I recently spent a good amount of time in a hospital (visiting!).
I was amazed at the rules and regulations they have now concerning privacy.
Patient Charts are no longer at the foot of the bed; computer screens are covered or the monitors go almost immediately into a screen-saver mode; the elevators caution care providers NOT to discuss patients while in the elevators:
CAUTION:
DO NOT DISCUSS PAITIENTS WHILE IN THE ELEVATOR!
It gave me confidence that a patient’s right to privacy was being respected.
At one point, my cousin (who I was visiting) had to have a surgical procedure.
When we went in to the waitng room, a woman asked us the patient’s name and then assigned us a number. She told us that to respect the patient’s right to privacy, we would now be referred to as #1; no names, Please! When the procedure was over, a doctor would “summon” us, and we would be referred to simply as #1. Families of other patients soon joined us (numbers 2-7, respectively).
And we all waited.
The phone rang: “OK, Thank you” I heard the receptionist say.
Then she called out:
“Number 3, Number 3 please!”
pause
“Reynolds family! Family of John Reynolds!”
So much for privacy… but wait, it gets better.
A few minutes latter, a doctor came out and called “Mrs. Reynolds…?”
Mrs Reynolds stood up and I could clearly hear WAY more information than I ever wanted to hear about Mr Reynolds stomach operation…
Ouch!
So: the not so private privacy rules go out the window for expediency.
I can’t imagine the number of embarrassing situations that arise from this!
Anyway: Privacy Rules are clearly not important in some areas of the hospital.
Whatever…
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
In Search of Scientific Truth
When I was a kid, I loved astronomy. My parents took me to the Museum of Natural History in New York and my favorite part of the trip was always the planetarium! The Dinosaurs were great… they were huge and frightening and the thought of those big beasts roaming the earth was mind boggling.
But they were the past and I always wanted to look forward.
Point me to the future and to the stars!
Sit back, look up and watch the stars swirl… the booming voice telling you that you are one tiny speck in a galaxy in a solar system in a universe that spans billions and billions of miles and years.
I memorized ALL the planets (and their moons):
MercuryVenusEarthMarsJupiterSaturnUranusNetptune and Pluto.
There was something wonderful about the possibility that in my life time even more planets would be discovered, that we would walk on Mars, that science and knowledge are indeed the resources to find truth, that belief in science and belief in God need not be in opposition; that we can one day …
What? No, you’re wrong.
Pluto is no longer considered a planet? just an ice ball? Not a planet?
Why?
(long pause)
Another truth is revealed: While logic and reasoning do indeed play an important part in science, it evidently is also true that in science (or at least planetary science) as in human nature, size matters (at least to the men determining this sort of thing).
But they were the past and I always wanted to look forward.
Point me to the future and to the stars!
Sit back, look up and watch the stars swirl… the booming voice telling you that you are one tiny speck in a galaxy in a solar system in a universe that spans billions and billions of miles and years.
I memorized ALL the planets (and their moons):
MercuryVenusEarthMarsJupiterSaturnUranusNetptune and Pluto.
There was something wonderful about the possibility that in my life time even more planets would be discovered, that we would walk on Mars, that science and knowledge are indeed the resources to find truth, that belief in science and belief in God need not be in opposition; that we can one day …
What? No, you’re wrong.
Pluto is no longer considered a planet? just an ice ball? Not a planet?
Why?
(long pause)
Another truth is revealed: While logic and reasoning do indeed play an important part in science, it evidently is also true that in science (or at least planetary science) as in human nature, size matters (at least to the men determining this sort of thing).
I Just Want to Be Heard!
Note: I have not been fair to my fan base! Blogs will continue on a more regular basis
We all want our 15 minutes of fame.
Some of you reading this might be thinking: “No, that’s not true, I hate the limelight.” I disagree. We ALL want to be on American Idol, maybe not to sing (although is there anyone out there who doesn’t think they can sing better than Sanjaya?) but you do want to be in the center of the stage… You want to be heard!
