A day has come that I (and so many others) have long waited for... my friends Charles and Myron are getting married. Legally! For real!
Now, they're doing a very informal wedding day. Basically signing the papers and boom, you're done! Charles is in school, it's Christmas season and everyone is way too busy to do a huge wedding. So, they'll have celebrations later, probably after Charles gets out of school. But, it's still a wedding. I don't care how elaborate or how small... it's a moment of wonder.
For someone you've known since Kindergarten, saying Best Wishes just doesn't cover it. So, I came up with a list of things I wish for their marriage:
1. that you love and respect one another all your days. Love without respect isn't really love.
2. that you get an equal amount of saucers and teacups for your showers (if you have them). Because what the Hell was I supposed to do with 11 saucers and 9 teacups? Really?
3. that you go to bed mad sometimes. Because, seriously, when you're mad at each other, you don't need to add sleepy-cranky to the fight.
4. that you don't hyphenate your names. I love you both dearly, but I've tried out the combo of your last names. To me, they sound like a rare neurological disorder that people burst into tears as the doctor describes it to them. But, if you do, it will make it easier to fit on your Christmas card envelope, so I won't really complain either way.
5. that you both continue to be the unique people you are. I know you've been together for ages, but sometimes when people get married, they kind of morph into one person. Like Samneric from Lord of the Flies. Only more boring. You two are awesome together, and you're awesome apart, so keep your personalities.
6. that you realize how blessed you are. Neither of you will EVER have a PMS meltdown on the other. Do you even know how much that is worth in a relationship?? Gold, pure gold, that's what it's worth. You will save a fortune in chocolate and Kleenex. Chances are you will also never have to suffer through a Hallmark movie marathon. Pure. Gold.
7. that you never forget to show each other how much you mean to one another. A huge gift on an anniversary will never mean as much as the chicken soup you bring home when they're sick. Or the cute note left on the bathroom mirror. Or, even something as small as a hug on the bad days. Those are the true gifts.
8. And, speaking of gifts... I wish for you to never forget your anniversary, birthday, etc. 'Cause I think even a couple of guys would get miffed over that stuff. So, yeah... I'm wishing you both memory and excellent gift-picking skills.
That's all I can think of for now. Except of course, the wishes I've always had for you both. The wishes that I wished for you when you were "shacking up" extend to your marriage. Joy, understanding, love, hugs, friendships, great travels and wonderful food. So far, you're doing great on those. Keep it up!
Love & Kisses (and visions of me standing with you as your flower girl today, wearing my Wonder Woman Tutu),
Emily
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
On Prayer (a rambling post that simply won't get out of my mind, so here it is)
A friend posted a mini-rant on Facebook the other day. It was about prayer being a lazy way to deal with things. He was frustrated, ticked-off, pissed-off and otherwise fed up. He didn't mean that everyone who prays does nothing. But, he did mean that a lot of people say, "I'll pray for _____" so that they don't have to do anything, but still get to feel good. And, he's right. It's sad, but he's right. And, in a lot of situations, prayer without action is not what's needed. It needs the hands and hearts to go with it. Working hands and hearts of compassion. Because, most of the time, words without action don't to much.
Now, I'm not saying prayer doesn't work. Quite the opposite. I'm a big ol' believer in prayer. I still really believe in the power of prayer. It helped me get through Dad's death. I truly believe that prayer helped heal my Mom, when the neurosurgeon said she didn't have a single chance to survive her aneurysm (in 1997! And she's still here, kids).
Personally, I'm very bad at praying out loud. My prayers are not eloquent. They're not full of thees, thous and such. They're full of a lot of "um..." and "well, you know what I'm saying." They soothe me, they make me feel closer to God. They make me focus, and often figure out the problem about which I'm praying.
I've seen so many nasty comments on the internet when someone says, "I'll pray for them." They get told that they're talking to an imaginary friend, or worse. But, I'll continue to pray, no matter what others think or say.
The worst kind of prayers that I utter... they're also in my head. They're while my heart is pumping, and my hands are working as hard as they can. They're while I'm being a nurse. They're the worst, because they're being prayed (in my head, as always) in a time when, to put it far less than nicely, the shit has hit the fan.
When someone is dying, or already dead. When I'm silently praying for the patient, their family, and even my coworkers, in between screaming out the chest compression count, yelling for someone to start a line, bring supplies, call someone else in, etc. The family, the patient and my coworkers can only hear the confidence in my voice. The tone that I call my "nurse voice." As I'm telling everyone what to do (loudly, did I mention loudly?), they don't hear the part of me that is terrified.
The part that has already acknowledged the battle is lost, and that my chest compressions have no hope of bringing that patient back. The even worse knowledge that I won, their heart beat has already come back, but I know it won't last, the person is too sick or damaged. They don't hear that inner voice praying so hard that it drowns out my confident voice (in my head at least). That voice is screaming to God that the family have peace. That the patient be out of it enough that they don't feel my huge hands breaking their ribs as I try to bring them back, that they had peace with their family and that they're going on somewhere nice as I feel their skin growing cold.
That voice is begging that my coworkers keep their chins up, no matter how many patients we've lost that week/month/year. That if the family decides to take out their broken hearts on us, accusing us of not caring, or worse of being incompetent or negligent, that my coworkers, and myself, can hold in our hearts the truth that we DID care, and that we DID do our best.
