"Some Cajun blues..."

...6/5/03: a boy fell 15-20 feet in the Ft. Stanton cave near Ruidoso...he was 2 miles into the cave when this happened...it took rescuers 16 hours before they could pull him to safety...the 14-year old Boy Scout from Gardner, MA suffered cuts on his knee & bruises, a broken nose and a sprained ankle...the event made nationwide coverage...

...many families today live from paycheck to paycheck...the new tax package may extend $400/ per child benefits to those with lower incomes...

...our receptionist, Emily, is getting married the second weekend in June at the beach on the Oregon coast...that will be followed by a 2-week honeymoon...

...6/5/03: saw Margaret working in E/R...said Hi...it was good to see her again...

...should the Patriot Act give Homeland Security broader powers?...known terrorists were found teaching at a college in Chicago and owning a grocery store in Milwaukee...

...will Funny Cide be the first winner of the Triple Crown since 1978?...it is all decided at the 135th Belmont Stakes, held in NY @6:38 EST on 6/7/03...this is the longest race course of the three...the purse is $600,000...if Funny Cide (a Gelding) wins, and additional $5 million...

...6/5/03: 3/4" hail fell in E NM...a cool front will lower the temps and change the weather patterns...Portales & Clovis received lots of rain...flooding rain, as high as a tire rain...many saw more rain in the last 2 days than they usually see during an entire year...and few were complaining...Edy & Lee CNTYs had the most severe weather...6/6/03: cooler temps in the AM...more wind...showers in the S MTNs...6/7/03: cloudy & warm...

...6/2/03: the UH Lifeguard helicopter would not start after landing in Los Lunas to transport a patient...the repairs were completed by 6/6/03...

...6/6/03: the same Central bus problem occurred today as last week...3 buses headed east after the first one was 10 minutes late...this does not affect me getting to work on time (yet!)...had a 9:30 staff meeting...left @11...waited for the Lomas bus...and Brad was one of the passengers...what a surprise...he asked if I wanted him to be with me when I talk to Eric...I politely said No...and I talked to Eric...it was someone to talk to who wanted to listen...I did not expect answers or solutions to my problem...just someone to listen...that may be a solution in itself...although Eric thinks I am the introvert of the two...when it was done, time for good food at the Owl Cafe...a stop at Target...and a very long, annoying wait for the Eubank bus...just before 3 PM we gave up, took the Lomas bus, headed home, stopped at Albertsons (after getting something to drink) and I will repeat the journey to the book store on SAT AM by myself...Brad will start cooking lamb on the B-B-Q...but we will not repeat that frustrating wait, especially in the hot summer months...6/7/03: I had the same bus drive both E & W on the Menaul bus...aside from waiting, it was a pleasant ride...it was a period of time in which I was alone...I sat in the back of the new buses that have 2 levels...and I listened to dance music in both directions...

...former GOV Johnson forgot to turn his oxygen on as he made his way down Mt. Everest...then he almost plunged to his death when a large patch of ice collapsed...

...6/6/03: plane crashed into apartment house in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles...4 people are reported dead; 5, as of 6/8/03...a cameraman, on another assignment, filmed the plane as it dropped from the sky...it had just taken off from the Santa Monica Airport & did not report any problems...the pilot died...the Cessna fell through the entire building, followed by a fiery explosion...

...in this part of the country, Las Vegas, NV is the place to go to party!...Viva, Las Vegas!...

...the Dry Lake fire has burned 3200 acres...the Apache fire near Pecos & Las Vegas has charred 300+ acres...and the Trail Creek fire near Pagosa Springs has caused 80 acres to go up in smoke & fire...

...a factory fire in fresno, CA caused smoke to fill the sky for 40 miles, making driving very hazardous...Sammy Sosa is facing an 8-game suspension for the cork bat...he can play until his appeal is heard...

...the Beach Boys will play at Casino Hollywood on 7/4/03...at the Balloon Fiesta Park, Freedom Fourth will have the largest fireworks display in NM...the Duke City Diner @Menaul & University is being torn down!...

...there are fire code violations at the UNM Johnson Center Gym...all but 1 set of doors are locked...there are no panic bars or release buttons...the structure should be closed down until changes are made, since warning have been previously issued...more compliant doors are needed...in the building's current state, many people could be crushed if a panic situation occurred...the bottom line is safety vs. security (cost)...

...6/7/03: nothing funny about the outcome, as Empire Maker prevents Funny Cide from winning the Triple Crown...it was a wet track due to downpours earlier in the day...10 Most Wanted came in second place; Funny Cide, third...6/7/03: saw Die Another Day, the latest James Bond adventure...it was a very good movie...and a very good meal was prepared by Brad...using the B-B-Q, he prepared grilled lamb marinated in rosemary & plain yogurt, cole slaw & baked potatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, butter, parsley & thyme...it was heavenly!...we enjoyed the Spanish red wine given to Brad by one of our neighbors...very cloudy, windy but no rain...6/8/03: Brad created his own version of bernaise sauce, which enhanced the flavor in the lamb...Captain enjoyed the lamb with & w/o the sauce...but raw would have made it taste better...weatherwise, it was calm and will remain quiet...but heavy rain kept falling along the entire East Coast...

