The year is 2002...

...1/29/02: very warm today, but another Winter Storm Watch for the N & E mountains, starting on 1/29/02 evening and continuing into 1/30/02, with a chance of snow in ABQ; Winter Storm Warning in the N mts., as of 1/29/02 PM; rain in the SE; snow showers in ABQ, moving out on Thursday...driving could be hazardous in the northern areas (Las Vegas to Raton), snow over 7500 feet...early in the week, there was a Bermuda High that has Washington, DC basking in 70 degree heat!...snow fell in San Francisco, Sacramento & San Jose...1/30/02: Snow Advisory, chance of 1-3" in ABQ; storm is moving E from AZ, and will leave during Thursday...there will be a chance of 2-4" in NW, rain/snow in the SE, 4-10" in the NE, 6-12" near Taos & Angel Fire, 6-10" in Estancia...first there's a watch, then a warning...1/30/02: a deadly winter storm spread ice and snow across parts of 14 states from Texas to New England, killing five people in traffic accidents, knocking down power lines and closing schools...the storm was still developing and that freezing rain and heavier snow were likely, with the northeast feeling its impact on Thursday...at mid-day Wednesday the storm stretched from the Texas panhandle across parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Hew Hampshire and Maine...after work, it was snowing hard at the Beach, just a snow & rain combo at UNM...Sandia Peak got 15 inches of snow!...Santa Fe received 12"; Taos, 10"; Angel Fire, 7" and Durango, 4"...ABQ had 1-3" inches...1/31/02: the storm was directly over ABQ at 5:45 AM...classes & work hours at UNM started at 10 AM...unsure of what that meant, I got to work at 7:55 AM, and was later informed that no leave is charged until after 10, and I did not have to shorten my lunch shift, per Roseann...it was an easy bus ride...the irony is that I could not produce the census report to start my rounds since I do not have my own clearance to the IDX system, and therefore have to wait for Geri & Ann...I-10 closed from Deming to Lordsburg...

...2/1/02: a low temperature of minus eleven in Taos...175,000 people in Kansas City are still without power due to the current storm...2/2/02: 2 inches of snow fell on Cloudcroft during the night...2/4/02: a snow advisory was issued for the Sacramento Mtns., with a chance of 4"-8"...2/5/02: power is still out in portions of Kansas & Oklahoma, as another storm heads towards those states...

And the New England Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI, 21-17!

...what I do is determine if the CPT procedure(s) & ICD code(s) are correct on the billing forms, based on information found in the physician's report (or resident or medical student, if they satisfy the necessary criteria) report...there are food carts in the second & third floor lobbies...2/1/02: a jazz band played in the second floor lobby; I found a secluded area on the third floor...gas was down to $1.07 near home...Roseann doesn't want me working alone, but Ann called in sick, and Geri had to go to a ER coder meeting...the job has great potential for someone who makes it a career...2/1/02: did green & orange cards, the diagnoses are tricky, as well as the handwriting...created beginning of month charts for SubAcute...these people worry about minute details, especially regarding paperwork, and completely ignore the more essential problems...2/4/02: Ann & Rosie left early today, Roseann called in sick so by mid-day there was a third of the staff remaining...there is a bust of Pocahontas in the second floor lobby...there is no leadership in the hospital units...

...2/5/02: started the rounds by myself in 3-East...forgot my ID, late for a class on RAVEL that I was not notified until 45 minutes after it started...a search was started for me, then I ran from my area to Roseann's office...Roseann realized when the other new employee reached her office that neither of us had been contacted...she apologized and we raced to Darth Vader...picked up incorrect census, correct one was never printed...2/6/02: worked with Ann, my monitor went blank, Ann could not access her PC because Geri changed the password, so we could not access Brahms and print the census report...walked the entire route picking up discharges...saw Roseann's entire staff in the AM, also...2/6/02: learnered PowerChart & Transcription Inquiry...these people have a lot to learn regarding teaching...self tutorials only tells you what, and never answers the why...2/7/02: PC still not working, both Ann & myself contacted Roseann, by phone & E-mail...learned Cerner (more or less); can now produce census reports (I hope!)...these people do not review the material they use; the instructions did not produce the desired results according to the training manual...also learned how to code Hematology & Oncology services...new monitor arrived, problem was bent prongs on the old one...2/8/02: 4-hour Civil Rights meeting, resulting in lots not getting done, asked to work O/T on 2/9...did so for 3 hours...

