A Lot About Nothing

On my recent trip back to Minnesota my lovely friend Vinomommy mentioned to me how I never write about nothing in particular in my blog. She said my entries always required a lot of thought and that I should just spew out some useless information about my day. I think she's had a little too much Vino to drink myself.

So here ya go... My exciting day off started with buying a new oil and gas stock - Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (GTE). I noticed that 4 different expert analysts rated it as a moderate or strong buy. Well they were wrong at least for today. I didn't lose my life savings but I did lose enough money to fill up a tank of gas. Uuugghhh!! Hopefully, tomorrow it will come roaring back and I can retire from the drug trade :-)

It was also bathroom cleaning day. I have two of them and I have to admit that cleaning the bathroom is my least favorite room in the house to clean. I'm a neat freak too so it's not even like they are nasty dirty or anything. But just the fact that I have to put on my little yellow rubber gloves and decontaminate the 2 rooms whose sole purpose is removing human waste from the residence is harsh enough. Thank God it's over.

My only other excitement for the day was taking Reesee to the veterinarian's office for her yearly distemper shot. You know going to the vet's office is just like going to a regular doctor's office in a way. Why is it that as the patient we do our very best to show up on time or even early for that matter and then don't even get to see the first medical provider (vet tech or nurse) until at least like 30 minutes after the original appointment. I would have just made the appointment for 3:30 instead of 3:00 if I would have known I was gonna be staring at all the other people and animals in the waiting room. At least there are some cute cats and dogs to look at instead of just a bunch of geriatrics like the regular doctor's office.

Well there you have it Vinomommy. I probably still managed to make you think while reading this. Now where's my mashed potatoes and jelly?

Sticks and Stones

You Suck!! As the saying goes... Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me. This may be true for many people but it's all a matter of how you react to each situation put before you. If you're Bill Clinton then words seem to do a lot of damage as we've seen him lash out with that magnificent 5 year old temper of his time after time. Although I do have to give politicians as a whole the benefit of the doubt for putting themselves in the public eye. It certainly can't be easy to put yourself in a position where you know for a fact that the media is going to pick you apart and find every minuscule error that you've ever made in your life.

As far as my outlook on harsh words goes I prefer to remain as positive as possible. I think a lot of how an individual reacts to negative situations in life is directly related to their self esteem and independence or lack there of. Of course it's easy for me to sit here and say suck it up and feel good about yourself when I'm not the one receiving a tongue lashing. I'm usually the one on the other end giving the tongue lashing. I know that's one of my weaknesses since I'm a perfectionist. But you can come out ahead if you take those rough words that somebody else is dishing out to you and use it to your advantage. Obviously they wouldn't have put you down if you didn't have some sort of weakness that you could work on to improve. But then again there are some people who are just complete assholes and bitches. They can just suck my ars! But for everyone else who I ever get flack from in life I choose to turn that around and make myself a better person because of it. And you can too if you have the right mindset :)

Your Health - Help Me Help You.

Aaahhh yes to be young and healthy again! You hear this all the time from those that are either not healthy and/or older than you. Your health is incredibly important to you and all too often taken for granted until you don't have it one day. And while there are many hardworking nurses, therapists, physicians, and pharmacists like myself doing their best to make you healthier when you need us your health is primarily your responsibility. Let me repeat this - your health is primarily YOUR responsibility.

There's a barrage of topics I could cover that could help you improve your health and well being but in this specific post I'm going to focus on something that drives all of us health care providers insane on a daily basis. And that is the lack of health information available in a organized fashion for us to use when treating a patient as yourself. Unfortunately information regarding a patient's medical history in the health care field is about as organized as the chaos that surrounds a Mardi Gras celebration on the streets of New Orleans in February. Currently all the different health care providers (physicians, hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, etc.) are not readily sharing your medical history with one another to make things easier when attempting to treat you. Why you ask? Because we don't know every place you've seeked out for medical attention and our computers don't "talk" to one another since they are all set up separately by each and every different health care facility. This invariably leads to a health care system that is under performing and extremely inefficient.

