A turn of a page...

...people still call & ask for Ann...8/29/02: Ann (w/husband) showed up, we talked briefly, then she left a note on Geri's PC, stating that she (Ann) came to see her (Geri)...that means that she (Ann) did not come to see me (Mike)!...9/5/02: Ann called up, spoke with Geri, did not ask about anyone else...misses people...Geri said that will go away when Ann receives her bigger paycheck!...Ann: Don't use the liquid soap in the bathroom! (?)...

..8/27/02: an unfortunate rebirth...4 fires are burning in NM!...the Fenton Lake, in the Santa Fe NATL Forest, has burnt 3,000, now up to 3,300 then 3,900 acres, finally peaking at 4,200 acres...the blaze is in the Jemez MTNs N of ABQ...the La Cueva area has a Mandatory Evacuation notice; on the afternoon of 8/28/02, the townsfolk could return to their homes...the Los Alamos Labs are currently in its path...8/28/02: fire 15% under control, more predictable at this point...firemen from as far as DC & Puerto Rico have joined in to fight this blaze...the state has only 3 air tankers; in the early summer, it had 22...there are 46 for the entire country...50% of the remaining ones are being repaired...on 8/27/02: they ran out of Slurry (fire retardant) that was stored in ABQ...now have to travel back & forth to Durango...the Labor fire has scorched 75 acres SW of Los Alamos...8/27/02: 187 acres, 75% contained...the Castle & Water fires in the Gila NATL Forest have blackened 3,000 acres W of TorC...in AZ, the Pack-Rat, near Payson has burnt 1,000 acres...it is 20% contained...8/27/02: a smoke advisory has been issued for N NM...an air quality alert is issued for ABQ for the next few days as smoke from the northern fires filters down into the city, causing a smog layer...8/30/02: there are 17 small brush fires in the Jemez MTNs...the closest is the Bland fire, near Cochiti Lake, which is less than 1 acre in size...8/30/02: both the Fenton Lake & Labor fires are 100% contained...9/2/02: fire 30 miles east of LA has burned nearly 10,000 acres; closest town is Azusa...9/5/02: the Goat fire, near Cimmaron, NM has been 100% contained, burning 25 acres...

...fire codes on homes...green, the house can be saved; pink, it may not...possible severe T'storms in E NM...cooler temps by the end of the week and a chance of rain...8/28/02: rain fell around the state, sometimes heavy, providing help for the firemen...in ABQ, there was a steady, 10 minute mid-day shower; my walk started as a tour through the parking garage...when the sun came out, it became quite humid...8/28/02: the first time the windows were opened for the entire night on the lower level!...8/29/02: some early morning showers...Labor Day weekend was cool nights & hot days in the 90s'...9/3/02: 75 degrees at 5AM, the warmest low temp for that day...showers in early AM, windy in late PM...

"...a handsome, long-legged creature!"

...8/28/02: Geri's desk was pried but not opened in her own office on the fourth floor...she filled out a police report...by chance, she will spend the first part of the next two days in her own area to prevent a backlog there...Dr. Rose is upset; we will not complete his consults charges until we know who the referring physician was, but Dr. Rose cannot remember who it was!...same for Dr. P. Mathew, who said his patient, here from LA, was transferred for PRES Hosp. to UNIV Hosp...he did not recall who actually referred him...but, in the end, he said to use Dr. Maahs...smart tactic vs. smart tactic...send an E-mail to obtain a written response, but the person calls with the answer or sees you in the hallway...8/31/02: worked from 1:45 to 6:30, processing over 140 billing sheets...since O/T is not allowed, the time will be used instead of taking leave in the next few weeks...skeleton crew in all areas of the hospital...9/3/02: just as much work produced as Saturday...9/4/02: two weeks after she has left, and Ann has not contacted Geri or myself, except for that brief visit 1 week ago...

"The more things change... !egnahc sgniht erom ehT"

...do you realize the amount of compounded mistakes or untruths or misinterpretations or opinions that may exist in historical text?...people might have over- or underestimated the number of people or planes or rats or speed in a day, a battle, an event or an illness...writers may have wanted to embellish an unimportant event (because a friend, relative or a person in government or royalty participated) and bypassed or ignored the more critical circumstances...winners or losers of a war would see the battle through different perspectives...an incorrect diary or book may have survived a fire, flood or other holocaust, while the true story was swept away by nature...pages could have been torn out or unfinished....and movies will tweak an event to make it more spectacular...and then there is the realm of objects which could not exist during that period of history...many scientists have long known that the memory of epochal events fades with time...experts have a name for this phenomenon: flashbulb memory...as time passes, the chronology gets jumbled; we fumble on the details; we reimagine the past to make it more coherent, meaningful, bearable...we forget...we think we remember...we confuse...

Y'er out! The day has come!

...there have been 9 baseball strikes since 1972...advertisers are turning to minor league teams, football, auto racing & Spring Games to sell their products...8/30/02: the strike has been averted...the last one was in 1994...

Play ball! Take me out to the ball game!

...9/3/02: Mike wanted to get a haircut before his barber went on vacation for 2 weeks...he was stopped by the train, but still got to the shop before it closed for the day...a patient in the hospital is Michael Bernard Ronan...

