"Time after time after time..."

...10/27/02: Brad created a Granny Smith apple pie (great when warmed up for breakfast!), a wonderful apple dumpling & salmon with oliver oil, garlic, butter & tarragon...we also had cocoa w/milk...all were quite delicious...sniper will be tried in VA, where the death penalty is in effect...it is only second to Texas in the number of people executed by a state...and a 17 year old can be tried as an adult...

...10/24/02: Richard Harris, 72, died from Hodgkin's Disease...02 (as in 2002), is now spoken as "Oh" 2...Brad found a sporting goods store that sells name brand shoes at low prices...10/27/02: the World Series final game will break the tie and declare one of the CA teams as the winner...and the Anaheim Angels beome the champions with a 4-1 victory over the Giants; it is the team's first World Series victory in their 40+ year history...rain in the late PM...cool & windy, too...more snow has fallen & will continue to fall in the northern peaks...we will remain in the storm pattern off & on during the week and into the first full weekend in NOV...the new ABQ West Side jail opens this week, and under budget...repairs to eastbound I-40 should also be completed on time!...it's strange to have the desire to go out on the porch when it is only 48 degrees outside...Queer as Folk soundtrack has dubbing problems...lips move, but nothing is said...or there is silence, but the mouth keeps talking...10/28/02: Brad's day in court at 10:30...because so many people have financial difficulties in ABQ & NM, businesses will offer credit card or easy, flexible payment packages to allow people the ability to continue shopping...

...10/26/02: a 2 mile peaceful protest march of 3,000 people walked past Defense Sec'y Donald Rumfeld's ranch near Taos...at DC a rally was held at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial...similar demonstrations were held in Rome, Tokyo, San Francisco, Berlin, Copenhagen & Mexico City...there is a billboard on Menaul which informs the public where to get Halloween costumes & decorations...

"This (could, might or may) lower prescription drug charges by (as much as, or at least by) 70%!"

...the sniper claims he was ignored by police operators when he attempted to call the hot line...10/27/02: after a series of violent earthquakes, Mt. Etna erupted again, the first time since 1992...10/31/02: tremors killed 20 children in Naples...11/1/02: more tremors in Italy...11/3/02: Mt. Etna erupts a second time...a unknown gas kills 100+ hostages in a Moscow theater; the Kremlin will not identify its chemical ingredients...

"Case closed...!"

...10/28/02: when asked to comment on the the day's event, the Elusive Mr. b was heard to say...

"It...is...over!"

...10/28/02: cold morning, but closer to sunrise, so it's not completely dark...did the Rounds with Cassandra...she does have security clearance for Neonatology...met Dr. Handmaker, who switched two days with Dr. Lattimore...Geri will return to E/R to help them with their backlog...so I will do the Rounds & the I/P charges...Cassandra will work on the O/P Specialty Clinic billing sheets...I will do the Green & Orange cards, as well as the PEDS Clinics; we will share working on the audits...10/29/02: Geri moves to Medicine (1 was out; a second had a headache)...she was then moved back to her desk...Rosie starts her new job in Compliance on 11/18/02...Hope tells of her data entry problems at the PEDS meeting...will make changes (that could have started earlier, but Hope didn't listen [or want to hear about any changes])...she was confused & just looking for help...received Dysmo forms directly...10/30/02: received Newborn Nursery forms directly...training sessions with Dr. Rose then Dr. Fahl went well...both mentioned how they worked well with Mike...Brad is applying again for a Coder position at UPA...submitted his resume on 10/31/02...

...Brad is seeking out old & used books, trading in his old sci-fi paperbacks for others he has not read...

...the average price for a home in Santa Fe is $260,000...12 homes, each valued at over $2 million, were sold this year...there are 68 homes in that price category still for sale on the market...homes in the North Valley of ABQ can cost over $2 million, also...

...10/27/02: boy from Moriarty disappears while walking to a friend's house; 11/2/02: skull & other body parts found in farm less than 2 miles from where the boy was last seen..11/5/02: the remains are that of the missing teenage...10/31/02: neighbor arrested in MO; held for questioning on boy's disapperance...

...Captain found a bag of Purina Cat Chow in the grocery bag and plunged his head into it, eating what he could...it did not matter that his head was getting stuck, it just mattered that he continue eating!...10/29/02: gas is now $1.45/gal @Shamrock on Central...11/02/02: gas drops to $1.43/gal...the former Silver Garden is now El Pollo Bueno...the Food Bank provides a good variety of food & other essential items, such as shaving cream...he also got persimmons & mangos...10/30/02: Brad created shrimp in lobster sauce; it was wonderful...38 degrees at 5 AM...Geri out sick...Captain was sick, too; he heaved in four places, then rested...by late afternoon, he was feeling better, and ate everything in his bowl...an envelope addressed Rosanne Perea was received on 10/30/02...it contained an opened paycheck for Cassandra...Rosanne was quite upset, and E-mailed Pat...slowly Cassandra can access various software packages...so far 3M & Daily Baby are hooked up...waiting for PowerChart & Vogt Audit (the two most important ones)...Rosanne said I could come in jeans on Halloween...my costume would be that of a casual dress worker!...10/31/02: so Mike went as a cop in leather, complete with LAPD shirt & handcuffs (& Ray-Bans); being new to a city decreases the paranoia (a little) of wearing that costume on a bus...in the hospital, nobody blinked an eye at the outfit...a few people looked like I was there to arrest them...other than that there were babies, witches, Raggedy Ann, dragons, rabbits & farmers...and Geri was out ill for a second day...

...the crazy security guard who was convinced that Mike was a cop who recently transferred from LA...