Case in point:
Several Weeks ago I was in a meeting room at the State House in Trenton. The room is set up in a horseshoe and each member of the committee that meets in that room has a microphone. I was in Trenton as part of a celebration of elementary school children whose art work was selected to be shown at an art exhibit at the state house. At this evening event there were over 120 people, many of them were children. The children were draw to the microphones like bees to honey. The mics weren’t on, but no matter: if a child went by the mike, they stopped and spoke (or sang) into it. I’m not kidding, not one of them could walk by without leaning over and saying something into the mike, even though it wasn’t on.
Okay, you’re thinking, they’re kids!
Not so fast.
Once the children left and the adults were left to clean up, I heard several of my colleagues voices over the speaker system. They not only couldn’t resist the temptation, they had found the sound controls and turned the microphones on.
They were singing (badly) telling jokes (poorly) and altogether being silly.
Yes, they were just goofing around, but I think that deep inside each of them was this tiny voice saying: “Listen to me! I’m better than William Hung! I’m better than Sanjaya! I just want to be heard.”
We all want our 15 minutes of fame.
Some of you reading this might be thinking: “No, that’s not true, I hate the limelight.” I disagree. We ALL want to be on American Idol, maybe not to sing (although is there anyone out there who doesn’t think they can sing better than Sanjaya?) but you do want to be in the center of the stage… You want to be heard!
Case in point:
Several Weeks ago I was in a meeting room at the State House in Trenton. The room is set up in a horseshoe and each member of the committee that meets in that room has a microphone. I was in Trenton as part of a celebration of elementary school children whose art work was selected to be shown at an art exhibit at the state house. At this evening event there were over 120 people, many of them were children. The children were draw to the microphones like bees to honey. The mics weren’t on, but no matter: if a child went by the mike, they stopped and spoke (or sang) into it. I’m not kidding, not one of them could walk by without leaning over and saying something into the mike, even though it wasn’t on.
Okay, you’re thinking, they’re kids!
Not so fast.
Once the children left and the adults were left to clean up, I heard several of my colleagues voices over the speaker system. They not only couldn’t resist the temptation, they had found the sound controls and turned the microphones on.
They were singing (badly) telling jokes (poorly) and altogether being silly.
Yes, they were just goofing around, but I think that deep inside each of them was this tiny voice saying: “Listen to me! I’m better than William Hung! I’m better than Sanjaya! I just want to be heard.”
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Saturday, 8:45 PM
It’s Saturday and I went out to dinner tonight with my “Other.” You know the wine “swirling, sniffing, slurping, spitting enthusiast” noted in No More Whining.
We went to a local restaurant where you can BYOB. It’s very casual, the food is good and inexpensive. We go often.
But I digress.
This is really about the fact that it’s Saturday night and we ate early.
When we were almost done I said:
“Want to go to Shop-Rite after dinner?”
“Why, do we need anything?”
"Not really, maybe fat-free cookies?"
“Then why go?”
Long, long pause.
“Because I can’t think of anything else to do, and it’s only 6:30.”
Another long pause.
“Well, That’s your next blog!”
It was 6:30 on a Saturday night and I couldn’t think of anyplace to go but Shop-Rite .... to buy fat-free cookies.
I’m not sure what is most pathetic about this. That is was 6:30 and we had no plans, that it was 6:30 and Shop-Rite seemed like a normal thing to do on a Saturday night or that I was even thinking about fat-free cookies.
Wherever the pathos lies, I’m sure I’m much too young to think Shop–Rite is a destination on a Saturday night.
We did NOT go to Shop-Rite.
But here I am, writing a blog in an attempt to void grading papers; it’s 8:45 on a Saturday night.
We went to a local restaurant where you can BYOB. It’s very casual, the food is good and inexpensive. We go often.
But I digress.
This is really about the fact that it’s Saturday night and we ate early.
When we were almost done I said:
“Want to go to Shop-Rite after dinner?”
“Why, do we need anything?”
"Not really, maybe fat-free cookies?"
“Then why go?”
Long, long pause.
“Because I can’t think of anything else to do, and it’s only 6:30.”
Another long pause.
“Well, That’s your next blog!”
It was 6:30 on a Saturday night and I couldn’t think of anyplace to go but Shop-Rite .... to buy fat-free cookies.