This is where you come in. You can be a major asset in helping us get you back on your feet again. The way you do this is by organizing your own Personal Health Record (PHR). A Personal Health Record is basically an organized file of information on your entire medical history. This can either be compiled the old fashioned way in a binder with a bunch of paperwork or better yet in an electronic form such as on your computer or online.

To learn more about the basics of a PHR you can watch this video




There are also a couple of podcast audio files available to explain what a PHR is and how it works here - www.healthcare411.ahrq.gov/podcast.aspx?id=6 and www.healthcare411.ahrq.gov/podcast.aspx?id=179.

I personally recommend starting a Personal Health Record in an online format. There are many different vendors out there offering free PHR sites. To help you get started in choosing an online PHR website I would suggest you read this short article with some very good tips on what to look for - www.smartmoney.com/deal-of-the-day/index.cfm?story=20080501-personal-health-records&split=0.

I would also use the website made by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) - www.myphr.com. I found this site extremely helpful and easy to use. You can search for a specific PHR vendor here - www.myphr.com/resources/phr_search.asp.

I would like to make it clear that the majority of PHR websites are not HIPAA covered. That means that they are not legally required to follow the privacy act put in place by our federal government. Only actual health care providers and institutions (hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, etc.) are legally required to follow HIPAA rules and regulations. However, some of the websites do everything in their power to abide by all the rules and policies set forth by HIPAA. They are referred to as being HIPAA compliant. Make sure you take the time to actually read the websites privacy policy and that you are comfortable with the level of security and protection that they give.

With your help we can make health care much more efficient and eliminate costly mistakes because of the lack of information available about ourselves as patients when services are provided by the many talented health care providers out there. I urge you to take action now and spread the word about this wonderful opportunity so that one by one we can make our world a healthier place.

The Fine Print

I'm sure I'll push a few of my readers buttons with this post but I'm happy to engage all those incredible minds out there reading this. Anyway, here goes...

I gladly and very patriotically filled out my application for the chance at being sequestered to jury duty in my current state of residence (FL) this morning. After I get done writing this I'll walk to my mailbox and drop my application off in the outgoing mail slot. As a side bonus I also get the right to vote in Florida! Woohoo!! It's funny how the fine print on my voter registration application says nothing about involuntarily giving up my mind and body at the state's discretion to serve on a jury whenever and wherever they please to use me. It has a lot of stuff on there about having a valid ID but nothing about the fact that you could serve on a jury at any time. I also never knew there were so many forms of ID you could use to vote - drivers license, military ID, passport, Sam's club membership, student ID, employee badge, paycheck, utility bill, retirement home ID, etc. But then it said later on that anyone over the age of 65 years old is exempt from having to show an ID. Hmmmm??? What's up with that? Does that mean whenever someone turns 65 that there's no possible way they could be an illegal alien or felon by virtue of age? I can't wait until I'm 65 because then according to my state government I can commit a felony and just show up to my voting precinct later on during election time and vote without them knowing who I am. Sweet!! Way to go Florida. You're on top of that one.

I haven't been registered to vote since I last presided in my home state of Montana. The last election I voted in was when Ross Perot ran for president. I remember because I voted for him. I thought his graphs were pretty slick. I was 18 and wasn't quite adept at looking at the whole picture. Ross would have made a swell president from a budget wielding patriarch standpoint but I have a feeling looking back on it that our foreign relations would have crumbled before our eyes if he had been elected. Anyhow, I'm getting sidetracked.... what I really mean to drive home today is that the political field over the last dozen years has been worthless and I finally feel that someone is capable of heading us in the right direction - Barack Obama.

