"The original 'page 100'!" (sort of)

...WHO officials say chemical, biological, and nuclear agents may be used by terrorist organizations to harm civilians around the world, and food might be the means to disseminate such agents...

"This is only an Orange Alert!" "Don't be alarmed!"

...2/8/03: the country is under an orange alert...there is a high risk of terrorist attacks on soft targets, such as apartment houses, tunnels, bridges, hotels, subways & amusement parks...this is especially true for East Coast cities...public access has been denied to Los Alamos Natl Labs; as of now, the gates will remain closed...all employees will be required to show an ID badge...there are parking restrictions @SunPort...the government will coordinate security measures with state & local police...a word to the wise for the American public: be vigilant & alert for your country...but be prepared for emergencies & have a contingency plan...however, it's still business as normal...plus, be on the lookout for a young Pakistani who may have ties to al-Qaeda...this country is going to stress itself to the limit!...at this point in history, it is not safe to be of Arabic ancestry in the US...by the end of the week, these threats proved to be false...

"Countdown to War!"

...2/9/03: with the country on an orange alert, security measures have been taken to protect popular tourist spots in NY such as the Plaza Hotel, Grand Central Station and Tiffany & Co. jewelry store, plus the southwest entrance to Central Park...President Bush agreed to raise the national terror alert from yellow to orange on 2/7/03, the second time since 9/11/01...Attorney General John Ashcroft cited an increased likelihood that the al-Qaida terror network would attack Americans, noting hotels and apartment buildings were possible targets...security tightened across the country, from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to the NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta on 2/9/03...nuclear facilities in California and Washington state and some utilities put security plans into action...

...due to the war, NM military bases may get additional money for weapons development & testing...$2.8 billion is slated for KAFB, Holloman & White Sands...Hans Blix is vaguely optomistic...he expects concessions from Iraq, and will speak to that country's scientists...his next report to the UN will be on 2/14/03 (Valentine's Day)...both Iraqi men & women are ready to fight!...France & Germany propose to triple the number of inspectors & maintain peacekeepers in Iraq for several years...the Pope is also sending a delegation to Baghdad...he regards this situation as a defeat for mankind with no moral justification...they will speak to the Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz during the week...

...2/9/03: the UN chief weapons inspectors emerged from key talks with Iraq officials, saying they saw signs of a change of heart from Baghdad over disarmament demands and that further UN inspections were preferable to a quick US-led military strike...both Blix and ElBaradei avoided saying they were convinced Iraq now was ready to cooperate fully with the inspection program...the phrase used was cautiously optomistic...more time is needed to collect evidence & make a decision...however, their comments about signs of change likely will strengthen calls by France, Germany, Russia, China and others to allow more time for inspections, possibly several months, and undermine US efforts to win international support for an imminent military showdown...a proposal has been made to set up a peacekeeping force in Iraq for years...I think Bush would like to shoot down Blik's plane & blame it on Saddam Husein!...

"Don't be alarmed!"

"Mine is not the last voice that you will ever hear!"

...2/10/03: Zero Hour!...met with Rosanne...every day every chart will be read from all areas [except NICU, for now] during the next 2 weeks [we were told we should had been doing this since the beginning]...if there is a mistake, attach a note to the chart...Cassandra will also be working in the E/R area...someone will be working with me...which means I may end up doing all the Rounds (see you at lunch!)...we will only know a day ahead if Cassandra will be working in PEDS or not...in Newborn Nursery, we receive the billing sheet after the DC...Rosanne wants it coded when the baby is still I/P...we took Rosanne & Geri on a tour of the Rounds...but we only addressed procedures, not Coding...for O/P APC Clinic errors, attach a note to the billing sheet...

...2/10/03: Dude!...the actor who gained fame and a cult following as the slacker Steven in commercials for Dell computers was arrested buying a small bag of marijuana...Benjamin Curtis, a 22-year-old New York University drama student, awaited arraignment on a misdemeanor drug possession charge...dizzy spell at night in bed...room spun around, felt like vomiting, but did not...the effects of stress...another on 2/12 after lunch...NM GOV Richardson appeared on NightLine...16 below zero in Bismarck, ND @5 AM...and Cassandra may be catching a cold...Geri will be in Las Vegas for 3 days...it seems that many people are out this or next week...2/11/03: add Rosanne, Betty & Darrel...so Geri asked Cassandra to work on E/R after the Rounds...neither one of us found the additional work very difficult...for me, charts go from PICU or PSAC to GPU...each of us are seeing patterns or trends, and are working with the nurses & staff...PSAC & PICU are one day behind in their billing entries...we just wish it was presented to us in something better than a "you should have been doing this from the start" comment...add to the fact that Geri had taught both of us, but remained silent...no procedures had been written anywhere, nor were these changes written for us...we do what we heard...we are tired of no praise, but tons of complaints...loyalty, service &/or dependability mean nothing...one should take time off when necessary, and not care about the needs of the area...then we were brought junk, which dated back to 9/02...she may only be here 4 months, but Cassandra is already frustrated!...the final straw is Hope asking for a CPT book so she can correct our mistakes...no, the final may have been when Hope called Cassandra to take Hope's work back to our area to correct mistakes or add dxs'...Hope is referred to as the Queen "B" (+itch)...from now on, enter the codes, batch the charges, send to Hope...backed up toilet flooded 1650 UNIV; building shut down for 2 days...