I’m not sure what is most pathetic about this. That is was 6:30 and we had no plans, that it was 6:30 and Shop-Rite seemed like a normal thing to do on a Saturday night or that I was even thinking about fat-free cookies.
Wherever the pathos lies, I’m sure I’m much too young to think Shop–Rite is a destination on a Saturday night.
We did NOT go to Shop-Rite.
But here I am, writing a blog in an attempt to void grading papers; it’s 8:45 on a Saturday night.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Get me to a Subway
My nephew is an actor. A year ago, he and 7 other actors/writers wrote segments/scenes to a play whose premise was roughly this:
People get on a subway at Union Station in NYC, and the subway breaks down. Stuck on the Subway, they tell their stories, I guess to pass the time. Some were hysterical, some were thought provoking some were sad, but none was written by anyone over 35.
My question here is: Don’t people over 35 ride the subway? Or is the assumption here that people over 35 just don’t have anything worth saying?
The play was VERY good, but I have to say I was a bit annoyed.
I have things to say! I have stories, and some of them are quite funny. I don’t think we stop getting provocative or intelligent or humorous when we reach a certain age. Andy Rooney is still funny. So why wasn’t my demographic on that subway? Believe me, I know we aren’t walking and we can’t afford a cab; we’re on that subway! The director tried very hard to reach every other demographic: White, Hispanic, Black, Gay … but not “old.”
Does youth think it has a corner on creativity? You don't! We’ve got more money than most under 30 and if you want us to support your play, you’d better have at least one token AARP member. Maybe he/she could die early on in the play, and they could just slide that character out the door, or ignore her (which would be most appropriate). But come on, we have a weath of experience to draw from. Let us ride the subway!
People get on a subway at Union Station in NYC, and the subway breaks down. Stuck on the Subway, they tell their stories, I guess to pass the time. Some were hysterical, some were thought provoking some were sad, but none was written by anyone over 35.
My question here is: Don’t people over 35 ride the subway? Or is the assumption here that people over 35 just don’t have anything worth saying?
The play was VERY good, but I have to say I was a bit annoyed.
I have things to say! I have stories, and some of them are quite funny. I don’t think we stop getting provocative or intelligent or humorous when we reach a certain age. Andy Rooney is still funny. So why wasn’t my demographic on that subway? Believe me, I know we aren’t walking and we can’t afford a cab; we’re on that subway! The director tried very hard to reach every other demographic: White, Hispanic, Black, Gay … but not “old.”
Does youth think it has a corner on creativity? You don't! We’ve got more money than most under 30 and if you want us to support your play, you’d better have at least one token AARP member. Maybe he/she could die early on in the play, and they could just slide that character out the door, or ignore her (which would be most appropriate). But come on, we have a weath of experience to draw from. Let us ride the subway!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Grab a Towel and Dance
I have long held that once a child reaches 13, they should be given over to the military until they’re 21 or 22.
Most cultures have a rite of passage at some point during the teen years. They leave a child out in the jungle or dessert or wilderness to fend for themselves so they can prove to themselves and their community, that they are mature adults.
In America, we shower teenagers with gifts: cell phones, ipods, and in later teen years, cars, credit cards and lavish parties as they turn 16. I don’t know when this started, but I’d like it to stop now. If the past 40 years have been a social experiment, it has failed miserably.
I know, you’re thinking that YOUR son or daughter is different: No way! They have merely learned to manipulate you into thinking they are different. If you are a parent, they think you are totally UN-cool, and stupid, and they will think this until after College (and in some cases, beyond).
A case in point.
I have lots of stores about teenagers, but I’ll give you this one now:
Several years ago, my friend’s teenage daughter actually asked her mother and my friend and I to leave her house because her friends were coming over to pick her up and we would embarrass her (we were SO un-cool). Note: they were just coming over to pick her up, they weren’t going to stay there… So I responded in an appropriate way: I grabbed a bath towel, placed it on my head and started singing Proud Mary, at the top of my lungs, while standing on her front porch. I sang the whole song… and danced.