He's exactly what a leader should be. He believes that the only way to make massive change is to start from the ground up. I've yet to hear any politician genuinely state this and believe in it. I, myself, have always told others that I'm only as good of a pharmacist as my best technician allows me to be. You know a great leader listens and acts on behalf of the little people. A great leader shuns big money and radical special interests groups and backs this up by not accepting funds from these people. A great leader formulates plans for the issues most affecting the people he leads. A great leader acknowledges that he is human when he screws up and accepts responsibility for his actions in an effort to learn from his mistakes and move forward. A great leader says "Yes we can!" when others say we'll try our best. And most importantly a great leader is able to inspire and motivate everyone working with him to collaborate for the good of the whole even when it means giving up portions of their own interest. This is Barack Obama for those of you who don't know. This is the voice of the next President of the United States of America.

I find it odd that the only negative things people can come up with on Barack are about mistakes that other people who aren't him have made just because he was associated with them years before. Well that makes complete sense now doesn't it? Why don't we blame you for everything wrong in your life because your uncle was an alcoholic or because a high school friend of yours smoked pot. Are you feeling a little bit chastised by this? Good! For those of you who believe in this form of attack you should be. My favorite is how everybody attacks Barack's lack of experience. I once came straight out of pharmacy school and within a month of being a newly licensed pharmacist was placed in the position of pharmacist in charge of a brand new pharmacy that had to build it's business from the ground up. My store was one of the top performing stores in then entire St. Louis metro area with respect to projected goals put forth by my company for us to meet. Imagine that. A rookie pharmacist leading a successful team to victory day in and day out. I'm a true believer that experience means nothing without the ability to problem solve and make solid decisions. God gave some people the natural ability to lead and display great judgement on behalf of those around him and the situations at hand. Barack Obama is the epitome of this very talent.

Of course our alternative is a long time veteran named Hillary Clinton or John McCain. Don't get me wrong I have respect for the fact that they've made some positive contributions throughout their lives to the good of America. But they aren't fit to be president. Both of them accept and count on big money from PACs and special interest groups to fund their campaigns. I find it more than amusing how Hillary maintains the mindset of a 3 year old throwing a temper tantrum every time something doesn't go her way in life. Now that's exactly what kind of leader we want isn't it?! I scoff at her mere picture. She is the same old political bullshit from same old school of kiss ass D.C. politics. And I like how McCain shows the judgement skills of a mentally retarded monkey by being adamant about staying involved in an all out civil war in Iraq while continuing to watch our national debt skyrocket out of control by funding the war over there and by continuing the wealthy tax cuts that our beloved Bush family put into effect. My answer - Save the trees and get rid of the Bushes (George and John)! Enough said. Barack is the only logical choice!

The Needy and The Needed

What would your life be like if nobody needed you? It's not often that we as individuals think of this in our chaotic world of rush hour traffic, drive through dabbles, overfilled schedules, and instant mashed potatoes. I'm just to busy, to busy, to busy most of us say. And I say isn't it nice to be smiling in the midst of all that 21st century madness.

But what if nobody called you? If nobody texted you? If there were no emails in your inbox? If nobody asked you to help them out? If your kids or roommates weren't there to drive you bloody insane? What if there was nothing but silence? Aaahhhh.... finally a moment of peace and prosperity right!? Until it turns to boredom and worse yet loneliness and a hint of despair.

The basic human instinct of being needed by others is so vital and simple in nature to each of us. Yet it's taken for granted by many of us everyday as we get flooded with a half a dozen requests coming from every which way but Sunday. I myself have become very appreciative of this fact over the last 3 1/2 years while living in Florida. For those of you who don't know I moved to the Tampa Bay area without knowing a single soul. I was after my perfect destination of weather, outdoor activities, and wonderful friends. What I've found out is that the weather and outdoor activities were a given. But putting a midwestern boy in the midst of a circus of east coast people lended itself to many challenges when it came to the friends part. All I can say is that I certainly appreciate my family and friends way more than they could ever imagine now. It's also a great thing that I'm good at entertaining myself A LOT and am definitely looking forward to migrating back up north when the bursted housing bubble inflates itself again.

