2003 continues!"

...1/15/03: 3 additional moons are discovered circling Neptune, bringing the total to 11...someone on the Central bus told Mike that he found the leather glove that dropped during Mike's rush to catch the Lomas bus...this man says he will bring it from home on 1/16/03...and he did, as soon as I got on the bus...1/15/03: when Mike got off the bus, a bus was just leaving Fifth & Central...he tried to wave it down to stop...however, a jeep did stop, Mike got in, & they raced the bus until it turned from Lomas to Third (which was not typical at all!)...reason: it was a Zuni bus...so Mike thanked the driver, got off @First & Lomas and walked back to Fifth & Lomas...picked up the bus, and arrived to work 5 minutes earlier...saw Rosanne, who was driving to pick up billing sheets to audit...the PEDS area is very busy; patients are discharged, and new ones are ready to be admitted ...most are suffering lung & nasal illnesses, due to the long period of dry weather...and no rain or snow is in the forecast until late in January...

"Shake your booty!"

"I'm so excited!"

...1/15/03: Brad worked out at the NMAS gym, and will try to maintain a 3 day per week schedule...he will seek advice on how to exercise & avoid back pains...

...snow has covered MO, IL & KY, heading east, into the Carolinas & the Virginias...just in time for Leather Weekend in DC...but the storm should be gone by Fri PM...or so they say!...

"What a feeling!"

...it took the rest of society 25 years to get in the groove...ain't no stopping us now!...you mean staright people finally like this music, too!...hmmm!...

"You are the Dancing Queen!"

...there is a girl on the AM Central bus whose hair color keeps changing at a rapid rate...then, the boy who had a green tuft of hair now sports a military look!...

"I Love the Night Life!"

...a deep freeze covers the entire US...1/18/03: it was 16 degrees at 9 AM in DC...1/19/03: 33 degrees @6 AM...

"It's raining men!!"

...1/16/03: the Disco Ball on ABC (no less!)...cycles & styles, trends, fads & fashions...c'est chic!...it's fun to see the new generation's attempt to recreate an era (our era!)...proving that gays are still trend setters...straight people are just slow to catch on & catch up!...I don't think so!...but to see the Spinners, the Pointer Sisters, Martha Wash, Thelma Houston, Cheryl Lynn, Taylor Dayne, Gloria Gaynor, KC & the Sunshine Gang, Chic & the musical tribute of ABBA...it is to freak!...plus a new version of the Village People...what a feeling!...the show was even a featured article in the Channel 7 local news on 1/17/03!...back to reality (why?)...

"Freak on!"

...back to reality (why?)...1/16/03: the first Israeli astronaut will be aboard the US space shuttle Columbia...Quest may offer long distance phone service in NM...the number of surgical supplies that remain in patients after the procedures are done; 1,500...SUVs' are prone to rollovers...Glendive, MT featured on the Channel 7 weather map; one of our nurses came from a town 35 miles west of that city...we stayed there when crossing North Dakota...the Western movie genre is celebrating its 100th anniversary...and NM is finding ways to entice producers to use locales in this state, with incentives such as no fees when filming government buildings...1/17/03: gas drops to $1.39/gal...

"I will survive!"

...during the week of 1/13/03...a female employee misdirected her daughter to the Men's Room...lucky she was stopped before opening the door and stepping inside...a new field was added to the audit screen, but no one was notified...then they tried to add a new screen, but couldn't do so for an entire day...they reason was that soemone did not sign-off at the recommended time (noon)...but this problem started early that morning...

...after 3 weeks, Cassandra was told that she was not coding them correctly...but the reason was that she was not told to do something special when multiple procedures are performed...Geri has one way of coding; Rosie, another...in the end, Cassandra will use the "gut feeling" technique to decide the correct CPT modifier...I also use the E/R forms when a person is admitted directly from that location...well, their backlog has been eliminated, so my co-worker will "return" to PEDS...but no one in that area thanked Cassandra for her assistance...surprised? no!...1/16/03: Cassandra gets a jury summons...NM residents have to serve for 3 weeks in as many cases as necessary...this process is repeated every 3 years...she is working with Geri to come up with enough reasons as to why it is impossible for her to serve at this time...

...I have been battling a head cold, but no one appears concerned when I mention that fact...however, 2 out of 3 ain't bad...my viral load is low, my T-cell count is high & my blood pressure is very high!...so we start with doubling the dose of Altace, but take 1 tablet twice a day, instead of 2 at the same time...here, they draw blood 10 days before your visit, so they have the results when you meet with the doctor...back east, you had to call & hope the doctor had received the findings..if not, the patient had to keep trying...however, some of my test results were very good For a man your age!...I now have a doctor who understands the pressure that I face as a Coder...

"The closer to danger, the safer from harm!"

...due to a sterile harvest, bananas may become extinct in 10 years!...10 below zero in Bismarck, ND on 1/17/03...27 sequels will be made in 2003...the lastest James Bond flick, Die Another Day, has made $300 million in 7 weeks...the latest Star Trek movie, Nemesis, will not be as successful...6 AM and all is quiet & deserted in downtown ABQ...1/16/03: Brad made scallops w/onions stir fried in butter, white sauce w/lemon & more butter; all this topped on noodles...1/19/03: Brad created a bacon, mushroom, onion & shredded cheese quiche...mmm! mmm! good!...fire weather watch in SE NE...my previous job is now referred to as Back East, instead of by name...the Accounting Hall of Fame is located in Columbus, OH...