Now that I'm in corrections, I'm praying that the media won't eat us alive for every perceived failing we have. Praying that today won't be the day that the patient we did everything for, and who wound up in a hospital with a terminal diagnosis (that they brought on themselves with terrible life choices), will have a multi-million dollar lawsuit brought against me for not being God. For not being able to heal them from things that I didn't do, and can't fix. I'm praying that all of us will go home safe. That today won't be the day one of us gets attacked. That I won't be working on one of my own at some point that day.
All the while, my hands and heart... they're working. But, so is my soul, so is my mind. And, so is my God. When my prayers don't get answered, and that patient dies. When that article comes out in the paper or a comment pops up on a local website, accusing me and mine of horrible things that are so untrue you can't believe anyone would suggest it of anyone, let alone a nurse who provided great care. When the family lashes out. When you lose patient after patient. When it isn't a patient you lose, but a coworker, a family member. When the fight seems lost, and my prayers seem unanswered, my God is there. Holding my hand, soothing my heart and my mind.
And, I get up. I dust myself off, and I get back to work. I get back to barking orders, being bossy and even laughing too loud in inappropriate circumstances. But, you can bet... sometimes I'm praying, too. And, sometimes... it's for you!
Now, I'm not saying prayer doesn't work. Quite the opposite. I'm a big ol' believer in prayer. I still really believe in the power of prayer. It helped me get through Dad's death. I truly believe that prayer helped heal my Mom, when the neurosurgeon said she didn't have a single chance to survive her aneurysm (in 1997! And she's still here, kids).
Personally, I'm very bad at praying out loud. My prayers are not eloquent. They're not full of thees, thous and such. They're full of a lot of "um..." and "well, you know what I'm saying." They soothe me, they make me feel closer to God. They make me focus, and often figure out the problem about which I'm praying.
I've seen so many nasty comments on the internet when someone says, "I'll pray for them." They get told that they're talking to an imaginary friend, or worse. But, I'll continue to pray, no matter what others think or say.
The worst kind of prayers that I utter... they're also in my head. They're while my heart is pumping, and my hands are working as hard as they can. They're while I'm being a nurse. They're the worst, because they're being prayed (in my head, as always) in a time when, to put it far less than nicely, the shit has hit the fan.
When someone is dying, or already dead. When I'm silently praying for the patient, their family, and even my coworkers, in between screaming out the chest compression count, yelling for someone to start a line, bring supplies, call someone else in, etc. The family, the patient and my coworkers can only hear the confidence in my voice. The tone that I call my "nurse voice." As I'm telling everyone what to do (loudly, did I mention loudly?), they don't hear the part of me that is terrified.
The part that has already acknowledged the battle is lost, and that my chest compressions have no hope of bringing that patient back. The even worse knowledge that I won, their heart beat has already come back, but I know it won't last, the person is too sick or damaged. They don't hear that inner voice praying so hard that it drowns out my confident voice (in my head at least). That voice is screaming to God that the family have peace. That the patient be out of it enough that they don't feel my huge hands breaking their ribs as I try to bring them back, that they had peace with their family and that they're going on somewhere nice as I feel their skin growing cold.
That voice is begging that my coworkers keep their chins up, no matter how many patients we've lost that week/month/year. That if the family decides to take out their broken hearts on us, accusing us of not caring, or worse of being incompetent or negligent, that my coworkers, and myself, can hold in our hearts the truth that we DID care, and that we DID do our best.
Now that I'm in corrections, I'm praying that the media won't eat us alive for every perceived failing we have. Praying that today won't be the day that the patient we did everything for, and who wound up in a hospital with a terminal diagnosis (that they brought on themselves with terrible life choices), will have a multi-million dollar lawsuit brought against me for not being God. For not being able to heal them from things that I didn't do, and can't fix. I'm praying that all of us will go home safe. That today won't be the day one of us gets attacked. That I won't be working on one of my own at some point that day.
All the while, my hands and heart... they're working. But, so is my soul, so is my mind. And, so is my God. When my prayers don't get answered, and that patient dies. When that article comes out in the paper or a comment pops up on a local website, accusing me and mine of horrible things that are so untrue you can't believe anyone would suggest it of anyone, let alone a nurse who provided great care. When the family lashes out. When you lose patient after patient. When it isn't a patient you lose, but a coworker, a family member. When the fight seems lost, and my prayers seem unanswered, my God is there. Holding my hand, soothing my heart and my mind.
And, I get up. I dust myself off, and I get back to work. I get back to barking orders, being bossy and even laughing too loud in inappropriate circumstances. But, you can bet... sometimes I'm praying, too. And, sometimes... it's for you!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Cabinets can be adorable. Who knew??
So, it's a little later than promised (shocker... me running behind!!), but here's the info on my favorite part of the re-do. My cabinets!!!
The office came with a bank of lower cabinets in a blue/gray color. The countertops match exactly. Utilitarian, for sure. But, they are in remarkably good shape for being used daily for so long when this room was the med room. A good scrubbing to get rid of all the adhesive goo from the ghosts of labels past... and we were rocking!