Now my intent is not to receive sympathy or pity from anyone. I've never been one to make excuses for myself and my choices. And I do have a lot of family and friends who really care about me and love me. They just happen to be a long ways away and love the fact that I can provide them a vacation spot in the midst of a white out blizzard in February :) I am, however, going to enlighten you on a new adventure of mine as I play out my final few years here in the Sunshine state. In a quest to quench my own need of feeling needed what better way to fulfill that than by reaching out to others who are even needier than I. Have I completely confused you yet? If not then keep reading and I'm sure I'll manage not to disappoint you.

Hands on Tampa Bay (www.volunteertampabay.com) is a volunteer organization affiliated with the United Way of Tampa Bay and is the largest volunteer based group in the area. They have hundreds of volunteers and provide thousands of hours of help to those in need throughout our local community. And now they have me! Or should I rephrase that as I have them! In either case, I hope to make this a very positive experience which will keep me from staring at the inside walls of my townhouse for hours on end during my days off and also allow me to help others with much bigger problems than I could ever dream of having.

So the next time your second phone rings while your in the midst of boiling spaghetti for a head count of 5 and you find Fido tugging at your leg with his leash at hand all the while little Johnny is yelling from the bathroom to help him make Mr. Hankey swim down alligator alley just take a minute and remind yourself how awesome it is to feel needed :-)

Get the Facts When Voting

For anyone who is taking an interest in the upcoming 2008 general election I would highly encourage you to find out the facts behind each of the candidates instead of relying on our "wonderful" media to form your opinion for you. I've personally looked at various individual candidates websites which has been helpful but I've found a phenomenal website that has more information than you could possibly dream of.

WWW.VOTESMART.ORG

This website is run by a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of almost all volunteers located high above in the Rocky Mountains in my very own state of Montana! They refuse to take money from any PAC's, special interest groups, lobbyists, or large corporations. Information provided by them includes candidates voting records, endorsements, public statements & speeches, background information, and even the sources of all the money they get to finance their campaigns. So if you'd like to know that John McCain drives a Cadillac CTS while Mike Huckabee prefers a 2007 Chevy Tahoe it's right at your fingertips. Or how about the fact that Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards' number one donors came from the legal (law/lawyer) industry while Rudolph Giuliani received the majority of his donations from donors in the Securities and Investment industry.

There's also a lot of useful information such as how to register to vote in your state. You can also find out how a primary works and what a caucus actually is. I hope you all find this website useful and educational. Remember the more you know the better decision you can make in November.

Clear as Mud = America's Beloved Democracy

If you're anything like me then understanding the American Democratic process is about as simple as sputtering through characters 127 to 189 of the Chinese language using a British accent in front of a group of "no hablas ingles" Mexicans. Nearly impossible is what I'm trying to say in other words.

For example, all those incredibly gifted politicians who manage to balance our national budget every year have a very interesting way of tallying up the final votes in our primaries and caucuses. Iowa produced the following results for the Democrats:

1st Place - Barack Obama - 940 votes
2nd Place - John Edwards - 744 votes
3rd Place - Hillary Clinton - 737 votes

But we all know that for some unexplainable reason that votes don't actually count for real in our democracy because the official results are determined by the total number of delegates a candidate receives. And who are these "delegates" anyway? Do delegates major in voting in college? Maybe that's why they have the expertise to elect a president for all of us peon citizens who think our opinions matter. I wonder what a typical college day of classes are like for delegates? I bet they start off with Lobbying 101 their freshman year and then proceed to more advanced courses like How to Cover Up Political Scandals 560 their senior year. Anyhow why don't we examine the number of delegates each Democratic candidate won in the Iowa caucuses:

1st Place - Barack Obama - 16 delegates
2nd Place - Hillary Clinton - 15 delegates
3rd Place - John Edwards - 14 delegates

Hmmmmm..... Clear as mud right? So getting 2nd place in the popular vote means you actually get the shaft in what actually counts for making your run for the White House. But then I thought to myself that maybe it's just those crazy Iowan's who can't count correctly and like to make up their own rules if they don't like the outcome of the game. Iowa does stand for Idiots Out Wandering Around you know.