...1/31/02: the government says America is vulnerable to attack from missles or germ warfare...from papers found in AFG, attacks may be planned for nuclear reactors, the Seattle Space Needle, downtown Los Angeles and the US Capitol...the next wave will be more deadly & harder to predict...02/02/02: I had to write the date that way...the Ground Hog did see his shadow, so prepare for winter to last for another six weeks...it does last for six more weeks, because that's the first day of spring...Pete has been 80% accurate with his findings...on another note, the phone number for Debtors Anon in ABQ is incorrect in the phone book...dialing that number will get you a fetish sex group...a NM anti-drug group says that all drugs will be decrimilized by the governor's proposal to legalize only marijuana for medicinal purposes...they have bought radio ads to spread their message...trivia, Inc.: Barbie (the doll) has a last name; it's Roberts...2/3/02: a 5-year ABQ policeman, Roberto Chavez (29), was arrested for DUI plus driving an unmarked police vehicle at speeds exceeding 80 mph...he was stopped using a spike bar...Channel 7 KOAT played in a charity hockey game against the Scorpions which has raised to date $10000 for cancer victims...CO & NM volunteers are sewing pocket US flags for the soldiers overseas...saw a Patriots Football cake at Albertson's...2/1/02: a water pipe burst on the seventh floor of the Bernalillo Court House, the lower part of the building was evacuated, and there is extensive damage to the fiberoptic wires and other cables...Governor Johnson was interviewed in a national health magazine about tips for staying in shape...2/4/02: Brad is now covered under my health insurance as a domesic partner (Cimarron HMO)...bus fares may increase to $1.00, and passes may go up 33%...an alternate plan for managing the ABQ budget would only result in 28 job losses...there would be an increase in park fees, resume old bus routes and still add no new taxes...as of 2/14/02, there will be no changes to the transit system, and only 31 city employees will be let go...

...TYCO may be the next ENRON...it has lost 60% of its stock value since Dec., 2001...however, the price rose again after the company promised to provide detailed reports of its weekly meetings...ECKERD drugs is being sued for overcharging their customers in 19 states...Michael Jordan may be able to save his marriage...Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 50 years of monarchy...Tommy Helfinger: fall, 2002 fashions will combine the patriotism of red, white & blue with the basic color of black...HP will post higher first quarter profits than expected...United Airlines may go on strike 2/20/02...2/14/02: the Dow inched over the mound to close at 10,001...with the economy mired in recession, debt-burdened consumers and businesses filed for bankruptcy in record numbers last year, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said Tuesday...the total number of bankruptcies filed during the year jumped 19 percent to 1.49 million from 1.25 million in 2000. That total easily surpassed the previous high of 1.44 million bankruptcies recorded in 1998...

"To create one's own world takes courage..."

...2/3/02: an earthquake registering 6.0 struck central Turkey, 35 are dead and 150 were injured; many aftershocks followed...2 Afghan warlords are fighting for control of a northern AFG town..some of the detainees at Camp X-ray appreciate the kind treatment they are receiving, and are ashamed of the 9/11 attacks...by 2/7/02, 28 new prisoners arrive; the base now has 320 cells...it was proven that Americans did kill 12 innocent people due to a poorly planned attack...U.S. soldiers who scoured the site of a CIA-directed missile attack in Afghanistan found evidence disputing claims that those killed were innocents, a senior Pentagon official said Monday...strange advertisement slogans: Visit the Blind Man! and Great Lunch until 3!...2/6/02: ice on windshields...did US forces capture the wrong people, and kill innocents while in AFG?...

...2/6/02: the judge will decide the bond for John Walker, who has a 10-count endictment...he swore his life to the Jihad, even when he knew about the 9/11 attacks from bin Laden...Walker converted to Islam as a teen...because of his ties to radical extremists and terrorists, he could face a prison term equal to two life sentences...his attorney is saying that Walker answered questions under duress, and pleads not guilty...

...2/7/02: should the US flag that was recovered from Ground Zero be used in the Winter Olympics?...it is tattered and covered with ash...the first decision was 'No', but it was changed to 'Yes'...the flag will be placed next to the Olympic cauldron...

...enough is enough!...2/11/02: the FBI issued an extraordinary terrorist alert Monday night, asking law enforcement and the American public to be on the lookout for a Yemeni man and several associates who might be plotting a terrorist attack as early as Tuesday...a suspected al-Qaida member, believed to have links to one of the Sept. 11 hijackers, blew himself up Wednesday evening after being cornered by security forces...Sameer Mohammed Ahmed al-Hada, 25, was trying to flee from Yemen authorities who had staked out his house, police officials said...authorities believe al-Hada was a brother-in-law of Khalid al-Midhar, one of the 19 hijackers from the Sept. 11 attacks, and also a brother-in-law of one of the 17 men named by the FBI in an alert issued Monday warning of a possible terrorist attack...but would anyone really stage an attack anywhere after a public now would anybody really stage an attack anywhere after a public statement like that!...