Anyone who knows me will know I am Queen Chaos. I mean, I have no organizational skills whatsoever. I've found that if I have stuff labeled, I tend to do better. If I don't have a place for Office Supplies, they go in whatever drawer I open at that minute. If I have a drawer set aside for them... they go there. So, with this in mind, I tackled the cabinets.
I pulled every item out, sorted them into piles, figured out what "theme" each pile had, and made it a place to live. Pulled out the handy-dandy Silhouette Cameo (I swear, they do not pay me. They don't even know I exist. I worship their product of my own free will), and made the cutest cabinet labels EVER. Suck it, label makers!!!! I got cooler toys than you!!!!
Aren't they awesome? I don't have close ups of every single item, but I have drawers for everything from food to inmate items. And, simply because I believe in honesty and know my organizational skills, I also have drawers labeled "stuff" and "junk". Hey, somethings do not fit into a category and they must have somewhere to live!!!
The only cost on this was the vinyl, but even that was free, as I'd ordered these for another project and done the buy 3 get 3 free deal, so I didn't pay a dime! YAY!
The last little scrap of wall in my office is to the left of the big wall of cabinets. It's just got a few pieces of art and some nursing collectibles. But, it's one of my favorite things to look at. I just love it!
Why, yes, that is an anatomical print of Hello Kitty! I absolutely love it! My friend Charles got me that and I'm in love with it! It's from an amazing artist named Jason Freeney. He does sculptures, prints, even Christmas cards and toys.
The nurse print on the shelf is a print from one of my all time favorite artists, Quyen Dinh. She does these amazing old-style flash art/South Pacific Tattoo art style work, and her prices are unbelievably low. I am embarrassed to admit how many pieces of her art I own, but this one is the one that started it all. To me, it kind of ties together the world I walk in and out of every day.
The bottom piece is very hard to read in the pictures, but it is the coolest rendition of the Hippocratic Oath I have ever seen. Nursing doesn't have one specific oath, but medicine in general has this one. So, I felt it needed a place in my office. It's good to remind yourself of the basic stuff you need day to day. This is from Le Monkey House on Etsy. They have some other prints of equally neat-o status. One of my other favorites being the Wicked Witch of the East Real Estate Company.
There is one wall that is still a work in progress. The main, long wall above the main bank of cabinets. I've got one painting up there, just held in place by an ugly, old command hook. It'll be beeeautiful soon, though. Just waiting on my 2 "side paintings" to finish it up. So, here's a sneak peek.
Yes, I'm already busting out the Halloween Decorations. I had to have this! It has "good" on the other side, so I can change it according to my mood. It clashes, but it was TOO perfect, so I'll just have to clash.
Again, the cords are driving me nuts. I'll figure something out!! But, I'm open to suggestions, too.
Well, that's the office, or at least it is until I get my other pictures, figure out what to do with the top shelf, etc. So, from me and Monsieur Moose, thanks for looking!
The office came with a bank of lower cabinets in a blue/gray color. The countertops match exactly. Utilitarian, for sure. But, they are in remarkably good shape for being used daily for so long when this room was the med room. A good scrubbing to get rid of all the adhesive goo from the ghosts of labels past... and we were rocking!
Anyone who knows me will know I am Queen Chaos. I mean, I have no organizational skills whatsoever. I've found that if I have stuff labeled, I tend to do better. If I don't have a place for Office Supplies, they go in whatever drawer I open at that minute. If I have a drawer set aside for them... they go there. So, with this in mind, I tackled the cabinets.
I pulled every item out, sorted them into piles, figured out what "theme" each pile had, and made it a place to live. Pulled out the handy-dandy Silhouette Cameo (I swear, they do not pay me. They don't even know I exist. I worship their product of my own free will), and made the cutest cabinet labels EVER. Suck it, label makers!!!! I got cooler toys than you!!!!
The Boring Before (I wasn't used to the pic stitch program and totally made some funky errors)
The only cost on this was the vinyl, but even that was free, as I'd ordered these for another project and done the buy 3 get 3 free deal, so I didn't pay a dime! YAY!
The last little scrap of wall in my office is to the left of the big wall of cabinets. It's just got a few pieces of art and some nursing collectibles. But, it's one of my favorite things to look at. I just love it!
The nurse print on the shelf is a print from one of my all time favorite artists, Quyen Dinh. She does these amazing old-style flash art/South Pacific Tattoo art style work, and her prices are unbelievably low. I am embarrassed to admit how many pieces of her art I own, but this one is the one that started it all. To me, it kind of ties together the world I walk in and out of every day.
The bottom piece is very hard to read in the pictures, but it is the coolest rendition of the Hippocratic Oath I have ever seen. Nursing doesn't have one specific oath, but medicine in general has this one. So, I felt it needed a place in my office. It's good to remind yourself of the basic stuff you need day to day. This is from Le Monkey House on Etsy. They have some other prints of equally neat-o status. One of my other favorites being the Wicked Witch of the East Real Estate Company.
There is one wall that is still a work in progress. The main, long wall above the main bank of cabinets. I've got one painting up there, just held in place by an ugly, old command hook. It'll be beeeautiful soon, though. Just waiting on my 2 "side paintings" to finish it up. So, here's a sneak peek.