As we head off to the New Hampshire and Nevada maybe we can get a clearer picture of how this whole American pastime of voting works. Here's the results:

New Hampshire

Votes:
1st Place - Hillary Clinton - 112,251 votes
2nd Place - Barack Obama - 104,772 votes
3rd Place - John Edwards - 48,681 votes

Delegates:
1st Place(tie) - Hillary Clinton & Barack Obama - 9 delegates
2nd Place - John Edwards - 4 delegates


Nevada *98% precincts reporting

Votes:
1st Place - Hillary Clinton - 5,355 votes
2nd Place - Barack Obama - 4,773 votes
3rd Place - John Edwards - 396 votes

Delegates:
1st Place - Barack Obama - 13 delegates
2nd Place - Hillary Clinton - 12 delegates
3rd Place - John Edwards - 0 delegates

I'm starting to get that feeling I had when I took my first semester of calculus in college from a Russian professor who spoke with an accent as thick as the underground mafia and failed to provide subtitles for his corresponding lessons. Are things a little cloudy for you too?

Wait a second! I completely understand now. This whole political process makes our $9 trillion national deficit all make sense now. Is there a CPA running for president this year? Where's Ross Perot when you need him?!

Good luck at the polls everyone! May the electronic voting booths be kind to you. I think I'll vote for Bill Clinton so his wife loses her delegates to Dennis Kucinich which will put John Edwards and Barack Obama in a tie for first & fourth place right behind their arch rival Mike Gravel in tenth place with -2 votes.

American Pro Sports Becoming a Haven for Cheaters & Criminals

Whatever happen to a honest and guilt free version of professional sports in America???? Anybody? Would anyone like to explain why it looks like our beloved teams are full of morons who act like 16 year old gang bangers and high school freshman losers who cheat on all their exams?

Why don't I just explain why I'm about to blow a f&*$@# gasket. I'll make it simple too for all those idiots who call themselves professional athletes and just make an easy to follow list:

1) New England Patriots
2) Bill Belichick
3) Michael Vick
4) Tank Johnson
5) Kobe Bryant
6) Jason Giambi
7) Barry Bonds
8) Marion Jones
9) Rafael Palmeiro
10) Pacman Jones
11) Tim Donaghy (NBA ref)
12) Pete Rose
13) OJ Simpson
14) Tonya Harding
15) Mike Tyson
16) Floyd Landis
17) Ron Artest
18) Terrell Owens

I could keep going but what's the point. The fact is this - the vast majority of hard working and deserving professional teams and athletes now have a cloud of negativity over them because of a minority few who want to act like dip shits. It's sad. Very sad that any of this nonsense has to happen in sports today.

NBA, NFL, and MLB players and organizations along with other professional sports are suppose to be role models for our young kids but this is becoming more and more difficult as time goes on. These "role models" forget one key fact that their respective positions possess. That fact is that it is a PRIVILEGE not a right to be thrown on the front of the sports page every week. You don't get put on the front of a Wheaties box by being a thug!!

There are two things that have to happen to turn things around in sports today. The number one action that needs to be undertaken is swift and severe punishment for the scum of their respective sports. What's that Belichick and the New England Patriots? You think it's ok to cheat your way to the playoffs and Superbowl championships? If I was Commissioner Goodell I would suspend Belichick for the season and automatically disqualify the Patriots from the playoffs this year. If Belichick decides to do it again next year then he will be banned from all of professional sports for life and the Patriots will again lose any chance of the playoffs for another year. Oh yeah, and any legal fees that pop up because you're DQ'd from the playoffs and you've pissed off all the Vegas sports gambling industry junkies will be your responsibility too. Michael Vick you think it's ok to partake in dog fighting and commit felony acts? Felons don't belong in the NFL! Again I would ban you for life from all of professional sports.

