs....mostly forgotten.
I truly believe that Nursing killed Creativity for me.
Originally, I considered my Nursing career to be "temporary" and a way to make a living on my journey to something else....art, music, creating fashion.....
Somehow, without me realizing, it instead became my journey.
For some people, their dream is Nursing. For me, it was anything but Nursing.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Tired of those old memes??
Well, here is another.
Sorry. I just couldn't resist!
My apologies if you have seen it before.
But - it is too close to the truth!
Sorry. I just couldn't resist!
My apologies if you have seen it before.
But - it is too close to the truth!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Visiting the Twins....or How to Be Helpful...
My RN girlfriend who worked with me in Labor and Delivery had twins.
She has been at home for several weeks so I thought perhaps the dust had settled enough with the her family so I could visit.
It was with excited anticipation that I decided to make the trip into the city to see the little things, but I didn't just want to visit....I also wanted to be useful.
She had told me how wonderful it was to have other nursing friends of ours come over to help fold the laundry and so on.
She claimed she was a little starved for a little socialization, having been off work already - for 3 1/2 months.
I just wanted to do my part and help out. After all, one baby is work enough, never mind two!
My husband and I had gone shopping on the weekend for little outfits and since we couldn't decide which outfits to get......we got four! So cute!
So I packed up the gifts and a dozen muffins for mom and headed out.
Mom was clearly exhausted. Right away, I offered to do whatever to help. She had mentioned that the babies wet all over their bed and so I told her I could launder them for her. She tried to object, but I just wouldn't hear of it.
"You just relax and continue with your feeds! I will look after this, and anything else you would like me to do!" I announced.
Stripping the bed and carefully retrieving the phone from the duvet folds, I bundled up the sheets and threw them in the laundry. While waiting for the wash, I held one babe while mom fed the other, and for several hours we kept swapping babies back and forth.
More than likely a bit of a growth spurt they were going through.
Midway through the wash cycle I heard some strange banging sounds.
I asked my friend...."Uhh...is that normal???"
"Oh yeah" she waved a hand in the general direction of the machines. "It always makes weird sounds every now and then!"
So we relaxed back into the couch with the two little angels.
I got up several times, throwing the laundry in the dryer, checking on things.....
At one point in the afternoon, my girlfriend's husband arrived home and put his own work laundry in the washer.
"What's this doing in here?" he queried, holding up a very wet Blackberry.
Thoroughly horrified, I sunk into the sofa. "I knew there was a noise that wasn't normal!!! So SORRY!!!!"
I couldn't apologise enough.
My friend kept trying to tell me "It's OK. It'll dry out - I am sure it will be OK". I couldn't be comforted.
I noticed that, instead of being upset, her husband kept saying to my friend...."Do you want me to upgrade you an iPhone ????"
Apparently he had been trying to convince her to switch for a week now, but my friend - being the type of person to not care about keeping up with "the latest" - kept refusing.
Now she has no excuse. You're welcome!!
*cringe*
Thanks to her well-meaning friend...... the issue had been forced.
The rest of my visit was spent apologising profusely.
As I left, I asked her if there was anything I could do for her.....any floors to wash? Dishes to do?
.....................Any more electronic devices that need washing????
Embarrassment plus.
*sigh*
She has been at home for several weeks so I thought perhaps the dust had settled enough with the her family so I could visit.
It was with excited anticipation that I decided to make the trip into the city to see the little things, but I didn't just want to visit....I also wanted to be useful.
She had told me how wonderful it was to have other nursing friends of ours come over to help fold the laundry and so on.
She claimed she was a little starved for a little socialization, having been off work already - for 3 1/2 months.
 |
| Adorableness personified |
I just wanted to do my part and help out. After all, one baby is work enough, never mind two!
My husband and I had gone shopping on the weekend for little outfits and since we couldn't decide which outfits to get......we got four! So cute!
So I packed up the gifts and a dozen muffins for mom and headed out.
Mom was clearly exhausted. Right away, I offered to do whatever to help. She had mentioned that the babies wet all over their bed and so I told her I could launder them for her. She tried to object, but I just wouldn't hear of it.
"You just relax and continue with your feeds! I will look after this, and anything else you would like me to do!" I announced.
 |
| Beautiful tiny baby feet..... |
Stripping the bed and carefully retrieving the phone from the duvet folds, I bundled up the sheets and threw them in the laundry. While waiting for the wash, I held one babe while mom fed the other, and for several hours we kept swapping babies back and forth.
More than likely a bit of a growth spurt they were going through.
Midway through the wash cycle I heard some strange banging sounds.
I asked my friend...."Uhh...is that normal???"
"Oh yeah" she waved a hand in the general direction of the machines. "It always makes weird sounds every now and then!"
 |
| Kitty hiding from the noise - crying babies and laundry sounds.... |
So we relaxed back into the couch with the two little angels.
I got up several times, throwing the laundry in the dryer, checking on things.....
At one point in the afternoon, my girlfriend's husband arrived home and put his own work laundry in the washer.
"What's this doing in here?" he queried, holding up a very wet Blackberry.
Thoroughly horrified, I sunk into the sofa. "I knew there was a noise that wasn't normal!!! So SORRY!!!!"
I couldn't apologise enough.
 |
| The sorry blackberry......but not as sorry as me... |
My friend kept trying to tell me "It's OK. It'll dry out - I am sure it will be OK". I couldn't be comforted.
I noticed that, instead of being upset, her husband kept saying to my friend...."Do you want me to upgrade you an iPhone ????"
Apparently he had been trying to convince her to switch for a week now, but my friend - being the type of person to not care about keeping up with "the latest" - kept refusing.
Now she has no excuse. You're welcome!!
*cringe*
Thanks to her well-meaning friend...... the issue had been forced.
The rest of my visit was spent apologising profusely.
As I left, I asked her if there was anything I could do for her.....any floors to wash? Dishes to do?
.....................Any more electronic devices that need washing????
Embarrassment plus.
*sigh*
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