Yes, I'm already busting out the Halloween Decorations. I had to have this! It has "good" on the other side, so I can change it according to my mood. It clashes, but it was TOO perfect, so I'll just have to clash.
Again, the cords are driving me nuts. I'll figure something out!! But, I'm open to suggestions, too.
Well, that's the office, or at least it is until I get my other pictures, figure out what to do with the top shelf, etc. So, from me and Monsieur Moose, thanks for looking!
Friday, September 12, 2014
Office Redo: Post 2, Old Stuff is Cool
So, lets go to the next spot on the wall to the left of my desk. It's the inset, strange little nook. The fax machine used to live there, and spit paper all over my floor when it was in a bad mood. But, we got a new phone system and the fax machine went out to live by the people that actually use it WAY more than I do. Now, the nook is beside the plug mold and is over the deepest cabinet I have. So, reaching the back of that is a stretch for someone like me... who happens to have T-Rex Arms.
So, I can't put stuff in the corner that I need to use every single day. But, it's the perfect space for a set of shelves to display cool stuff, cute stuff and some really neat vintage items.
I suckered the Hubby into coming in one day and putting up a bunch of cheap shelves from Lowe's. Just the basic brackets and shelving board. Luckily, standard size fit, so we didn't even have to trim the boards. The worst part was, of course, having to drill thru that concrete. It was exhausting to watch him work so hard!
This is the day of the install. I was testing out a few items.
Now, I have to give a shout out to the Husband for not only being a rock star and coming in on his day off to drill holes in killer concrete, but for landing me some of the coolest items in my office: vintage medical items. Old pharmaceutical bottles and such. He found these in a resale shop in California years ago, and they've been hiding out just waiting for the perfect place!
Now, the books you'll see on the 2nd shelft? Linda Russo Milano found these for me, and I lugged them back from California in a suitcase. These were the cutest ones as far as colors, but I have even more at home. They're the Cherry Ames: Nurse books. She was sort of the nurse version of Nancy Drew. She was cool, and was supposed to get younger girls interested in becoming nurses. Copyrights are 1950-1953, on the ones I have. Such a cool find and totally worth the shoulder strain getting them home. The groovy bookends are a gift from my godmother when I was a child. They're little scotty dogs and they have Lexington KY burned into the wood on the front. Mom says they were a touristy item in the 50's, sort of like snowglobes are now. I love being able to display things that are not only cool, but remind me of some truly awesome people.
What else is on there?
- My ETSU monkey (shout out to my fellow Bucaneer grads, BSN from there in 1996)
- a steampunk looking light that is also a scent tart warmer thing (BHG at Walmart)
- a giant gold E that has been in every office I've ever had
- a gold piggy bank from Chinatown in NYC that houses our emergency change for when we forget to buy drinks and have to hit the vending machines
- The nurse barbie mug (everyone thinks she's Lucy, but it's Barbie) Mom and Dad got me for graduating nursing school
- a reproduction nurses head vase I found ages ago at a flea market
- a vase of flower pens my friend Bridgette made me (yes, those are pens. So freakin' cool)
- a Gene Simmons Hello Kitty my partner in crime, Amy Stewart, got me
- Various and asundry kitschy bits
- Picture of some of us Medical Peeps at our former Medical Officer's Retirement Party
But, Emily... there's a gap by the steampunk light. And, where's the 3rd shelf? Yeah, that's where the plea comes in. I cannot figure out what else to put up there. I'm going "shopping" in our storage room at the house this weekend. If I can't come out with some groovy stuff, I'm gonna be begging for suggestions. I've just had bad luck finding stuff that fits. Bought an ADORABLE pink LED tree (shut up, I think it's adorable, it's my blog, so it's adorable) to go on the top shelf. Too tall. So, scratch that. It lives under my groovy painting for now. I'm just striking out like crazy. But, before you think I can't get anything right... let me show you what is under the shelves! I made a groovy coffee center (and my stupid printer sits there, it won't fit anywhere. Ignore it. I do).
Start with a plain, cheap, wooden serving tray.
Paint it with cheap, acrylic craft paint from Michaels. Notice it's much darker than you originally planned, but decide you like it. Yell "running design change!" and keep working.
Using your favorite toy in the entire world, your Silhouette Cameo, cut out an insanely intricate Moroccan pattern for the bottom and a different, even more intricate one for the sides. Do it in gold, since it looks great with the pink and is 100 time easier to stretch and tear than regular vinyl. Spend HOURS with a little dental-pick-lookin' tool ripping out the centers of the grate pattern, and all those itty-bitty dots in the other one. It'll be fun. trust me. Then, perfectly center the grate stuff on the bottom and try to get it to stick without a singe bubble. Repeat on sides, but also have to cut the pattern in places to get it to fit juuuuust right. There'll still be a small gap. No one but me will ever notice it. Except you, because I just pointed it out.
It'll be fun. Promise.
Then, load it up with coffee junk, put it beside the almighty K-cup maker (all hail the caffeine! All hail!) and enjoy the adorable results.
The visible cords are driving me insane. I'm probably going to get some chandelier cord covers and cover them up, but for now, I've relocated the flower pens and they're trying admirably to hide the cords. As a side note, you know you're OCD when you had to restock the K-cups so they'd be pretty for the picture.