You know what would happen to me if I got caught stealing narcotic drugs from the pharmacy and coming to work impaired? Let me put it this way I sure as hell wouldn't be fined a small amount of my total yearly income and be allowed to come back to work after a week. My ass would get my licensed suspended for several years and then I'd be put on probation if I was lucky enough to practice pharmacy again. I take my professional role as a pharmacist and my career seriously and so should you! Or as far as I'm concerned all you thugs can line up and shovel shit the rest of your life for the local cattle farmers. Maybe if you had to actually do real work for a living and make a real salary to feed your family you'd appreciate the 24's on your Bentley or the fact that you got a spot on MTV Cribs. I'm not jealous that your making millions of dollars. I'm just disgusted and thoroughly demoralized that your making millions of dollars and getting away with being a caustic piece of human flesh. Hard working, successful people who've played by the rules deserve a $15 million contract. Criminals and cheaters deserve garbage pickup on the side of the road in 95 degree heat and 90% humidity.

And just think I haven't even gotten to my second course of action to correct the problem. And that shall be.... a drastic turn around by the American media. That's right all of you national and local media outlets should be ashamed of yourself. Everyday you spew out negativity and everything that's wrong with society. The first spot on the 10 o'clock news is always a murder or robbery or some kind of poisonous piece of information. You owe it to your fellow citizens to spread positive events to help mold the next generation into something respectable. NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and the rest of you are just as much of a problem as the losers who commit these ridiculous offenses. If you want to show something negative then show Mike Tyson or Michael Vick as they get thrown into their jail cell when it hits them in the ass. And highlight the fact that that's what happens when you don't play by the rules. This should take a total of 15 seconds at the most. And then try spending the majority of your time on more inspiring stories like how Tiger has given back millions through the Tiger Woods Foundation to help poor kids get an education when that wouldn't have been possible before. Or how the Roger Federer Foundation provides millions of dollars to poor communities to improve their surroundings and situations.

Seriously, whatever happened to just doing the right thing?! For Christ's sake America let's stop putting up with this bullshit! Uuuuuggghhhhhh!!! Why doesn't everybody do something positive and productive for a change!

Got Diarrhea? Dr. Aas is Your Man!

There's nothing worse than diarrhea. Uuuugggghhhh!!! And it's even worse when a case of liquid stools hits you up when you're a patient in the hospital. I mean you're already feeling like ass and then along comes nature's version of a California mudslide. But I'm here to give you hope my friend. Dr. Aas has a cure!

Allow me to elaborate some on what I actually see at work as a hospital pharmacist. About 10% of hospitalized patients who are being treated with those big, powerful antibiotics for an infection develop a condition called Pseudomembranous Colitis caused by the bacteria Clostridium Difficile. C. Diff is a "bad" bacteria that is in your gut normally but in very small amounts. Your gut is actually made of trillions and trillions of bacteria but most are good. Sometimes when you get treated for an infection by those big, powerful antibiotics they will kill off the "good" bacteria which unfortunately let's the "bad" bacteria take over and the results are you guessed it - The Screamin' Shits!

If you get C. Diff then don't worry because there's two common antibiotics (Flagyl and Vancomycin) used to treat it. But about 20-30% of people will have relapses. What then? Well if you're lucky enough to have 5 relapsing episodes with no help from flagyl or vancomycin then there's always the stool transplant.

Stool Transplant!? You heard right. A poop transplant. You're last thread of hope for returning to normal lies in the hands of a Minnesotan physician name Dr. Aas. Dr. Aas actually takes human feces from a volunteer donor, blends it up until it's nice and creamy, and administers it through a tube that goes from your nose to your gut. Mmmmmm.... Yummy!! It actually works too. In fact I heard about it from The Sanford Guide, which for us medical geeks is our version of the bible in treating infectious disease.

The donor is usually a loved one. Oh Thank GOD! Can you imagine taking shit from a stranger and never being able to look into their eyes to say thank you. Love is a beautiful thing. So what flavor shake would you like the next time you end up in the hospital?

For an inside interview from Dr. Aas himself feel free to read on about this medical miracle:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A22098-2004Mar24

Oh To Be a Kid Again

And you thought the Etch-A-Sketch was for 5 year olds.

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