...3/24/03: 22 people in the US have been diagnosed with SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)...more snow for CO today...we are in the high 60s'...but, rain here by the end of the week?...my fellow bus person, Margaret, was sick with walking pneumonia for 1 week...the new PC arrived...now Brad has to download his documents on diskettes and transfer them to the Dell; he has started transferring them directly to a CD...NM will no longer allow discriminations based on sexual orientation...
...3/21/03: Cassandra saw Hope & Arlene eating breakfast in the cafeteria @8 AM...3/24/03: we received an E-mail from Rosanne, saying to remember to include the billing areas on our billing sheets...she received heated messages from both of us...then Hope brought Doreen to our area asking about a request for information that had not been previously required...Cassandra said she was told by Data Entry...but nobody could remember who sent these charges back to Cassandra...we feel that people are afraid of Hope...and they are not afraid of us, nor are they afraid to say anything to us...Hope speaks, people jump...Geri has a bag of excuses why Hope is never at fault; it is always the Coder's mistake...
...3/22/03: installed both a B/W & color printer cartridge...no increase in the amount of flags or other patriotic items at Walgreens...3/25/03: temps hover near 70 degrees...light rain during night...chance of rain, but cooler & windier days are forecast for the end of the week...CO may see more snow, some in the N NM MTNs'?...the Dixie Chicks apologized for their remark against the president & TX, but sales have dropped, their records have been removed from shelves & people request not to play their songs!...in Dune, does Arakis = Iraq ?...
...Hope has a code name...WWW (wicked witch of the west, silly!)...her acidic tongue may be put to rest as Doreen visits our area on a regular basis, asking about coding procedures...there may be a new way to handle ADMITs'; that is, if we ever see any...we don't see Ted, either...and the Clinics have sent over zilch to us!...Hope makes it hard to want to go to work...I like my job, but I do not like (almost hate) this place!...
...3/25/03: Brad's order of potting soil arrived...we hauled 12 30-lb. bags to the first level of the apartment...Brad had somehow maneuvered 2 upstairs during the day...we had to secure Captain in our bedroom...sign on truck: The Lawn Rangers (I kid you not!)...
...3/26/03: I opened the biggest & heaviest that contained parts of the PC (just to inspect it, mind you; the box had a gash torn from its side)...well, everything looked OK!...the big box is gone, and there is more space to maneuver in my office for now...
...3/26/03: Cassandra's evaluation...her most difficult challenge at work is Hope...Rosanne had no answer for that statement...on the list of employees, I am the last name...we will no longer speak of Data Entry linking diagnoses...
...airline bookings are down 10%...airlines have lost about $30 billion since 9/11...hotel occupancy is down 20%...many businesses or school groups are cancelling or shortening their trips away from home...lower prices & bargain vacation packages are not luring people to travel...3/26/03: now the stock market has war nerves, as it drops 50 points...there was a line of thundershowers from Austin, TX to Cleveland, OH; almost 1400 miles!...I had a slight panic attack while waiting for the bus this morning...in our dumpster was a PC monitor...gusty winds are expected, with speeds up to 50 mph...high wind warnings have been issued across the state...cool, but dry, as low as 13% humidity...possible severe dust storms in SW NM...chance of up to 7" of snow in NE NM...slight chance of snow or rain here...winds reached over 30 mph in ABQ...
...Congress has chopped in half President Bush's tax cut...
...3/27/03: the cooler weather gave Brad the incentive to cook; so he prepared Lyonaise Potato Cake, w/olive oil, thyme, balsamic vinegar & onions...superb!...this was followed by Beef & Black Bean Chili, w/jalapeno pepper, dark chili powder, cumin, garlic, tomatoes & its sauce & puree...out of this world!...
"Good tuna should never be eaten in a bowl!" Captain, 2003
...3/26/03: Daniel Patrick Moynahan, a senator from NY for 24 years, died at the age of 76...
...Rosanne has serious allergy problems...my evaluation meeting is scheduled on 3/28/03 @10...3/27/03: 53 degrees @5 AM...the sky got dark & cloudy during the morning...snow showers @noon with 40 degrees...51 degrees @ 3 PM & windy...more people are jogging or walking their dogs as I wait for the bus...
...3/27/03: no PEDS meeting...told Hope, but she had to call Cassandra to verify that fact...if a billing sheet must pass a 7-point check, why does Data Entry have so many without dx, since that information is one of the check points!...Data Entry is wasting time trying to enter charges that are incomplete...these should first come to the Coders...on a daily basis, how long will it take before Mike & Cassandra are both thoroughly frustrated?...Dr. Webster has got notes in the chart, including the time spent with a patient...that ended as of 3/28/03; we cannot find any notes written by her...some weekend notes were found in the charts...
"3/29/03: a day of dispair!"
...3/27/03: opened package 2 of 3...the flat monitor!...Brad also made strawberry slush, a great drink!...and N Korea is still claiming that America wants to start a nuclear war with that country!...3/28/03: assembled the PC with little difficulty, except trying to play Beat The Clock since Brad had to watch the 2-hour season premier of Tremors..but I was dumped for a TV program...later I was told that Brad was tired...he could have told me that on 3/28/03!...however, even the printer link-up was easy!...pages are produced from the last to the first...putting it together (step by step, inch by inch, mile by mile!)...currently the DELL computer is on the counter between the kitchen & living rooms...Brad is downloading his pictures on CDs'...