Before you wonder why I did not post the cabinets under the coffee area, that's another post. My favorite (and probably cheapest) part of this project is the cabinet doors. I'll share that tomorrow. Because, I am now craving salted caramel hot cocoa.
Specs:
Cutting machine is a Silhouette Cameo
The pattern on the bottom of the tray is a pattern from Silhouette called Moroccan Background
The pattern on the edge of the tray is called Bohemian Style Border
The vinyl is from an eBay seller I always use: Marilyn 1957. She always has a deal that if you buy more than 3 sheets of craft vinyl, she'll double your order, no limit. This color is Gold in glossy finish.
Costs for this section of the re-do:
Shelves at Lowe's: $18
Brackets at Lowe's: $18
Tray: $10
Paint $1 for 2 bottles, and I only used 1
I already had everything else, including the vinyl, so this was a cheapie!
Total: $47
Tomorrow (or Monday, depending on how the weekend goes) I'll show you my AWESOME cabinets. They're my favorite part!!!
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Office Redo: My gift to myself
The days of getting a big fuss over your job anniversaries are gone. And, I'm okay with that. Once, at a job, I got a crystal trophy for a job milestone. I don't work there any more, so now what do I do with it? It's in storage. Gimme a card and a cake (especially the cake. Buttercream icing only, please) and I'm thrilled.
So, I got MYSELF the gift I wanted most for my 5 year anniversary. A new office! Well, not new. It's the same 5 walls, but they're a soft gray instead of institutional off-white. Gone is the 6.5 foot desk wedged into my 8 feet of usable floor space. Gone is my ugly bulletin board. Gone are the WWII era paper holders.
What did I replace them with?
Pink. Antique Medical Equipment. Vintage Nursing Books. A custom painted owl lamp. And, a pink moose with glitter antlers. Aw, yeah. I said it. GLITTER. ANTLERS.
So, I'll start with the "naked" befores. I'm so sad I didn't think to get a good picture of what it looked like with all the crap we had wedged in here. It was impressive. My office is, at its widest point, about 7.5 feet, and then there are cabinets. So, if you count them, maybe 10 feet. It was the med room, originally. So, it has no windows. And, it has an odd little nook that was some leftover space from the bathroom. There is a whopping total of ONE outlet in the office, and a strip of plug mold that was cantaloupe orange against the blue/gray cabinets. Yeah, it was stunning. ANYWAY...
So, I got MYSELF the gift I wanted most for my 5 year anniversary. A new office! Well, not new. It's the same 5 walls, but they're a soft gray instead of institutional off-white. Gone is the 6.5 foot desk wedged into my 8 feet of usable floor space. Gone is my ugly bulletin board. Gone are the WWII era paper holders.
What did I replace them with?
Pink. Antique Medical Equipment. Vintage Nursing Books. A custom painted owl lamp. And, a pink moose with glitter antlers. Aw, yeah. I said it. GLITTER. ANTLERS.
So, I'll start with the "naked" befores. I'm so sad I didn't think to get a good picture of what it looked like with all the crap we had wedged in here. It was impressive. My office is, at its widest point, about 7.5 feet, and then there are cabinets. So, if you count them, maybe 10 feet. It was the med room, originally. So, it has no windows. And, it has an odd little nook that was some leftover space from the bathroom. There is a whopping total of ONE outlet in the office, and a strip of plug mold that was cantaloupe orange against the blue/gray cabinets. Yeah, it was stunning. ANYWAY...
Notice the test patch of paint on the wall.
The mural was the ONLY thing I liked in my office, so it stayed. Notice the ring where my chair has been for years, and how horrible the floors were. It was so jam packed in there, you could honestly not even get to the area under the desk to mop it. SO NASTY.
In the bottom of the wall, see my ONE outlet. Also, notice the steel plate that's not a light switch. My office is pass card set-up. So, when the door closes, it automatically locks. People can never find the button to get out, so it's kind of funny. 'Cause... it's RIGHT THERE!!
So, the first step was paint. I wanted something very neutral, but not white or beige or any combo. So, I went with the softest gray I could find. Woodsmoke by Valspar at Lowes. The walls were wiped down and it actually covered everything in one coat! My office is so tiny that one gallon completely covered the walls, and I had some left for touch-ups if I need it. TEENY TINY. But, mine all mine and I love it so!
The inspiration for me to redo the whole darn office, started with a quote. I saw a painting on Etsy that I just loved the quote. But, the colors were all wrong. So, enter my friend Fallon, who can paint like a fiend. I gave her the quote, and free reign. She knocked it out of the park!
She even added the little nurses hat without any input from me. Can you say PERFECT?! The quote to me is all about my job. I have always loved being a nurse, but never so much as I do where I am now. It's an odd environment, and people ask me all the time, "Aren't you afraid?" Yes, I work with inmates. Yes, I've treated murderers and some other scary folks. But, I'm not afraid. I was born to do this. This is my calling. This is where I belong. So... my sign!
Poor Fallon had no idea what she was getting into. I'm hooked. And, I've asked her to make me 2 more companion pieces for it. So, I'll have more pictures of the office later on when those 2 are done! By the way, she has an Etsy shop that has a handful of her best sellers, but she can do anything!!! Fallon's Etsy Store (and, no I'm not getting paid to plug her, I'm just in love with her cool stuff).
