"Seclusion...take me away!"

...727 bridges in NM are in bad condition...this is an increase from 1992...the Mars probe finally left the launching pad, and should arrive at its destination by Jan, 2004...proof: foam did damage the Columbia shuttle...

...7/7/03: Cassandra spent most of the day working on the Hem/Onc spreadsheet...that area also has a new male nurse, to help in the Clinic...neither of us enjoy the swapping of Rounds every other day...the humidity may have reached 61% in the AM, but the temps are nearing 100 again! in the PM across the state...

...7/8/03: Ann called Cassandra, then came to our area asking how to run Census reports for areas that PEDS does not monitor...both her & Cassandra are listed under the same phone number...

...7/8/03: I want to cry!...I have had 2 nights of lousy sleep...and my strap broke on my shoulder bag...Brad was able to repair it...

...Tropical Storm Claudette caressed the Carribean & is creeping towards Cancun...she is the cause for delaying our monsoon season...but she may spread rain to our state later in the week...7/9/03: the temp reached 100 degrees!...a little ice cream at breakfast to stay cool...maybe a little wind at night...otherwise, dry again!...

...only Native Americans can fight fires on sacred lands...

...the man who shot the police officer in the head & chest in Nob Hill kept firing as he walked down Central...he had to be subdued, and shooting him was a valid course of action...the wounded sergeant has a slow recovery ahead of her...friends & family are asked to pray for her...in other medical news, 5 million South Africans have AIDS...Bush once referred to Africa as a nation...Botswana has the highest HIV infection rate in Africa, and the world...40% of its adults are HIV+...

...VP Cheney has not had a heart attack while in office, and only 4 times in the past 25 years...

...we are not civilized!...2 children overheat & die in a car (CA)...another dies in an overheated tent (WY)...more children die in a mobile home fire (NC)...a family is killed in NJ...a paranoid schizo mother drowns one of her sons in the bathtub while the other escapes (NY)...baseball player hits a mascot with a baseball bat, and injures the person inside the costume...stitches are needed, and he is booked for the incident...in the end, he is fined $432...the sausage person wants an autographed bat...more kids die in overheated vehicles, this time in NC & TN...

"I have made it to 49!"

...7/9/03: the Central bus was very empty...very quiet at 6th ST...it was very warm by dawn...which made it a warm walk up 6th ST...no escape from the heat, not even by standing under a tree...by noon, it was 90 degrees...

...7/9/03: we had homegrown tomatos with homemade croutons in a salad...

...7/9/03: Cassandra's PC rebelled and would not work or allow access to her E-mail or IDX...hope for the best tomorrow...

...truth be told, Brad & I led differnt lives in DC than here...we also have lives here that differ from each other...

...Becky in Hem/Onc has a 2003 CPT book...

...this is not a champion year for Sammy Sosa, who has plenty of S/Os'...

...some of the colorful magnets on our fridge are fading...

...7/10/03: the number of millionaires in North America has declined...the number of home sales has dropped as the interest rates increase from 4.99 to 5.37 to 6.25%...blame it on the stock market (which lost 120 points today) & the better economy (where?)...due to lack of funds, illegal aliens who are guilty of sex offenses can be released from jail when their sentence is over and disappear into society, instead of being exported...2 Powerball winners...a person in MO & PA will split $261 million!...Natalia is doing well, had O/P surgery on 7/8/03...her father has hired a lawyer who is postponing the case in CO, and will continue to do so under the statute of limitations has been reached...

"Knock, knock, knockin' at 50's door!"

...one of the military's worst enemy is rust!...but this issue is considered a back burner concern...a truck carrying propane gas overturned on I-40 near Sanders, AZ...the interstate was closed in both directions @Gallup...

...7/9/03: PNM reported the greatest use of electricity in the company's history!...there has been high usage in the last 7 out of 10 days...and prepare for rate increases as winter & cold weather approaches...

...7/10/03: @5 AM, it was 78 in ABQ, but 47 in Gallup...storms thru the state...it was 84 degrees by 9 AM, and hit 100 again @5:41 PM!...

...there are not enough nurses for the number of beds in a ward...the problem is, of course, money...PSCU can use 10 of its 12 beds...CACU, 28 of its 36...does Dr. Heideman do any practical work...does he ever practice his profession...must he turn his behind to me and face Cassandra while talking to "us"...Dr. Mathew cannot remember seeing patients on 6/6-6/8/03...our records show he did...so he told us to complete a billing sheet for him & his patients...Hope returned...so did Arlene's attitude...and another E-mail from Dr. Heideman suggesting a meeting to find ways of shrinking the gap between the time a billing sheet is completed and the time Data Entry processes the charges...here we go again!...

...for my birthday, Brad prepared a fantastic meal, with lobster rolls, poached oranges & angel food cake with rosemary-Grand Marnier syrup plus kicked-up Bellini cocktails (champagne that is peachy!)...everything was great & more than great!...7/11/03: finished the leftovers...all gone!...wah!...

...7/9/03: outside the hospital, a driver yelled at me Use the crosswalk!...I replied Tried it; doesn't work!...7/10/03: a woman had her hand over the elevator panel...she walked away & said I didn't push anything!...birthday present from Cassandra: a Starbucks Coffee Card...how trendy!...it's good to see Dr. Coleman again...