...11/1/02: Geri, returned, coughing; her face kept changing from very pale to very red!...she left at 10:30 after the farewell party for Mary...Rosanne let us leave @3:30...at the end of the day, Cassandra finally gained access to PowerChart...Mike Gadler denied having received a request for the clearance...Mike W. E-mailed Mike G. a copy of the original request plus Mike G's original response...Mike worked on 11/2/02 from 1:15 to 5:00; got more work done in about 4 hours than during a normal 8-hour work day...Mike carried a bag with Captain's bathroom functions on the Central bus, because it arrived just as he reached the bus stop; he dropped it in a garbage can @5th & Gold...there were only 4 patients in GPU; 8, in 3-E...need to find a way to keep Ted & Sherry from visiting so many times during a day...

...11/3/02: Brad created a wonderful beef stew (spicy!), and a pair of pumpkin pies...lockdown in Estancia prison due to an inmate with renal failure; do not want him to come in contact with a sick individual...you can pay property taxes with a credit card...a person from NM has come down with the West Nile Virus...an overused word in the NM political ads is junket...NM is a democratic state...all bus fares will be free on Election Day!...the amount of money spent by all candidates across the country may have reached $1 billion!...Moulin Rouge, a movie musical (?) to enjoy...the "told you so" song & dance from Will & Grace...Rock a bye, Baby is a morbid nursery rhyme & song!...

...11/3/02: 5.9 quake hits Alaska; this is not as strong as the tremor in late October, but the second in as many months...there has been a decline of music CD sales...NM is ranked last in educational resources for children...at this point in the season, the Patriots (4-4) have a tiny chance to make the playoffs... the Beltway Sniper is linked to a murder in Tuscon, AZ...this is the 20th anniversary of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in DC...11/6/02: 37 degrees at 5AM...

...11/4/02: cold rain at 5 AM, 41 degrees...snow showers in the North Valley, Rio Rancho & near Tramway...and snow fell in the downtown area from 6-7:30 AM; it was fun to watch...a foot of snow possible in elevations over 7500 feet...winter weather advisory for Central Western NM...snow advisory for the northern MTNs...at noon it was 38 degrees...the high was 43 degrees, 20 degrees below the norm...the first official frost may arrive at the airport on 11/5 or 11/6/02...11/4/02: Geri was back at work, still coughing...11/5/02: clear and 38 degrees at 5 AM...both Cassandra & Mike wore black & red...problems with PCC numbers, told Sherry to talk to Ted; he was batching billing sheets incorrectly...she was quiet for the rest of the day...I guess Sherry wanted to blame us!?...and voting day has arrived...

"These people take themselves too seriously!"

...11/6/02: it's a Republican morning as they take control of Congress...Liz Dole wins in NC...Jeb Bush does it in FL...Pete Demenici's a winner in NM...the Green Party in NM has shown to be a strong force across the state...NM has the first Hispanic governor in two decades, Democrat Bill Richardson...

...a possible headline on 11/6/02 (?)...

"President Bush pushes Republicans over the edge!"

...11/6/02: Geri tells us to work on Dictation, and we do...by the end of the day, all but 5 SEPT bills can be coded; those are returned to the doctors, with a request to produce the paper copy...even Sherry searched for old CHC dictation, found some, not all...one way or another, Cassandra completed the Hem/Onc charges...the hospital is filled with patients, in every area...through the night and into the early morning, sick children were being admitted...the pace was quite brisk in GPU...RAVEL was down until 10:20...and at the end of the day, Cassandra admitted to being exhausted!...we kept Sherry & Ted happy...I cannot remember being this comfortable (meaning, walking with an open jacket) in 50 degree weather on the East Coast!...now, gas dropped to $1.41/gal...

...11/7/02: let's see...the first frost at SunPort, and it's 30 degrees at 5 AM...2 People from Santa Fe test positive for the Bubonic Plague...the cause: rats in their back yard...they are not contagious, and are being treated with antibiotics...this is the first case in NYC in over 100 years; in NM, in the last decade...our area of ABQ is in the medium safe area in terms of criminal activity...there will be no bus service on Monday, November 11, because it's Veterans' Day!...I am in luck, for Cassandra will take me to & from work...read sign wrong, there will be bus service on Veterans' Day...we hauled a 2-drawer file cabinet (the keys are at Jolin's home, but will be here on Friday) from one building to our own...she went to a dreary 4-hour class on goal setting (nothing like table setting!)...I found 2 late admits at the bottom of a pile of "things to be done"...Doris got Nutrition billing sheets that should have been delivered to us...I told her that very few October dictations are on-line...it has been a quiet, sad day for me...I feel like I'm crying inside...I feel lonely & unwanted...oh, well...on 11/7/02: the dam broke, and I cried a lot that night...

...11/5/02: Geri met with Dr. Heideman to discuss the errors made on Hem/Onc billing sheets...11/7/02: that same week, Cassandra returned more charges back to that area; the main reasons were failure to complete the entire form, and not ranking or listing dx...these sheets should go to the Clinic prior to our auditing them...the dictation was again put in chrono order, thanks to Cassandra...11/8/02: a warmer start (45 degrees), and a Staff Meeting today...

..replacing air bags after an accident can cost as much as $2,000, but this is covered under auto insurance...

...11/8/02: let out @3:30...Rosanne will not be in on 11/11/02...Brad joined me after work...we then took the bus ride from hell!...we watched two # 5 busses go past us...then, at the bus stop, a drunk Native American began to talk to us (& anyone else) about his life and his skills at making jewelry...then the Lomas bus arrived, but stopped at Carlisle...the driver was far behind her schedule that she dropped all passengers off, and headed to the end of the eastbound route...a second Lomas bus was just behind her...the remaining part of the ride was uneventful...