Her friends thought I was very cool, and funny. She didn’t talk to me for weeks. Delightful.
So if a teenager gives you one of those looks or rolls his/her eyes, or stomps up or down the stairs…
Grab a towel, put it on your head and DANCE!
Most cultures have a rite of passage at some point during the teen years. They leave a child out in the jungle or dessert or wilderness to fend for themselves so they can prove to themselves and their community, that they are mature adults.
In America, we shower teenagers with gifts: cell phones, ipods, and in later teen years, cars, credit cards and lavish parties as they turn 16. I don’t know when this started, but I’d like it to stop now. If the past 40 years have been a social experiment, it has failed miserably.
I know, you’re thinking that YOUR son or daughter is different: No way! They have merely learned to manipulate you into thinking they are different. If you are a parent, they think you are totally UN-cool, and stupid, and they will think this until after College (and in some cases, beyond).
A case in point.
I have lots of stores about teenagers, but I’ll give you this one now:
Several years ago, my friend’s teenage daughter actually asked her mother and my friend and I to leave her house because her friends were coming over to pick her up and we would embarrass her (we were SO un-cool). Note: they were just coming over to pick her up, they weren’t going to stay there… So I responded in an appropriate way: I grabbed a bath towel, placed it on my head and started singing Proud Mary, at the top of my lungs, while standing on her front porch. I sang the whole song… and danced.
Her friends thought I was very cool, and funny. She didn’t talk to me for weeks. Delightful.
So if a teenager gives you one of those looks or rolls his/her eyes, or stomps up or down the stairs…
Grab a towel, put it on your head and DANCE!
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Flat Screen Fatties
Hey! All of you out there with wide screen TVs:
Why do you insist on filling the screen when you’re watching broadcast TV?
For years we’ve all been looking at a TV which is almost square.
Threatened by TV, the Movie Industry began making movies that were bigger and bigger, and finally settled on making movies that were wider than the TV “square”…
Now, TV is getting bigger (and wider)
But TV shows have not followed (unless you’re watching in HD)
So: If you have a wide screen TV you ought to be watching broadcast TV with what we call letter boxing on the side.
OK: all of this is way too complicated for a mindless blog,
But when you fill the screen with the picture, can’t you see that all these newscasters and weather people and actors and actresses have suddenly put on 20 pounds? I’ve sat in a room with people who have wide screen TV and showed them the difference:
“Here’s what it’s supposed to look like (switch) here’s what you’re watching…
Can you SEE the difference?”
“Yeah” they’ll reply, “But I like the screen filled.”
Nevermind that it’s just plain WRONG
I know that we’re a country of obese people, and maybe that’s the reason we feel comfortable watching all those flat screen fatties on TV: they make the rest of us feel downright slim.
So: Forget the diet! Forget the exercise! Want to feel thin?
Go buy a wide screen TV!
Why do you insist on filling the screen when you’re watching broadcast TV?
For years we’ve all been looking at a TV which is almost square.
Threatened by TV, the Movie Industry began making movies that were bigger and bigger, and finally settled on making movies that were wider than the TV “square”…
Now, TV is getting bigger (and wider)
But TV shows have not followed (unless you’re watching in HD)
So: If you have a wide screen TV you ought to be watching broadcast TV with what we call letter boxing on the side.
OK: all of this is way too complicated for a mindless blog,
But when you fill the screen with the picture, can’t you see that all these newscasters and weather people and actors and actresses have suddenly put on 20 pounds? I’ve sat in a room with people who have wide screen TV and showed them the difference:
“Here’s what it’s supposed to look like (switch) here’s what you’re watching…
Can you SEE the difference?”
“Yeah” they’ll reply, “But I like the screen filled.”
Nevermind that it’s just plain WRONG
I know that we’re a country of obese people, and maybe that’s the reason we feel comfortable watching all those flat screen fatties on TV: they make the rest of us feel downright slim.
So: Forget the diet! Forget the exercise! Want to feel thin?
Go buy a wide screen TV!
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Stop Whining, Please!
What I really mean is: STOP Wining, but I thought I would lose you.
Have you seen the Videos done by the guy who owns the Wine Library?