...3/28/03: Captain was sick; threw up a hairball...IAMS to the rescue!...fed him dry food during the day...30 degrees @5 AM, coldest morning in a month...in fact the high reached only 44 degrees, the lowest "high" temperature recorded in history...the temps will reach the 70s' during most of next week, closing in on 80 degrees by mid-week...another long stretching cold front from ABQ to Chicago, 1335 miles!...
...3/28/03: the price of gas has dropped to $1.57/gal...there is a musical touring the country based on Saturday Night Fever (Disco doesn't die!)...used the Coors bus to reach the Target in that area...made good timing plus a stop at Albertson's...3/29/03: Brad made strawberry shortcake...3/30/03: bad weather from FL (T'storms) to PA (cold rain) to New England (snow)...this should all be gone by 3/31/03...the person who identified the SARS virus dies from his discovery...a travel advisory has been issued for people going to SE Asian & mainland China...
...an ABQ reporter returned from Kuwait...he now has an allergic reaction to latex from having spent 4 days in a chemical protection suit!...the Dow dropped another 28.5 points on 3/27/03...starting in April, there will be fewer airport passenger security screeners, due to a reduction in the work force at that GOV'T agency...the former NM governor Gary Johnson is on his way to climb Mt. Everest...he should reach the top by mid-May...a broken leg prevented him from starting this challenge earlier in the year...
...local police forces are understaffed now that reservists are being called to war or to assist in Homeland Security...the thinning numbers also means a reduction in experienced personnel...
"Nobody is going to lose sleep if I'm unhappy!"
...need to change tactics at work...I've been told I'm doing a good job, and that the problem with Hope will be resolved eventually...stay calm & quiet...it is time to retreat into my shell...my life is crumbling apart everywhere I turn!...
...any type of facial hair could be perceived as an attempt to conceal one's identity...
...3/30/03: Brad created Koulibiaca, a Russian meal w/salmon, eggs, onions & spices served in a puff pastry...fantastic!...
...Hope always asks Cassandra for information, even though these questions should be directed to Jackie, her boss...3/28/03: dense clouds again over the Sandias; a cold, windy, raw day with light AM snow showers...the evaluation was OK...I didn't re-read it after changes were made...no complaints from the doctors...usual tips: relax, don't be so sensative or take things so seriously (where have I heard that before?)...I should take some time off...I wish someone could show or tell me how to calm down...or smile...or be happy!...3/31/03: I was very tired, even though I went to bed early the night before...
...3/30/03: the first game of the 2003 baseball season, most teams played on 3/31/03...and the Red Sox lost their opener...the new bell tower which contains an I-beam from the WTC will be hoistered into the church in Barelas...the final construction date is sometime in May...retired police offices are being allowed to return to active duty through the duration of the war...
...serious depression is settling in...I just want to hide in my "office" at home...and cry...
...Captain is shedding and therefore has some hairballs, which he throws up!...back to dry food for the present...with a new PC came a rearranged office...had to present my pension plan income to Eric to determine if I would still qualify for NMAS assistance...stocks dropped to 7992...but they have moved up above 8000 on 4/1/03...I received an E-mail saying I did not complete the last part of the HIPAA training...I did so on 3/31/03...
...4/1/03: N Korea fires another test rocket into the Sea of Japan...
...4/1/03: Cassandra used a Personal Leave day...so Hope, who had questions, had to ask me...and I replied in my kind, polite, friendly way...by the end of the day, she wished me a pleasant evening and I did the same to her...this episode didn't bother me, but I wonder how she felt knowing there was no one else who could answer her questions...in ABQ, a coder has a good paying job...NICU was much fuller than before I split the Rounds...and I did an audit on Hem/Onc billing forms, which arrived in one huge batched clump with no information on the top sheet...the charts were not pulled, which was how it was supposed to be...as of 4/1/03, my insurance will no longer cover Altace...they have alternative medications to take...so I contacted my doctor & explained the situation...
"My freezer has so many egg whites it looks like a sperm bank!"
...4/1/03: Becky, with the help of Judy in Medical Coding, helped me find dollar values for CPT codes (Rupert 2-3-7-I-R-M)...this was for a request from E. Kocher of Occupational Therapy...
...4/2/03: a pair of Canadian geese roamed through the Beach parking lot...it reached 78 degrees on 4/1/03; @4 AM on 4/2/03 it was 50 degrees...I could walk outside with my jacket open...but, there were wind advisory across the state for the PM...gusts reached 40+ mph in ABQ...clouds thickened through the day...teachers in this city have been suspended for refusing to take down pro- or anti-war posters or pictures...the guidelines for these decisions were created in 1995...times have changed!...how, what or who determines what is proper or acceptable...based on whose opinions or judgement...who selects these people to make the decisions?...and on & on...
...opposite (northbound) traffic lights are working on 6th ST, but no other indications of making it a 2-way street...I was going to leave early on 4/4/03, but INGENIX will be closing the month during the late afternoon...I may try again on 4/11/03...4/3/03: that changed, for the last March INGENIX was run today...so I will leave @noon on 4/4/03...Brad's "Stairway to Haven" garden is evolving; it will include tomatoes & herbs... 4/2/03: Brad created a wonderful spaghetti (using the last box purchased at Giant!) with meat sauce dinner...
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