To Be Continued... Perhaps.

...I do not like this time of the year...one of the main reasons is the Holiday Department Lunch...you are taken to a place you have never been to, and that you would not go to, and are fed food that you probably not be high on the list to eat...one of the reasons is that the meal is usually bland!...this year it was @Furr's Cafeteria @Menaul & Wyoming on 12/13/02 (Friday the 13th!)...at the strange time of 1:00-2:30 PM, and will use A/L for the rest of the day...

...then there is the Office Holiday Party for PEDS Clinic on 12/10/02 from 11AM to 1PM...you either cook or contribute $10 to offset the purchase of sodas & utensils & munchies! (quite a hefty price to pay in this area!)...I told them I could only give $5; no problem...the food will be presented in every hallway, room or free area in the office (every nook & cranny!)!...the food was presented like a meal, starting with appetizers & salads, to the main courses and ending with desserts (too many of everything!), all were good, and leftovers were brought home...including tiramisu!...I ate wisely, no stuffed stomach this time!...I boxed up the food to bring home in a well secured box, plastered with lots of tape & napkins...

...12/7/02: Mike was bumped by a car at Eubank & Hotel Drive, near the Owl Cafe!...he was crossing the street when stopped by traffic...the car then started to move forward without looking at what was in front of it...the vehicle stopped quickly, while Mike put his hands on the hood...but the bump was enough to cause Mike to fall backwards onto Lomas...because of the cold weather, Mike was padded by a jacket which absorbed much of the fall...the female driver apologized...a passer-by asked if I wanted to call the police...there was no reason to do so...I assured the driver that I was OK, and continued the day...a similar situation almost took place near Winrock Mall on Louisiana...I will forgo shopping until the seasonal madness & rush is behind me!...

...12/7/02: Pearl Harbor Day...when we were attacked by a specific country for a specific reason (expansion of territory)...we know what to do (enter WW2, make sacrifices & build our military strength) and we also knew when we had won (the bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki; a declaration of surrender by Japan), and what we had to do after that (conditions & terms of surrender)...60 years later, it is not so easy...there are many shades of good & bad, black & white, friend & foe...

...12/7/02: ABQ Holiday Parade downtown...bus routes were crazy, skirting the downtown area...went to the bus terminal & took the Coors bus home...

...12/7/02: during the evening, the intersection of Tingley & Central, there were fire engines, ambulances & police cars...Central was blocked in both directions...people leaving the River of Light Festival were directed to the New York Ave exit...no idea what had taken place...12/8/02: nothing yet on the news...Dr. Hoffman has espresso for blood!...New Mexico appears to be the Bisexual State...between the number of male & female couple and the affection by both men & women towards men & women, it's an intriguing situation...this is compounded by the mature men who look good and wear tight clothing, especially jeans...

...12/8/02: a winter storm is heading this way...at 7:30 AM it was snowing on Sandia Peak...up to 10 inches of snow may be possible in the Sandias & Monzannos...the rain or snow will spread from the mountains, in a westerly direction...12/9/02: 25 degrees at 5 AM...schools closed or delayed in SW NM...

...during 1995, the governor elect helped free American prisoners in Iraq...at that time he did see & met with Saddam Husein...12/7/02: the search for a vacuum cleaner was a disaster, although Brad found an 8-ball for $5 at K-B Toys in Coronado...we shopped in both Winrock & Coronado (plus Target) on a SAT PM two weeks before Xmas...that was a mistake!...too, too many people...went to Sears, asked a salesman about the bagless vacuum cleaners...he said they would need to be cleaned after every use of the machine...he also did not like Eureka or Dirt Devil...we told him we did not want to spend more than $100; he proceeded to show us a $179 vacuum!...Hello! Anything in your head?...we left, and will look again @Target, where there is no one bothering you...

...when we left Coronado, we waited at the corner of Louisiana & Menual...the Louisiana bus came out of a side street, turned onto Menaul then back to Louisiana, bypassing our stop...so we waited for the Menaul bus for a long time...2 Louisiana S buses drove past us until a Menaul bus arrived...I told Brad we should walk down to the Louisiana bus stop near the mall. at that point he sat on the bench, and proceeded to look away, and/or close his eyes...I felt like a curtain had been pulled down, with the word CLOSED or THE END written on it...I felt very, very sad & hurt...I'm not sure why, but I felt so alone at that point...and I stayed quiet through the evening...and into the next day!...things were resolved, sort of...but I don't feel like going to work, just staying home & hiding...and I know that can't be done...

...12/8/02: at this point, it does not pay to celebrate the holiday season...you just get hurt in the end!...

...12/8/02: the James Bond movie, Die Another Day, was #1 in the box office, earning $13 million...by next weekend of 12/13/02, Die Another Day is expected to become the top-grossing Bond movie ever, passing the $127 million take of the franchise's last film, The World Is Not Enough...the Patriots won again, 27-17...they are tied for first place in their division...12/9/02: United Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; cannot pay $1 billion debt......

...Navajo tribal soveriegnty prevents DWIs' from appearing on driving records for people from that Nation...

...Brad had his second interview for the NMAS position on 12/11/02, following his chiro visit!...

...12/9/02: grey is starting to appear again in Mike's goatee!...Brad created a Minestrone a la Brady, which consisted of diced tomatoes w/chili peppers. tomato sauce, minced garlic, salt, carrots, onions, celery, navy beans, red beans, pinto beans, cabbage, chicken stock, mushrooms, bacon bits, dried basil & dried rosemary...all mixed into a great combo!...plus he made parkerhouse rolls...everything was delicious!...12/10/02: Brad made a hearty, crust bread!...