He’s done almost 200 videos on wine.
My “Significant Other” (that title is a topic for a future blog!)
Is a wine enthusiast, and almost every night I sit in the office we share and have to listen to Gary talk about the nose, the legs, the tastes and the flavors. He rants, raves, sloshes and splits and does this funny tasting thing with his lips, kind of like Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs.
Now it’s annoying enough to hear him go on and on and on,
but if I steal a glance at just the right moment, I see “the Other” mimicking what he’s doing… Sloshing and tasting imaginary wine.
The observation here is that LOTS of people mimic people they’re talking to. Have you ever been in “The South” and found yourself talking with a slight drawl? Or gone to England and found yourself talking with an obviously BAD English accent. I do it myself.
The sloshing and lip thing, however, is a bit unnerving.
And Gary may be one of the most annoying people I’ve seen …
Endearing to Whine Enthusiasts, I’m sure.
But I’m NOT an enthusiast, I just sit next to one, and I’m afraid that after the sloshing and smacking,
the spitting might start.
Stop, Please!
Have you seen the Videos done by the guy who owns the Wine Library?
He’s done almost 200 videos on wine.
My “Significant Other” (that title is a topic for a future blog!)
Is a wine enthusiast, and almost every night I sit in the office we share and have to listen to Gary talk about the nose, the legs, the tastes and the flavors. He rants, raves, sloshes and splits and does this funny tasting thing with his lips, kind of like Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs.
Now it’s annoying enough to hear him go on and on and on,
but if I steal a glance at just the right moment, I see “the Other” mimicking what he’s doing… Sloshing and tasting imaginary wine.
The observation here is that LOTS of people mimic people they’re talking to. Have you ever been in “The South” and found yourself talking with a slight drawl? Or gone to England and found yourself talking with an obviously BAD English accent. I do it myself.
The sloshing and lip thing, however, is a bit unnerving.
And Gary may be one of the most annoying people I’ve seen …
Endearing to Whine Enthusiasts, I’m sure.
But I’m NOT an enthusiast, I just sit next to one, and I’m afraid that after the sloshing and smacking,
the spitting might start.
Stop, Please!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Looking for Fruit Snacks
I find myself in a state of panic because i cannot find my favorite snack: Minute Maid Fruit Snacks.
I don't want Sunkist or Welsh's: I Want Minute Maid.
I went to Stop and Shop, my regular supplier, but they are out.
A&P doesn't carry them nor does Shop Rite.
I'm like an addict in search of a fix.
What has gotten me particularly anxious about this, is that it seems I've hooked my sister as well.
She's a well-adjusted, professional but this morning she yelled:
"Get me those Minute Maid Fruit Snacks"
A healthy, low-calorie, fat-free snack, and I can't find them.
And I'm getting obsessed...
I spent 45 minutes on Google trying to find them.
I wonder if I went downtown to the guy who hangs out in the doorway on the dark street, leaving the shadows only to walk up to people in cars and handing them little bags....
i wonder if he could find me Fruit Snack?
They come in bags...
My fear is that this is yet another manifestation of an addidctive personality.
Have you ever had spearmint Ice Breakers Ice Cubes?
Ohmygod, they're incredible, and hard to find as well.
Target has them, but no one else.
Which reminds me: I only have 12 packs of them left...
Gotta Go; I need more Ice Cubes...
I don't want Sunkist or Welsh's: I Want Minute Maid.
I went to Stop and Shop, my regular supplier, but they are out.
A&P doesn't carry them nor does Shop Rite.
I'm like an addict in search of a fix.
What has gotten me particularly anxious about this, is that it seems I've hooked my sister as well.
She's a well-adjusted, professional but this morning she yelled:
"Get me those Minute Maid Fruit Snacks"
A healthy, low-calorie, fat-free snack, and I can't find them.
And I'm getting obsessed...
I spent 45 minutes on Google trying to find them.
I wonder if I went downtown to the guy who hangs out in the doorway on the dark street, leaving the shadows only to walk up to people in cars and handing them little bags....
i wonder if he could find me Fruit Snack?
They come in bags...
