"Back to Basics, Basically Speaking"

We have run out of 'NOW!'

"M i l l e n n i u m Quotes, by Mike W." (Take 1,000 years to think about them!)

"Management is when you are responsible enough to make decisions that affect yourself, other people in your department, as well as other people in other areas of your company or organization."

"In a big city, drive like you know where you are, and that you know where you are going; never let anyone know that you are actually lost!"

"Who is 'Proxy Blue' ?"

...11/29/02: look, up in the sky!...it's space junk!...the remains of a Russian missle broke apart and provided people in the NW USA a view that resembled a meteor shower...
"Why is one of the busiest shopping days for Christmas (the day after Turkey Day) called 'Black Friday' ?"

Never before have we put this offer together! (since when?)

...11/29/02: 4,000 buffalo roam Yellowstone NATL Park, the highest number since 1997...some may have to be killed because of their number, plus to prevent the spread of disease to cows in both WY & MT...why is it that women can wear jean skirts to work on any day, but men can only wear jeans on Casual Dress Friday?...also enjoyed Cirque du Soleil presentations on BRAVO...

...11/29/02: the Cowboys won 27-20 Thursday, beating the Redskins for the 10th straight time and turning what once was the league's most bitter rivalry into its most lopsided...no other team has won as many in a row against another team...on the other hand, the Patriots beat the Lions (Detrot) 20-12...and the NM Lobos beat WYO, 49-20, and qualify for a bowl game in either Las Vegas, NV or San Fran, CA; this makes it the second time in 40 years!...the last time was in 1997...12/3/02: the Lobos will play Las Vegas, NV on 12/31/02...

...stores like Target & K-Mart should do well this holiday shopping season...

...12/1/02: 40 degrees at 6:30 AM...

...according to surveys & analysts, people will probably spend less money this holiday season...one of the reasons is the chance of war looking on the horizon...but if trends can be determined, Americans want to shop & buy...people were waiting outside malls since 3AM, just to get early-bird specials...the Xmas catalogue of Abercrombie & Fitch pushes towrds an X rating...it can only be purchased by people over 18 years old, due to its semi-nude models, both male & female...the same cpmpany had men in briefs in NYC stores, trying to stir up business!...men wanted to know if Victoria's Secret would do the same!...I don't know its final day, but Birds of Prey has been cancelled...the Secret Santa gift exchange has grown in popularity (Mike W. was part of one in 1979, at the Meeting Place in New Bedford); he was Russell's [the owner] Santa) ...

...11/25/02: Mike ordering Self-Sick, instead of Self -Stick note pads...Hope, ignoring me, and asking Cassandra if she is ready for the holiday...as of 12/1/02: the NE Patriots are in 1st place in their division...

...11/27/02: a bomb exploded in the lobby of a hotel in Kenya that is frequented by Israelis, killing at least 1 person...a missle is fired at an EL AL jet en route from Kenya to Tel Aviv!...it only brushed the plane, causing minimal damage...the suspects are Palestineans, suspected to be members of al-Qaida...12/1/02: Yemen feared the next target...as well as the US (why?)...a list of African countries that may be strongholds of al-Qaida is been prepared (by guess who?)...theory is that terrorists are looking for easier targets, such as schools, churches & amusement parks...12/1/02: the day the green vacuum cleaner emitted strange smells, followed by sparks, and died...

...11/27/02: man at bus stop who said that Mike doesn't have too long before he can retire...12/1/02: Mike colored his goatee a darker shade of brown...

"I want to hide my age from myself!"

...12/1/02: World AIDS Day...the number of people infected with the HIV virus is on the rise in India, China & Great Britain...the Disney Cruise line was forced back to port due to an illness that affected many people...over 1500 passengers have reported getting sick on several of the cruise ships...

...major oil spill off the coast of Spain...members of the EC are helping to clean up the mess...a tanker split on 11/13/02, sending 77,000 tons of fuel into the Atlantic...12/1/02: black ice & fog shut down I-40 east of Gallup at mile marker 36 to 69...12 to 13 rollovers have been reported, including some tractor trailers...in the end, there were 18 accidents, with 21 people injured, but none seriously...is there a mid-week storm on the horizon?...the average total time going through the SunPort security check was 20 minutes (not bad!)...

...12/2/02: Mayor Chavez may have violated the ABQ charter for accepting ABQ PAC money and using it for personal reasons...if he is not guilty, then why is the mayor paying it back?...he could lose his job, due to violation of the ethics code, but that is not too likely..12/4/02: he may pay back $4,000 used by his family to visit China...11/29/02: saw Reign of Fire...could not hold a candle to Lord of the Rings (but what can?)...12/4/02: saw a preview of The Two Towers, plus behind the scenes of the new release....11/30/02: no patients in GPU, closed for 2 days; by 12/2/02, there were 10 beds full, more than 50% arrived the evning of 12/1/02...most if October's dictations were coded by Cassandra during O/T on 11/30/02!...12/4/02: had another Q&A with Dr. Heideman about how to bill D/C services...also had an impromptu meeting with Dr. Anderson re: coding levels...

...finally, 1 year late & overbudgeted, the West Side Jail open...they will start transporting inmates on 12/10/02...

...12/2/02: Brad's interview went well...this would be a 20-hr/wk. position...second interviews will be held the second week in DEC...some traveling involved...12/3/02: it has rained during the night, and is still raining...the entire state is wet!...snow advisory in the mountains for 3-6 inches...in the early AM, there was a winter mix near Tramway...a chance of snow in the valley...and the roof leaked again...Brad spoke to nancy, who had the roofing contract from this past summer...the warranty lasts another 2 years...she has waited 2 months for them to show up...other apartment shared their "leak" stories while getting their mail...still no one has shown up...Steven Spielburg's TAKEN began, 10 episodes, 2 hours each...