So, with the color palette in place, I got to go crazy girl shopping! I really tried to do this on the cheap. So, I hit Ikea for my desk. Now, Ikea can, and will, drive you to drink, if you are shopping online and don't have a store near you. They will sell a 700 pound item online, but not a 2 oz cup. They will charge you freight shipping on one desk, but will UPS another. It took me HOURS to figure out what I could get shipped. But, I managed to pick out this little number.
Micke Desk with Drawer Unit. Thankfully, I ordered it in solid white. They did have it in pink, but I restrained myself!
Thank goodness, I work with amazingly sweet people who tolerate me well. Our sweet maintenance guys took one look at the multiple boxes, Picture instructions and my confused face and put the desk together for me. After my 6.5 foot long, 3 foot deep desk... this thing looks so tiny! But, I really need a small desk. I tend to cover up any available space with junk and papers. So, instead of having to wedge the desk in across the room, it fits up against the wall with door, and even has room to spare!
Then, you gotta have CUTE STUFF! I love mid-century modern stuff, and especially the old starburst clocks.
But, at $399, I do not see that hitting my budget. So, away we go! Hello, Amazon!
I added a groovy bulletin board that I already had from a long, long ago trip to TJ Maxx that I'd never found a true home for. And, then... my favorite piece.
Thusly named, because as a moose, he's got to be Canadian. That's where the best moose live. Everyone knows this. But, since Monsieur Moose is not afraid to show his softer side, in shades of pink and chunky silver glitter, he must be French Canadian. No?
I've actually wanted one of the giant, white moose that White Faux Taxidermy sells for years. I want one over a mantel in my home. Our only mantle is in Mom's part of the house and she says no. Mean ol' mama. So, I got the mini version in a color dark enough to show on the pale gray walls and jazzed him up, so as to be Emily Appropriate.
I added a cute floor protector for my chair, too. $10 at Big Lots! Score! I tried a super-cute pink rug here, but it got so nasty in just a month that I knew I'd never be able to keep it clean. The chair mat works much better, and is easy to just wipe off.
So, all that fun, and we're just up to the first wall! HOLY COW!!!
We also left the mural up, but didn't even attempt to paint around it. We just left the top half as is, even though it had a few dings and paint drips. I love the mural enough to look over those.
We just added a cheap chair rail that was pre-painted white, and painted the bottom half the same gray as the rest of the walls.
Ze finished product (please say that in an outrageously over the top French accent. One worthy of Monisuer Moose).
Still trying to figure out what to do with the tower. It's ugly, but I don't want it ON my desk, so there it is. Also, I need a cute trash can. Anyone? Volunteers? Something cute? I may just vinyl the heck out of the plain black one I have.
You can see the chair mat a little better in this one. And, you can see my beloved mural. The quote is from one of my nurses, Stephanie. She said it to me the first time she met me. I had no idea how prophetic that quote was. "They will wear the nice off you like the shine off a penny."
A note about the pictures: My office is so tiny you can't get back far enough to get an entire wall in one picture. So, I had to use a picture stitching panorama app. It does great, but it makes it look like my office has sort of rounded walls. It doesn't. It's all square, just a photo thing.
OK, that's it for today. I'm sick of typing and I have to put together the new pink chair that I got for the office. I'll take pictures of it later.
Total so far on my redo:
Moose $89
Paint: $27
Labor: FREE
Mat: $10
Desk: $54 & $49
Clock: $35
TOTAL: $264
Tomorrow: Shelves in the weird nook, the most difficult vinyl project I've done so far, and a plea for design help!
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
About "Natural" Remedies
OK, I've seen about a billion posts about how natural medicine works better than anything manufactured and how the pharmaceutical companies are "hiding" this information. As a nurse, and as a patient with multiple chronic illneses, this is the kind of stuff that sends me off the deep end. Now, before you think I'm saying that big pharma is always right, and that natural stuff can't work, keep reading. I don't think that at all. I do think there's a time and a place for everything, and that there are reasons we have pharmaceutical companies and vitamin companies, and that the 2 should usually not mix.
The two that make me scream the loudest are cinnamon and honey. For the most part, those belong on your toast and in your tea, respectively.
Let's talk about cinnamon first. I'm diabetic, type 2 to be exact. And, I can't tell you how many people tell me I'd be just fine if I would take cinnamon. They read it on a piece of paper in an antique store beside a booth that sold honey extract from Watkins, so it has to be true. While there has been SOME research into cinnamon reducing blood sugars (notice, reducing, not fixing, not stabilizing, not normalizing and certainly not curing anything), the research is spotty and most of the research is one off and can't be duplicated. Add to that... how much should I take? Is a little on toast gonna fix me right up, or do I need to swallow it down in elixirs and drinks? Or, maybe just tough it out and snarf down spoonfuls of it, like they do on Youtube for the cinnamon challenge. Oh, and what about the fact that most cinnamon you can get in the US isn't even cinnamon. Which one works? The real stuff or the fake stuff? Or maybe the oil? And, is there a standardized strength to cinnamon? OH, and that note in the antique booth, nor the bottles they sell mention that people with liver disease or damage (like me) should be very careful with cinnamon as it can further liver damage. So, basically what I'm saying is, until a company can do easily replicatable research that shows it works, come up with standardized strengths and dosages... it's a pipe dream. Here's a great article on cinnamon and its failure to live up to the dream: Cinnamon Info.