My fear is that this is yet another manifestation of an addidctive personality.
Have you ever had spearmint Ice Breakers Ice Cubes?
Ohmygod, they're incredible, and hard to find as well.
Target has them, but no one else.
Which reminds me: I only have 12 packs of them left...
Gotta Go; I need more Ice Cubes...
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Slipping and sliding
I watched a video last night form Washington (State of) or was it Oregon?
Matters not …
The West Coast has been under an icy blast and the streets of this city were covered in ice … Covered. Not just an icy patch, but the whole street. The video showed cars sliding for an entire block, bouncing like balls off the bumpers in pinball, crashing into car after car after car… People were watching and yelling ….
And this happened more than once. Several cars were shown turning onto the street and simply losing control: slide … crash …. Spin …slide …. crash
So: I have two questions …
Why didn’t someone block the street(s) off so no one else would go down?
(And I wonder just how long it took until the police arrived)
And why didn’t those stupid people who were yelling get out of the street?
I was really waiting until one of them got hit by a car. I mean the cars were Out of Control and everyone knew it… but there were these people watching and yelling, and slipping and sliding.
Again I have no moral, but I would caution anyone driving or walking on an ice covered street: get to high ground as quickly as possible
Matters not …
The West Coast has been under an icy blast and the streets of this city were covered in ice … Covered. Not just an icy patch, but the whole street. The video showed cars sliding for an entire block, bouncing like balls off the bumpers in pinball, crashing into car after car after car… People were watching and yelling ….
And this happened more than once. Several cars were shown turning onto the street and simply losing control: slide … crash …. Spin …slide …. crash
So: I have two questions …
Why didn’t someone block the street(s) off so no one else would go down?
(And I wonder just how long it took until the police arrived)
And why didn’t those stupid people who were yelling get out of the street?
I was really waiting until one of them got hit by a car. I mean the cars were Out of Control and everyone knew it… but there were these people watching and yelling, and slipping and sliding.
Again I have no moral, but I would caution anyone driving or walking on an ice covered street: get to high ground as quickly as possible
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Macy's is closed
an FYI: Panic comes from Pan ... the god who caused terror
I had hundreds of things to do and stopping at Macy's to get a gift card was NOT one of them.
I had 20 minutes before I had to be at a meeting, so I seized the moment.
I turned into the parking lot, got out of my car and walked toward the door.
A woman walking down the path said: "They're closed."
I wasn't sure what she said...
Another woman passed me and said: "Don't bother, they're closed!"
What? Macy's is closed?
A third person walked away...
What? Macy's is closed?
So, I went up to the door, and pulled at it.
I read the sign that said:
Macy's is closed January 10th for Inventory
I pulled on the door again
What was I thinking?
If I pulled hard enough, were the doors going to magically open?
Was someone just waiting for ME to pull the door?
Why didn't I listen to those other people?
I HAD to pull on the doors...
There is no moral here, and I don't know if it's a good or bad thing that so many people have to pull on the doors even when we know they won't open...
I didn't get the gift card, and I survived
When i told my niece my story she said I had lots of good stories; this is NOT the best one.
but it is the first one posted.
I had hundreds of things to do and stopping at Macy's to get a gift card was NOT one of them.
I had 20 minutes before I had to be at a meeting, so I seized the moment.
I turned into the parking lot, got out of my car and walked toward the door.
A woman walking down the path said: "They're closed."
I wasn't sure what she said...
Another woman passed me and said: "Don't bother, they're closed!"
What? Macy's is closed?
A third person walked away...
What? Macy's is closed?
So, I went up to the door, and pulled at it.
I read the sign that said:
Macy's is closed January 10th for Inventory
I pulled on the door again
What was I thinking?
If I pulled hard enough, were the doors going to magically open?
Was someone just waiting for ME to pull the door?
Why didn't I listen to those other people?
I HAD to pull on the doors...
There is no moral here, and I don't know if it's a good or bad thing that so many people have to pull on the doors even when we know they won't open...
I didn't get the gift card, and I survived
When i told my niece my story she said I had lots of good stories; this is NOT the best one.
but it is the first one posted.
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