...Dr. Lattimer, the current PEDS attending physician, is not completely legal yet...she is still considered a resident, and cannot administer medical care or decisions without the approval of a doctor...this, and she has another 2 weeks of duty in late September...Dr. Anaya will start her shift on 9/11...

...airlines may no longer allow passengers with non - refundable tickets from getting a seat on a later plane if their flight is overbooked, and they are bumped off the flight...9/6/02: US Airways says it will allow these passengers to obtain a ticket on a later flight by paying a $100 surcharge...the end is near for in-flight luxuries such as utensils, cans of soda & peanuts, the extras offered by airlines...

...8/30/02: Geri celebrated her somewhere between 30 & 40th birthday...she had her hair done, enjoyed a pedicure (a gift from Rosie), and celebrated at Gardunos near WinRock...this was followed by dinner and gambling at the Sandia Casino...when the night was over, Geri felt no pain...until the next morning when she woke with a very bad hangover...she was thankful for the long weekend...Geri uses a stapler at worker to apply lipstick...and I found Ann's paycheck in my "In" box...and I still get calls for her...and, I repeat... 9/4/02: asked by Rosanne if I wanted Jack, the older, debatable trainee, to help in PEDS; I said No...Roxanne continues researching ICD codes & leveling visits...

Be afraid...be very afraid!

...8/29/02: gas is down to $1.29 at the start of Labor Day weekend; the lowest in three years...8/29/02: the legal process has begun...I may lose my PC...8/31/02: 5 years since the death of Princess Diana...9/1/02: the inventory begins!...9/2/02: the inventory (and paperwork) is completed!...for now...9/5/02: the next step in the legal saga, meeting with the attorney...that done, a follow-up counselling session is set for 9/13/02...all paperwork will be placed in the Pandora's Box...

I woke up with your lips on my imagination...

...8/28/02: on 9/11/02, international flights will be banned over NYC, DC & Somerset Country, PA during the morning & afternoon hours...8/29/02: but amid protests from the carriers, top government officials decided to drop the idea, saying that it would probably be illegal, the official said...foreign carriers will not be treated any differently than domestic carriers on that day, the official said...private & sightseeing planes will be grounded or rerouted, though...some flight paths will change on that day, bypassing the Pentagon, Manhattan & the PA crash site...there will be 30-minute delays before getting off a plane at the NY & NJ airports...memorial ceremonies will be held at all 3 locations...during that day, the president will speak in both DC & NY...terrorists conspiracies have been discovered in Seattle & Detroit...8/30/02: Iraq says it is ready for a fight, but will not be beaten as easily as Afghanistan was...it also reminds the world of the amount of oil that is produced or passes through its borders, and what impact this conflict may have on the global economy...are Arabic internment camps in America's future...many people think the First Amendment is too lenient on the topics of religion & race...but...9/3/02: Iraq is ready to discuss matters with the UN...there has been an increase in the abduction of single engine planes...the thefts took place in small airports with little or no security...most are chopped up for parts & shipped to Mexico...but...

"...or maybe a bite (bite) !"

"Don't dream it; be it!"

...New Mexico has the second highest tax rate in the country...it also has the third highest hunger rate, where many have to decide to pay rent and utilities or buy food...the Rio Grande could dry up in the ABQ area by mid-Sept...23.4 million vehicles were recalled in 2001...the Rolling Stones have been together for 40 years...Chili Festival at Hatch during the Labor Day weekend...this has been the best harvest in recent years, in spite of the decrease in rain...9/1/02: Brad created a delicious Dom Yam Gung (hot & sour Thai shrimp soup)...9/2/02: $200 million cathedral opens in LA...when dusk arrived, a 49' Zozobra was burnt at Ft. Marcy Park in Santa Fe on 9/5/02...this event starts the Fiesta de Santa Fe, and is meant to burn away problems & worries...9/4/02: the for ABQ's baseball team is...the Isotopes...from 9/5 to 9/8/02, the Intl Space Station was visible over ABQ skies during early morning (3 - 5 AM)...the Southwet may feel the remnants of dying hurricanes during the first full weekend in September...but it is only a small chance...the New Mexico State Fair begins on 9/6/02...

...the gay? commercials for the VW Jetta, Uncle Ben's breakfast & WOW! satellite dish company...

...President Bush is trying to convince Congress that the country must attack & defeat Iraq, and with whatever is necessary to deal with Saddam Husein...USA vs Iraq, or Bush vs Husein or us vs them...

...some bus routes will change on 9/11/ due to memorial events in the downtown Civic Plaza area...will need to pick up bus route 5 or 11 at the Alverado Terminal...

...working with Carla & Becky to obtain signatures from every attending physician in order to identify a person's handwriting while reading charts...Dr. Saeed says that the Pulmonary area does not do dictation for I/P Consults, just O/P...OK!...9/6/02: Dr. Rose says that we may change the CPT codes on the old green cards...Brad gets a call from Shane to schedule an interview for the Medical Coding Analyst...Brad's current reply: No...got new ID badge...new picture, plus the word UPA to the side of my face (this title appears twice on the badge)...9/9/02: Coding meeting in PM (?), go to bank at lunch, drop off papers for Becky (?)....

...9/2/02: balloon Mass Ascension to start the Blue Corn Harvest Festival...