...2/11/03: the GOVT is asking citizens to maintain a 3-day supply of food & water, plastic & duct tape [to seal windows, protecting people from biological & chemical warfare (?!)], plus the usual supplies of first aid kits, flashlights, radios & batteries...a radioactive or dirty bomb may be unleashed on us...there is an audio tape that may be Osama bin Laden addressing Iraqis on the Al-jazeera...he says to use deadly force against the US...he encourages suicide attacks...the war will be decided in the streets of Baghdad...but he does not support the Iraqi government, stating the Saddam should disappear...our military strength has been sent to battle, as well as the troops from other countries...they are all sitting & waiting in the Persian Gulf...I fear that we are leaving this country vulnerable, since the threat of attack inside our borders is quite real...the checks are in the bank, and Brad is currently happy...it will take 5 business days for the money to appear in our account...gas up to $1.57...bus was running late...driver stopped for large cup of soda...the INGENIX contained mostly duplicates of duplicate entries...took almost an hour to make sense of the list...Brad & I are getting money back from Uncle Sam...the downtown ambassadors of ABQ, patrolling on bike around that section of the city...Brad made great tacos!...muy bueno!...

"War is in the air, everywhere I look around!"

...2/11/03: LOTR: The Two Towers has 6 nominations for the Academy Awards, including Best Picture...

...2/12/03: Peter Jennings' World News showed an aerial view of Quartzite, AZ...2/13/03: he filmed part of his program from Old Town, ABQ & Los Alamos Labs...LANL is referred to as the birthplace for Weapons of Mass Destruction...2/12/03: Spring Baseball training begins...the weather is mild again today, and rain is still in the forecast...Brad made a wonderful NY style cheesecake...stocks have dropped to 7750...

...it's amazing...Cassandra & I do not smoke or sleep on the job...we do not flirt with male or female employees...we do not spend lots of time on the phone, on the Internet, or away from our work area...we do not want to commit suicide...maybe that's why Rosanne treats us like she does, as if we don't do what is expected of us as coders!...I told Rosanne we were basically caught up, but she never read that E-mail...Cassandra was relocated to a small desk piled with papers and no space to move herself or her chair...she could not sign on to the PC...neither could Cheryl, who also carried on about the maximum filing days for SALUD (among other concerns)...in the end, she returned to her F-P work area, and Cassandra came "home"...in the PM, we were part of a Pulmonary training group, to show the new specialty form, and make final revisions...Rosanne was out on 2/13/03...we were pleased & less stressed...I think Hope may not like me because of my lifestyle!...oh, well!...PICU: where people may get worse before improving...2/14/03: at 11:30, we were told of a 1 PM Hem/Onc meeting with Dr. Heideman...Rosanne arrived late, probably because John also informed her at the last moment...later, in GPU, I saw Dr. Heideman again, who asked my opinion of John...I said nothing; which, of course, said a lot...he thinks John circles the crux of the discussion and never completely finishes a task...John also likes to assign tasks to other people, or "work with" others to achieve an answer...I gave the doctor a list of ICD codes on immune deficiency...

...the Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, should be made at least once in an Islam's life...this is the only time that men & women can pray together...people there say this will be a war of religion & oil...the US does not fear anything...the US cannot be trusted...people & soldiers will die; not the politicians...Blix report was inconclusive; more time is needed (as in months)...DC has anti-aircraft guns around the city...NY & DC have increased police patrol...border roads have more security patrols, who are confiscating lots of illegal drugs!...Cassandra thinks Osama is Saddam's friend, living in one of his palaces...

...2/12/03: Winter Storm Watch for the N mountains over 8500 feet...the storm arrived in pieces, with lulls between weather systems...it has caused mudslides in CA, closing I-5...it is a strong, well-defined storm, that resembles a hurricane...rain again for Palm Springs (sorry, Ray!)...the Bosque & Cibola NATL Forest may not reopen if the drought continues...and it rained...during the night it rained & it stopped & then started again in mid-PM...44 degrees @5 AM...we received .33" of rain...more arrived on 2/14/03, heavy in the early morning rush hour...again we are faced with ripples of rain...the main problems: flooded streets & hydroplaning on roads...in CA, I-5 closed north of LA due to mudslides, up to 4 feet deep...

" War: Not if...but when!"

...2/14/03: Brad prepared warm spicy butter poached shrimp dinner for Valentine's Day...truly incredible!...added tofu & Chinese Noodles on 2/16/03...

...thoughts for the moment: will there be restrictions in this country?...will states, counties or cities be able to impose limits on such diverse items as food, electricity or travel?...could there be curfews?...random searches in apartments, hotels, night clubs or hospitals?...rationing, similar to gas in the 1970's?...road checkpoints on hospitals and major streets?...just something to think about...

...nobody taught us how to use the APC audit screens, either the original or the revisions...we were never told when changes would take place...we were informed that there had been PEDS form meeting that was poorly attended...who knew?...but if things are worng, we are told as soon as an E-mail can be written...red letter day; Dr. Fahl attached documentation to his billing card!...batches from the Clinics "appear overnight"...they are now down by 3 people!...2/14/03, and Rosanne with her token of candies...a composite coder/anatomy book would cost $125, but we know our request for it will be turned down...Rosanne keeps people off balanced & uncertain, while saying she has done nothing wrong...and she will tell you when you've done something is wrong...but at a meeting, she will say you've not been doing something, even though this is the first time I (or Cassandra) have ever heard this...we should get rid of old cheat sheets...and update forms with 2003 CPT code changes...we did this last October...no matter what, I will probably be told I did not achieve my 2002 [Rosanne determined] goals...

...2/14/03: Blix & the weapons report to the UN...we need more time, as in months, not days or weeks...the magic number is UN Resolution 1441...and in this corner are France, Russia & China...