It sounds great. To be able to take something that doesn't make me have to stick myself with needles, doesn't make me run to the bathroom every 20 minutes, that doesn't make me nauseated? That sounds wonderful! Sign me up! But, right now, it doesn't exist. It is, at best, a theory. Maybe in a few year, someone will find some reason to do the above testing. But, I'm pretty sure if it could be replicated, big pharma would have found out, added some binder to it, patented it, and be selling it like hot cakes (with cinnamon on top). See, that's how it works. It's not like pharmaceutical companies can't patent natural remedies. They do it all the time. They just add some sort of binder, figure out how to process it down to a single ingredient, synthesize it or put it thru some process that is proprietary, then they can market it. That's how sulfa drugs, aspirin and other drugs are able to be manufactured. They just tweak them a bit.
And, I must add, there's a process that the FDA puts meds through. They have to go through stringent testing. Do they screw up sometimes? yes. Do bad drugs get through? Yes. Do side effects turn up after years of use that couldn't be spotted in the shorter term studies? Yes. But, does it work? Ask the millions of European women who took thalidomide, that passed their much less strict standards. The FDA refused to pass it here, and other than the women who went to other countries and/or bought it black market, the US escaped the millions of births with limb deformities.
But, it's natural, so it can't have any side effects? Natural is always good for you! Right?! May I point out that Arsenic is naturally occurring? And, it'll kill you deader than 4 o'clock. May I point out how many women found themselves pregnant while on birth control pills because they took St. John's Wort for depression? Since it's an herb/supplement, it had no FDA control. So, no one looked for that side effect. If they thought they were depressed before, I'm sure that unwanted pregnancy didn't help.
Now, let's get to honey. The latest is that it can be used on wounds. Granted, honey does have some antibacterial properties. BUT, it also has sugar. Yeast loves sugar. Remember how sugar makes it go crazy in breads, wines, etc? So, if that person has yeast on their skin, or in the wound, you're making it a lovely, sealed environment with lots of food. Also, how clean is that honey? Honey can harbor clostridium, botulism and just plain ol' dirt.
And, the honey used in testing is actually medical grade and/or specific breeds of honey. Meaning, the honey in the little squeezy bear at the grocery store has not been tested AT ALL for these properties. Here's the link to a long paper regarding this, and how honey is being used as a last line treatment for burns and other wounds that aren't responding. The conclusion at the end says that certain types are promising, but that they can't know what the local honey each person can access will do. Boring honey article here.
Oh, and as a side note: NEVER EVER EVER give a child under a year of age honey. They do not have the immunity to deal with the botulism that can be found in honey and it can sicken and/or kill them. I have been blessed to never have to see anyone die of botulism, but it is said to be a terrible way to die. So, let's not risk that, okay? Don't take my word for it, listen to the National Institutes of Health
I'm not saying that all natural medicine, herbs and vitamins are useless. I'm a believer in probiotics, Vitamin D for depression and diabetes, Vitamin C so we don't wind up with scurvy. But, these are usually used in addition to other treatments (as in Vitamin D will not cure a diabetic, but it may help them process their meds better). I also believe in them because actual, documented studies, by someone with REAL training, have shown them to be effective.
Remember, one faulty report on vaccines and autism has led to huge outbreaks of totally preventable diseases. Simply because people WANT to believe the conspiracy theory. They want to think that natural is better, and that taking anything manufactured has to be bad for you. But, it's not, folks. Not always. It's how some of us stay alive. It's how I'm not dead from a diabetic coma. It's how I didn't die from an infected gallbladder. It's how my Dad lived for years with high blood pressure. It's how my Mom can still see even with macular degeneration. It's how HIV patients live for years now instead of dying a slow, cruel death. Big pharma may make a fortune off of us. They may have been busted for some unscrupulous stuff. But, in the long run, our life spans are vastly improved in the last 40-60 years because of medication. Real medication.
So, before you click "share" on Facebook, or before you "pin" something about how all I need to do is take some cinnamon and my pancreas will come back to life... READ the article. Look at who wrote it. Is it a legitimate website, or a conspiracy site? Are they selling the miracle cure no one wants you to know about? Are they a housewife in Dallas whose uncle saw a guy in Boston who said his wound totally healed itself in a day after he used honey on it? If so... don't share it. You're leading people down a dangerous path. Your friends trust you to give them good advice. Don't let them down. Okay?
The two that make me scream the loudest are cinnamon and honey. For the most part, those belong on your toast and in your tea, respectively.