...a status symbol for guys is watches with gold &/or silver (real?, fake?; not sure)...per court witnesses, Mayor Chavez did get money from ABQ PAC contributors...he is facing the city's Ethics Board...ABQ PAC was formed in 12/2001, it has raised $125K, with the current mayor receiving $50K...the mayor will not sign the smoking ban which would affect all restaurants & bars in the city...the NM resident who came down with the Bubonic Plague is still hospitalized in NYC...the sad news is that both of his feet had to be amputated...

...NM is the second highest state for passengers (including drivers) who wear their seat belts...and the story of the sex offender in NM continues, as signs & illegal force have caused him to move, even when offered shelter on people's property...but, the second viewing of the Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers (1/18/03) was even better than the first; one saw things that were missed, due to all the activity on the screen, and the constant flow of action...rarely did you get a chance to breathe!...by then end of this weekend, it had earned over $11 million, bringing its total take to $299 million...1/19/03: Richard Crenna, 76, dies of pancreatic cancer...

"High Profile!"

...the Navajo Nation has a new Presdient, who would like to have a lottery to raise money...future plans do include casinos, but this will have to be put to a vote...DWI arrests have gone up, and related accidents have gone down...

Proteus says, " All things must change! "

...we have a sluggish weathern forecast to match the sluggish economy...on its 100th episdoe, Cole leaves Charmed?...it will be the Oakland Raiders against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Super Bowl on 1/26/03...Ron Howard is having a casting call for The Missing...he will need young women, men of all ages, people who can ride horses & Native Americans...the auditions will be held on 2/1/03...1/19/03: saw Minority Report, which takes place in DC during the year 2054...people can predict when a murder will take place...speaking of murder, the bodies of a mother & daughter are found in a dumpster...the husband had committed suicide the day before the corpses were found...

"Quality Time" with families!

...the week will consist of classes (Cassandra, TUES; all day, and the same thing taught the same way by the same consultant...the rules supposedly apply for the various O/P areas, but there were lots of statements that went against the UPA Coding policies, which resulted in Pat telling those present to continue the same way they have been coding) 2 meetings (TUES & WED; Bulletin, WED is a no-go), and I have to take my blood pressure on 1/24/03...the weather remains warm, with no rain...temps are more than 10 degrees above normal...1/21/03: 40 degrees at 5AM, temps may reach 60 here, and 80 in the southern part of the state...Silicon Valley has lost 120K jobs during 2001 to mid-2002...the Golden Globe awards went to Chicago (and all that jazz!)...

...1/21/03: in Kuwait, 2 Americans were shot, one died...they were US citizens doing contract work in that country...it happened on a highway near a US Military base, and is described as a terrorist attack...

...Captain is shedding; is this a sign of spring or winter?...the roving sex offender has been offered a place to stay in ABQ, but neighbors don't want him in their area...as the news cameras rolled, little children (girls) cried, saying they don't want to be hurt by that man!...the person who will take him in asked the protestors where the offender should go...vague answers, no definite locations & more tears were the responses...this following is a statement to be filed in one's memory...the Republican members of the NM Congress states that the new governor, a Democrat, is easy to work with!...the session lasts 60 days...on 3/22/03, legislation not passed is considered dead...

Will 2003 be the Year of the War?

...it was not a good weekend for Cassandra...1/19/03: her cousin, age 36, died from unknown causes (an autospy is being done)...the daughter heard noises, saw her mother in convulsions, and called the fire department...Patrick's brother responded to the call...the woman had no known illnesses...her wish is to be cremated...the funeral is 1/23/03...

...1/21/03: the Rounds took over 2 hours...most of the new patients will be serviced by PEDS providers...the same is true on 1/22/03; different patients, same dx...meeting with PSAC re consult questions & what info can be used in notes written by med students or residents...I don't know what made me think about it, but there is no loudspeaker system in this building so no one can be paged!...at lunch it was very warm outside...at 5th & Central, the bus stop is still closed, while vehicles drive through a cloud of dust up 5th...this is the last 3-day weekend for 4 months, although I will probably work some time during the Memorial Day holiday...my sweet tooth is in a recession mode...Latinos are the largest minority in the US...Brahms has been up & down...Daily Baby pauses between screens...

...1/22/03: Wall Street gave up the last of its New Year's rally, falling for a fifth straight session as investors unloaded shares following tepid earnings from J.P. Morgan Chase and Eastman Kodak...the Dow Jones industrials, which had risen nearly 501 points in early January, fell 124 points and sacrificed the last of its advance...the gains were wiped out over the last five days amid growing pessimism of a sluggish economy...an earthquake strikes Mexico City...Brad had a good adjustment at his chiro visit...the ride to & from was quite fast...on the other hand, nothing was going fast for Mike; I have been missing buses by seconds...the evening ride on 1/22/03 felt like it took forever...and it did (sort of); I got home at 5PM!...
...for sale, 1 baseball team...price: $400 million...reality TV has a mixed bag of rating scores...Mayor Chavez struck down the law to prohibit smoking in all ABQ restaurants & bars...and, on that topic, places to eat are serving the public bigger portions, so people will get their money's worth...this quantity size philosophy is also practiced at home...the end results: a fatter society!...on a similar, but different subject (?)...ABQ is the place for gays & lesbians who want to be left alone!...