Logo on a T-shirt: " Déjà vu...been there, done that!"

...12/9/02: another side of Hope, showing pictures of her grandchildren...the additional 3 deep dish files arrived...AM greetings & billing sheets from Drs. Fahl & Rose...reviewed revised billing forms for PICU & NICU...12/10/02: Jimmy Carter won the Noble Peace Prize...I do not feel like going to work today...I just want to be alone, hide & cry...bad weather may no longer be in the forecast for this week...

...12/10/02: a slight meeting of minds...Geri asked me about a charge request...I asked her which one it was...she said she thought I would know who she meant by the type of unusual request made by me...then she told me I was not completing the form correctly...when asked who taught me, I told her she should remember who taught me what information to enter!...as an aside, I asked Cassandra, who said she had not been taught to include the FSC code...oh, well!...on the flip side, Ted & I are speaking to each other, going over who will be working in Coding & the Clinic, and how to handle the deliveries to Cassandra & myself...we spoke with Dr. Mathew re coding her visits; she will accept our selections without question...12/11/02: Dr. Anderson verified if she had coded correctly...she had...she is very detailed and substantiates, in writing, her actions & decisions...Cassandra has had more exposure in her two months here than I had in mine!...

...Friday the 13th is approaching as the due date for HCPCS changes...however, as of 12/10/02, we only have the odd numbered pages...so I guess we can get 50% of the work completed!...12/11/02: surprise!...Geri has it in her office...we have to get it, and finish this task ASAP...Geri has lost touch with her humanity!...on separate occasions during the week, Geri has been abrupt & nasty...she has become a boss!, not a manager...she does not want to fail this task...Geri wants to please the people above, at the cost of the people below!...I called Geri our boss...she said she wasn't...I replied that she was a boss!...

...12/12/02: a PEDS database meeting from 11:45 to 12:45...given a packet with the new forms to be used by doctors...the old ones will be destroyed...the change will go in effect on 2/3/03 (a Monday)...plenty of time to "train" them...the next official meeting will be 1/7/03...the changes made to the HCPCS codes will cause additional revisions to these new billing sheets...12/13/02: a training session of PICU doctors...it will take place at 11:30, just before we leave to our luncheon...the meal starts at 1 until 2:30...and so it did...Rosanne was there, using a walker...it was typical cafeteria food (OK, but bland)...but there was a variety of food to select, from salads to deeserts...we sat and ate & talked...we exchanged our dollar presents; I got a tin of black Chinese tea...the managers opened their gifts; they also gave presents to their staff...our big boss, Pat, gave each of us a present, too...red or green bags with candy, holiday ornaments & a candy cane...and then it was over...no entertainment, no pep rallies, no politics & no speeches...no hassles!...it was truly a Holiday Party...waited 40 minutes for a Eubank bus...I met Brad at Target, after visiting the comic book store...we found a vacuum cleaner, the Shark...and continued with Taken...12/13-14/02: a major furniture move in most rooms...

...12/11/02: the power went out @3:30 AM, and came on at 6 AM, just when Mike was leaving, and Brad was getting up to shower & shave for his chiro visit & second interview...Mike did not shave...the big emergency light lit the way; the white walls provided extra glow...the most Mike missed was his cup of coffee, because it was very cold outside...Brad felt that he impressed the person who conducted this interview!...he had prepared for it, creating an overview on the problems teens face when they are diagnosed with STDs' or HIV...the reason for the power outage was the fire at Fry Bread Mama in Old Town, which was completely destroyed...I also proved that my pocket watch still worked!...saw a road runner cross the street at Marble & Vassar...it calmly walked into a person's yard, looking for food...it seems that Cassandra was no more awake than myself, since she forgot to bring the salad she made, which consisted of cottage cheese, coconuts & orange slices...12/14/02: as of now, we have a variety of leftovers...

...not a "Lott" to do...the Senator has mouthed off one too many times...the past should be buried, especially the unpleasant moments in history...such is the case for the Civil Rights movement & segregation based on skin color...but some people don't know when a "Lott" is way too much!...when the President has to be involved in the matter, it is time to bury more than Lott's head in the sand!...he will not resign!...but Cardinal Law resigns from the Boston dioscese as a result of a sex scandal...the president recommends a smallpox vaccine for everyone who is able to do so...it is not advised for children under 1, people with diseases such as cancer & AIDS or pregnant women...the shot's effect should last 3-5 years...there is a 3 in a million chance of dying due to the vaccine...

...a second ice storm hits the East Coast on 12/11-12/02...a third arrived by the weekend, brining heavy snow to inland New England...North Carolina will receive federal aid; newly repaired power lines broke under the weight of snow, ice or trees...but the government says it does not have enough money to help people pay their winter fuel bills, which are expected to be higher than last year...El Nino may mean a wetter winter for the south...so far, it has been warm during the latter half of the week & into the second weekend of DEC...heavy rains have fallen on the coasts of OR & northern CA...up to 9 inches in a matter of days...12/13/02: gas is down to $1.33/gal...

...there is another co-worker who was born in Portsmouth, VA...her family moved to McClean, then the Shenandoah Valley...she moved to ABQ 6 years ago...

...I don't know why, but right now, I feel less stressed at work...I am just sad...