...25 years ago, on 7/10/78, the first broadcast took place of ABC World News...Peter Jennings had more hair...

...troops may be in Iraq for 4 more years...gas rose 2 cents to $1.39...

...7/11/03: triple digit temps & T'storms across the state from Farmington to Carlsbad...4 days over 100 degrees...21 days w/o rain in ABQ...now, 1 inch below normal...no rain in the near future...PM thunderheads, but no rain...on the flip side, flooding in IN, IA, WV & OH...

...33% of the music CDs' sold are pirated copies...many airplane mechanics were caught using the wrong parts, tools or manuals when making repairs...however, the country is told not to worry...an interim Iraqi GOVT should be in effect by 7/14/03...most Iraqis feel it should have happened sooner...the US went to Iraq with a good war plan, but not a good peace plan...many Americans are not pleased with our soldiers getting killed on a daily basis after the war has supposedly ended...

...Uganda has the best results for stopping the spread of AIDS...but there are more than 2 million orphans due to the disease...and the amount pledged to Africa keeps flipping between $2-$3 million...Bush is not favored by all Africans...and he has problems with his State of the Union address & the uranium statement mentioned in that speech...it was inaccurate info provided by the CIA, who accepts the blame...this involves Britain, Saddam Hussein and Niger...

...Honeywell & Boeing are bringing more jobs to this state...Taos Pueblo has a casino!...

...7/11/03: forgot my bracelet again!...UPA Picnic from 11:30-1:30...at Bataan Park (Lomas & Carlisle)...shady trees to protect us & a steady breeze...the managers did the work...and the head of our area attended!...KFC provided the meal...a cake for dessert...plenty to drink, especially bottled water, which went the fastest...Ann sat at the blanket where I was eating...talked to another coder...kept trying to drag me into the conversation...I remained silent...she left early...contests, raffles and plenty of leftovers...women's fashions have returned to the 50's with capri slacks...7/11/03: Cassandra's 30 +1 birthday...mother made a cake with jello, Cool Whip & vanilla wafers...too hot to use the stove!...

...we have been here 2 years, and are still strangers to & in ABQ...and more lunatics...a father in Carlsbad, NM sprays his son with aerosol lubricant & sets him on fire...in Tampa, FL; glass was found in a MacDonald's hamburger...2 police were injured & taken to a hospital...

...7/10 & 7/11/03: letters from Phyllis...Ernie's health is fading fast...no one to take care of him...Phyllis walks around George Mason U, having forgotten where she parked her car...daughter enrolling...Debbie Lee, Barbie Carroll & Cheryl Bonifer are let go from PBP/NLP...maybe we should have a Rejection Reunion, all the people who were screwed out of their jobs due to very poor managerial decisions!...the Communications Director of PBP/NLP is on their Board of Directors...

...a nuclear powered aircraft carrier was christened the USS Ronald Reagan...it was the first time a ship was named for a living former president...former First Lady Nancy Reagan attended the ceremonies, along side of VP Cheney...the ship will be manned by 6000+ personnel...

...7/11/03: the man who serves as President & Prime Minister of Spain visited NM...this was the first trip to this state...the governor praised him for siding with the US during the Iraqi war, as well as providing assistance...Spain is considered a loyal ally & friend...the walm welcome included speaches which emphasized the increase in ties between this state & the European nation in terms of trade, energy & science...Jose Maria Aznar will travel to ABQ, visit the NATL Spanish Cultural Centre & then continue to TX...Spain will send 1300 troops to Iraq to help defend against world terrorism...

...in Sierra Country, a horse has been diagnosed with the first case of West Nile Disease this year...Eclipse Aviation may bring 13,000 new jobs to the state...the 387th Engineering Division returned home from Iraq...these 28 soldiers laid 220 miles of fuel pipelines...there are typically five 100 degrees days in a year...there have been 4 so far, and 7/12/03 may be day #5!...it was, so we have reached our limit...no more 100 degree days this year!...there will be a haze in the air due to fires...Brad has been exercising again!...7/12/03: enjoyed a foot-long tuna on whole wheat from Subway!...plus homemade gazpacho!...the (Grateful) Dead: 40 years and still producing music...a planet has been discovered 5600 light years from earth, and over 13 billion years old!...
...7/12/03: John Keary (D), one of many PRES candidates, campaigned in NM...

...the goal for former NM GOV Gary Johnson; to climb the highest peak in every continent...first he has to recover from frostbite on his small toe...

...the country has gone mad!...a grandmother in PA poured 2 cups of salt in her grandchild's formula, causing the baby to go into convulsions & die...the woman did not like the way she was being treated by her son & daughter-in-law...

...7/12/03: high winds caused a tent to collapse and a roof to blow off a structure...there was an 11-car pileup on I-10 near Lordsburg...only minor injuries sustained...the road was closed until late evening...there were many dry lightning storms, which are typical for pre-monsoon conditions...the second accident in less than a week occurred @Comanche & the Pan Am Highway (I-25)...

...Palm Springs, CA is overdue for a "big one", i.e., earthquake...