Let's talk about cinnamon first. I'm diabetic, type 2 to be exact. And, I can't tell you how many people tell me I'd be just fine if I would take cinnamon. They read it on a piece of paper in an antique store beside a booth that sold honey extract from Watkins, so it has to be true. While there has been SOME research into cinnamon reducing blood sugars (notice, reducing, not fixing, not stabilizing, not normalizing and certainly not curing anything), the research is spotty and most of the research is one off and can't be duplicated. Add to that... how much should I take? Is a little on toast gonna fix me right up, or do I need to swallow it down in elixirs and drinks? Or, maybe just tough it out and snarf down spoonfuls of it, like they do on Youtube for the cinnamon challenge. Oh, and what about the fact that most cinnamon you can get in the US isn't even cinnamon. Which one works? The real stuff or the fake stuff? Or maybe the oil? And, is there a standardized strength to cinnamon? OH, and that note in the antique booth, nor the bottles they sell mention that people with liver disease or damage (like me) should be very careful with cinnamon as it can further liver damage. So, basically what I'm saying is, until a company can do easily replicatable research that shows it works, come up with standardized strengths and dosages... it's a pipe dream. Here's a great article on cinnamon and its failure to live up to the dream: Cinnamon Info.
It sounds great. To be able to take something that doesn't make me have to stick myself with needles, doesn't make me run to the bathroom every 20 minutes, that doesn't make me nauseated? That sounds wonderful! Sign me up! But, right now, it doesn't exist. It is, at best, a theory. Maybe in a few year, someone will find some reason to do the above testing. But, I'm pretty sure if it could be replicated, big pharma would have found out, added some binder to it, patented it, and be selling it like hot cakes (with cinnamon on top). See, that's how it works. It's not like pharmaceutical companies can't patent natural remedies. They do it all the time. They just add some sort of binder, figure out how to process it down to a single ingredient, synthesize it or put it thru some process that is proprietary, then they can market it. That's how sulfa drugs, aspirin and other drugs are able to be manufactured. They just tweak them a bit.
And, I must add, there's a process that the FDA puts meds through. They have to go through stringent testing. Do they screw up sometimes? yes. Do bad drugs get through? Yes. Do side effects turn up after years of use that couldn't be spotted in the shorter term studies? Yes. But, does it work? Ask the millions of European women who took thalidomide, that passed their much less strict standards. The FDA refused to pass it here, and other than the women who went to other countries and/or bought it black market, the US escaped the millions of births with limb deformities.
But, it's natural, so it can't have any side effects? Natural is always good for you! Right?! May I point out that Arsenic is naturally occurring? And, it'll kill you deader than 4 o'clock. May I point out how many women found themselves pregnant while on birth control pills because they took St. John's Wort for depression? Since it's an herb/supplement, it had no FDA control. So, no one looked for that side effect. If they thought they were depressed before, I'm sure that unwanted pregnancy didn't help.
Now, let's get to honey. The latest is that it can be used on wounds. Granted, honey does have some antibacterial properties. BUT, it also has sugar. Yeast loves sugar. Remember how sugar makes it go crazy in breads, wines, etc? So, if that person has yeast on their skin, or in the wound, you're making it a lovely, sealed environment with lots of food. Also, how clean is that honey? Honey can harbor clostridium, botulism and just plain ol' dirt.
And, the honey used in testing is actually medical grade and/or specific breeds of honey. Meaning, the honey in the little squeezy bear at the grocery store has not been tested AT ALL for these properties. Here's the link to a long paper regarding this, and how honey is being used as a last line treatment for burns and other wounds that aren't responding. The conclusion at the end says that certain types are promising, but that they can't know what the local honey each person can access will do. Boring honey article here.
Oh, and as a side note: NEVER EVER EVER give a child under a year of age honey. They do not have the immunity to deal with the botulism that can be found in honey and it can sicken and/or kill them. I have been blessed to never have to see anyone die of botulism, but it is said to be a terrible way to die. So, let's not risk that, okay? Don't take my word for it, listen to the National Institutes of Health
I'm not saying that all natural medicine, herbs and vitamins are useless. I'm a believer in probiotics, Vitamin D for depression and diabetes, Vitamin C so we don't wind up with scurvy. But, these are usually used in addition to other treatments (as in Vitamin D will not cure a diabetic, but it may help them process their meds better). I also believe in them because actual, documented studies, by someone with REAL training, have shown them to be effective.
Remember, one faulty report on vaccines and autism has led to huge outbreaks of totally preventable diseases. Simply because people WANT to believe the conspiracy theory. They want to think that natural is better, and that taking anything manufactured has to be bad for you. But, it's not, folks. Not always. It's how some of us stay alive. It's how I'm not dead from a diabetic coma. It's how I didn't die from an infected gallbladder. It's how my Dad lived for years with high blood pressure. It's how my Mom can still see even with macular degeneration. It's how HIV patients live for years now instead of dying a slow, cruel death. Big pharma may make a fortune off of us. They may have been busted for some unscrupulous stuff. But, in the long run, our life spans are vastly improved in the last 40-60 years because of medication. Real medication.
So, before you click "share" on Facebook, or before you "pin" something about how all I need to do is take some cinnamon and my pancreas will come back to life... READ the article. Look at who wrote it. Is it a legitimate website, or a conspiracy site? Are they selling the miracle cure no one wants you to know about? Are they a housewife in Dallas whose uncle saw a guy in Boston who said his wound totally healed itself in a day after he used honey on it? If so... don't share it. You're leading people down a dangerous path. Your friends trust you to give them good advice. Don't let them down. Okay?
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