...President Bush demanded the inventory of Iraqi weapons by 12/8/02...Iraqi states it has already compiled the list...some Saudi Arabian charities may have, in some way, just possibly, given money to people who could have been part of terrorist groups...the al-Qaida admit they were behind the Kenya bombings...

...12/2/02: I do not have the Christmas spirit, yet...but I did find 97 entries for the magic 8-ball in E-bay...12/3/02: gas has dropped to $1.35/gal...Brad made super delicious chocolate fudge oatmeal drop cookies...brought some for Cassandra, who enjoyed them...when Brad called on 12/5/02, he told her his secrets, and printed a copy of his recipe for her!...

...there is a Trenholm, MN & Norway (Joan's maiden name!)...

Maybe...kinda...slightly catching up!?

...12/3/02: and it has rained!...during the previous evening, and through the entire day...it was cool waiting for the bus in the morning & late afternoon...the showers were off & on, but one-third of an inch of rain fell in ABQ...it should stop tomorrow...at least here, people dress for the weather, with heavy coats, gloves, hats & the correct footwear...Sandia Peak had over 14 inches of snow...more is expected...Ski Apache has 10+" of new snow; all resorts have had double digit totals, and more may be on its way...we are in an El Nino pattern, with storm pushing through the state...I-25 north of ABQ is treacherous...ABQ was spared, very little black ice...in Alamogordo, they had thunderstorms...the storm dumped snow & ice in the East plus states like TN, KY & VA...the snow was mostly on the coastal cities from DC to Boston...more than 650,000 people were without power in Charlotte, NC...many will not have power restored until the weekend...the most ice fell in NC & southern VA...12/5/02: Strom Thurman turns 100!...

...12/3/02: Dr. Lattimore told other doctors not to get Mike angry, or he will lower the level ratings of their visits...I told her I do not want a mob chasing me!...then, I thought, maybe they could pay me some hush money (or, bribe) so I would raise the rating, thus provider both doctor & coder with a little extra money (just joking!)...12/4/02: today begins a 2-week I/P shift for Dr. Hoffman...day 1, and he prepares his notes the way of Dr. Anaya, which include the time spent, and are patient specific...

Mike W., Brad, Pizza Hut & the 'Glebe' .

...12/3/02: Brad made a very tasty potato pot pie w/bacon (crumbled) & green beans...a prisoner from the new West Mesa Jail was in the E/R; saw him get into the wagon to transport him back...there was a lost child; told the information area...they asked me the for the girl's name...I asked them how many children get lost in this place...in the end, the child was found on the fifth floor...12/5/02: gave the Clinic large rubber bands which they needed...it makes sense since we get when batches are delivered to us from there!...12/6/02: first the Clinic says it is short staffed and has no billing sheets...at the end of the day, we are swamped with batches that have lots of work...where did these come from?...also, we discovered many from the end of October...where were these hiding?...

...12/5/02: the federal gov't stayed open as DC got 8 inches of snow...over 1.2 million people, which became 1.8 million by the end of the week, were without power in NC, the hardest hit state...that is the total population of NM!...the governors of NC & SC have declared a state of emergency...6-10 inches of snow in VA...snow fell from NM to NY...12/7/02: Dulles Airport recorded a record low of 3 degrees above zero!...a semi blew a tire on I-40, and traveled over 30 minutes until he noticed something was wrong...near Edgewood, the driver saw that the back of the truck was on fire...the flames had melted the roof, and a greenish smoke poured out...it was carrying pharmacy supplies...I-40 was closed in both directions during the PM..late PM: I-40 near the Rio Grande exit, truck hits stalled car in middle lane...no serious injuries...AM near Gallup...I-40 closed after tractor trailer skids on black ice & crashes...again, minor cuts & bruises to driver...chance of rain &/or snow on SUN & TUES...and it will be colder (highs in the lower 40s')...

...a new community, Mesa del Sol, will be built S of SunPort...it will consist of 8 villages, nature & bike trails, shopping & business complexes, and provide jobs for 60,000 people...it will also contain a nature reserve, E of the city...

...then; on Fridays, walk to bank then to book store, then home...now; direct deposit for my paycheck, I take two buses (at least) to get my comics, the same for the return route...

"You can kill them with kindness, or just kill them!" Mike W.

...12/6/02: 31 @6AM, and very cold outside...hid in the "V" area of The Beach sign... Brad fixed the shelf on my desk that held the keyboard...it only would pull out half as far as it should...a bad day for bus travel...waited for Lomas, then Eubank (N), then missed the Menaul by seconds, so had to wait for Eubank (S), then had to wait for Central...this was a est to see if going directly to the Central bus stop would save time...it did not!...there are many more stops on Central than Lomas or Menaul...that, plus a very slow bus driver, and I arrived at home @6:20!....

...12/6/02...Nelson Martinez' last day at KOAT-TV...he has recorded 6 CDs' of both vocals & with a mariachi band...his son is the Chief Weatherman in Reno, NV...Ski Valley at Ruidoso will open earlier than expected...

...Cassandra will probably not work on 12/23/02...12/7/02: 29 degrees @7:30 AM...dense fog in SE NM...the Gathering of Nations will be held the third weekend in April, 2003...

...the state of Hawaii consists of 132 islands!...

...1/10/03: the date when the ABQ City Council will meet to decide if Mayor Chavez violated the city's charter by accepting money from ABQ PAC for personal reasons...