...6/8/03: Barbara Walters interviews Hillary Rodham Clinton, discussing her marriage in crisis due to her husband's affair with Monica Lewinsky...a Medical Student in Toronto has SARS; probably contracted it in late May...Brad has not asked any questions about what went on during my meeting with Eric...but, the fact that he was sitting in the waiting room had its own impact on how I behaved, since I knew he was waiting for me...so, I did not want to talk too long...

...6/9/03: in New Hampshire, the Episcopalian Church has elected the first gay Bishop...he has been openly gay since 1986, and does have a partner...however, this decision has to be approved by the NATL Committee this summer...this section of the Catholic Church has earned the title of Anything Goes from outsiders...what do they know?...

...6/9/03: Tony winners were Hairspray, and Michael Feinstein as best actor...also a winner was Take Me Out, the story of a baseball player who comes out of the closet...

...6/9/03: now, some prairie dogs carry the monkey pox disease, started when a midwest pet shop mated a prarire dog with an African rat (why?)...on the flip side, the number of moths seen in this apartment keeps going down...Captain has started peeing on the large red Oriental, in the same area of the carpet, as he has done many times in the past...today, he went twice...so the carpet is now off the floor and waiting to be cleaned and hung on a wall in the lower level...

...7,000 people posed nude in Barcelona for the sake of art...Poland wants to join the EU...Pope John Paul II traveled to Croatia for his 100th trip...

...6/9/03: there was an Air Quality Alert in ABQ until 3 PM due to fires in the SW...around 2 PM, it began to rain, and did so (on & off) until 4 PM...6/6/03: saw a peacock in the complex's parking lot...

...6/9/03: Dr. Katz went on TV in PICU...reasons unknown, so far...when E-mailing @UPA, only one topic, question or thought...no matter what you do, people never look past the first request or complaint or inquiry...almost 3 hrs. for Rounds...lots of admissions...people were moved between wards & between beds in wards...and some did not appear on the Census...again, for reasons unknown...on 6/6/03, Dr. Heideman was advised to speak to Doris regarding late charges...another batch of April services was brought to Coding...he has a meeting scheduled for this week...

...6/9/03: Miguel got stung by a wasp twice, on his neck & hand...Cassandra left @1:45...we wondered who would need more treatment, Miguel or his grandmother, who was also crying when she called Cassandra...we picture Miguel consoling his grandma...6/10/03: Miguel is OK...I met him at lunch...he shook my hand and showed me where he was bit...they now look like mosquito bites...the wasp was actually a yellow jacket...he should apply ice & use Benadryl when needed...

...the second full weekend in June contains Friday the 13th, Flag Day, Pride Days (across the country & here in ABQ); and, finally, Father's Day...DNA testing will be performed on a corpse scientists think may be Billy the Kid...the Thomas fire in AZ was parttially to blame for ABQ's haze...6/10/03: the view towards the mountains was quite clear...in the morning, there were dark clouds & a double rainbow in the western sky...the third attempt for NASA to launch a Mars probe was successful...space shuttles will only be launched during daylight hours...

"You have to remain focused!"

...Colin Powell wants to establish a democratic government in Cuba, and is asking the OAS for assistance...we may be in short supply of natural gas this year...diesel engines can last 40+ years...fires & fireworks will be banned from the Bosque...there are 2 fires under control in the Gila NATL Forest...this is the 1 year anniversary of the Missionary Ridge fire...

...6/10/03: there are no beds in PSAC...more sad news for Cassandra, as her second cousin was involved in an ATV accident...the cousin's boyfriend was drunk, the ATV flipped over and he & his 8-month pregnant wife fell on their 2-year old daughter...her arm was crushed and bone was exposed...they were camping in CO, so their cell phones were not able to call anyone...so they put the girl in their car, drove to a clinic, and were then flown to UNMH...not the boyfriend...he reported the incident (drunk) and was locked in jail...he can be released for $20,000...he could not convince any family members to help him...he is also illegally from Costa Rica...the mother began dilating...officials will not let her see her daughter, whose arm was touch & go from being amputated...the possibility of infection is great, since dirt, grass & gravel entered the wound...the girl has already had 2 operations...the mother may also be arrested for this crime...Cassandra went to see the girl during the day with other family mambers...Miguel enjoyed Pete's Playground...6/11/03: Natalia was moved to PSAC...she had a surgery @7 AM, and a second @2...she will then be moved back to PICU...the nurse on duty wanted to know who Cassandra was, and why she was paging through the girl's medical records...try as she could, Cassandra could not make the nurse understand what a coder is...the chart was placed on Natalia's bed as they wheeled her to Surgery...she also had hair & glass inside her broken arm...on the ATV, she was sitting in her mother's lap...

...Hem/Onc does not know how to code their own procedures...they have no idea how & when to use modifiers...Dr. McKinnel is not entering his notes in a patient's chart (no surprise)...I stand corrected...he wrote in his visits for 6/9 & 6/10/03...