And Thus Ends a Long Journey

Plagued again by lack of sleep and another 12-hour night shift looming this very evening, making it 3 in a row, I must take leave. I have heard rumors that the next blogger will have many voices. I wanted to welcome this blogger with a timely insider interview. But alas and alack, I am destined for one thing this morning: sleep.

Oh sure, Diana is mourned and I wanted to give my theory that she was assassinated by the crown, which I conjecture by all the history of the English crown and the murders I read of in Shakespeare's plays. But that won't change things, because Diana is gone and will not return, yet it weighs heavily in the way Prince Will may run things, or at least in the posing of it.

I want to thank my illustrious editor but never censor Mr. Curry, Time MAN OF THE YEAR for his bravery in hiring me last year (please forward my final check to Zihuatenejo). His helmsmanship at ninetyandnine is worthy of praise and recognition. It's just that it's so...underground. But that may be changing, soon.

And thanks to all you faithful readers of House Calls® (9 at last count) and may you divert over to the new blogger and give him a chance. And speaking of the pronoun issue, when I'm reading and the author states she for the general term instead of he, I'm thinking..."who is she?" And usually my confusion is followed by my slinging the article of writing across the room and on a day with good aim, into the nearest trash repository. It detracts and distracts.

Enough of that. There is one constant here, by existence of the fact we are unified by our Book of Acts experience in this, what my good Vermont bud calls our post-modern world. I call it our post 60's cultural revolution world, a place where decorum on almost any issue is thrown out with disdain so that apathy and amorality can reign. Also, immorality is more interesting to our entertainment-obsessed America than the immortality we all face.

So, now that my year long journey and excursion into Blogland has ended, I bid you

Adieu.
-stu, House Calls® 2006-2007

Where Stu Gets His Photos

(New mystery blogger disposing of Stu's House Calls® blog.)

New Blogger To Be Announced
That's right, my days are numbered here at House Calls® and you'll soon get to meet the new bloggaire extraordinaire for the year '07-'08. So stand by...for NEWS!

Top Ten Reasons I Had Fun Bloggin' This Year
10. Guest spot on Letterman.
9. Invitation to Pres. Bush's ranch to "dig a few post holes."
8. Built manly size bicep on my typin' fanger.
7. Stayed up later at night past my bedtime.
6. Asked to keynote Youth Congress (turned it down due to work schedule conflict).
5. Six-figure offer by PPH to publish collection of blog entries.
4. Able to avoid city voted "Most Dangerous" by Associated Press: St Louis, MO.
3. Built a huge fan base, last count: 9 readers.
2. Daily opportunity to download free music.
1. Nominated for Pulitzer, category: Community Blogging.

Short Video Contest: Enter Yours NOW!
At ninetyandnine.com they are wanting to give cash away and decided to host a contest so they could give it to you. So enter today, forget youtube for now, and contribute for a chance to win and win BIG!

Win Money, Fame, Fortune at Fiction
Check out this exclusive ninetyandnine.com fiction writing contest!

In Memorium

10/3/1954 - 8/27/1990

Miracle in Georgia

Rain today in Macon, Georgia after way too many days without:

Current forecast
Issued by the National Weather Service at 10:12 am EDT on August 28, 2007
Scattered showers will continue across portions of central Georgia...including the Barnesville...Jackson...Forsyth... Covington...Social Circle...Macon and Madison areas through 1115 am EDT. Rainfall amounts will generally be a tenth of an inch or less...with over a half inch possible in the heaviest showers. The showers were nearly stationary. Motorists should slow down and use caution due to wet roadways and reduced visibilities.

Thank you, Lord.

Finished Reading This One
Ever since vacationing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I've been interested in the U.S. Lifesaving Service, the guys who pre-empted the Coast Guard and managed the land part of water rescue involving shipwrecks. I found this book at the San Francisco Maritime Museum bookstore and skipped ahead to the lifesaving chapters. Well written, and an amazing look a the inside story of surf rescue heroics in the late 19th century.

FIRST, See This One
This was the film the Kendrick brothers of Albany, Georgia cut their teeth on, a film about possibilities when a used care dealer gives his life over to God. It's available at Blockbuster Online® and for rent in some Bible book stores, or get it here.

THEN, See This One...
Facing the Giants was produced by the media minister of a church in Albany, Georgia—Georgia being my home state—and is a truly great film. Sure, there's football everywhere but the underlying message is what makes this a must-see! Congrats to the Kendrick brothers for starting what may be a revolution in the world of Indie/Christian based films.

Five Reasons To Like Friday

Amazing Facts on Project 22:39

Read all it about here at ninetyandnine.com, get pumped for next year, or start a project of your own right now.

Live365 for your Listening Pleasure
Just in case you missed it, try live365.com for access to gazillions of free radio stations. I'm listening to jazz right now, loving it. Try one on for size today, whatever your genre. There's all sorts of churchy stuff, right up your alley.

Peek-a-Boo World*

The jury is still out on what I, Stu, think of blogging in the context of typography versus telegraphy in our post-modern world. House Calls has been an adventure over this year past, for me to keep it up but also by having opportunity to report on what I see as it flashes before me on the internet. Neil Postman in Amusing Ourselves to Death states:

"The telegraph made a three-pronged attack on typography's definition of discourse, introducing on a large scale irrelevance, impotence, and incoherence. The demons of discourse were aroused by the fact that telegraphy gave a form of legitimacy to the idea of context-free information."

In other words, what do you do on a daily basis about the random bits of news, albeit horrifying at times, for example bridge collapse, troops in Iraq killed, etc, yet Postman declares he took the liberty of answering that question for you: You plan to do nothing about them.

So, the blog, to me falls in the same category of insignificant made significant for a fleeting moment revealing nothing more than my mindset for the day or what I chanced across on the web, logged down here mostly for entertainment value and perhaps an inside look at what my life and opinions consist of. Nothing world changing, that's fer sure.


*Title of Chapter 5 in Postman's book.

Hurricane Dean Slams Mexico
We'll take some o' dat water over here in 'Merica if'n you don't mind. But not that much. Quote of the day: Hurricane Dean Don't play.

All Quiet on the Southern Front

It is 4am in the emergency room, no patients in the triage waiting room, which
means the plumbing is working. By plumbing I mean that last week the hospital
came to a standstill since hospitalized patients were not being discharged, new
patients were not going to those rooms, and triage was full of folks not seen
yet because of the backup, hence, plumbing problem.

Like the flood we had here once, my eyes were opened to the definition of a
flood. I had always thought a flood meant rushing waters and tidal waves and
stuff. However, a flood is nearly identical to the situation that occurs when
your toilet stops up with, uh, biohazardous waste. Anyway, the water in Mactown, Ga backed up from the river, the river overflowed its banks and filled every low spot with water, creating a
huge, toilet like effect. Yuk.

This week all are happy at the ER since patients are moving, rooms are turning over,
new patients are seen in a sane amount of waiting time versus an insane amount
of time.

New Ninetyandnine.com to Night Now
This week only, the release of the new 'zine has been moved to tonight for this week only, due to rumors of the editor being unable to find his lucky bunny slippers. Other reports point to evidence of editor jet-lag, and a flourescent lighting-burn. But that is only a rumor, so for now check out the latest on the YC blog featuring Screaming Youth Leaders, which may be a great name for a rock band.

Starting Off the Week at 0240
That's right, I rolled out of bed at 0240 this morning, Monday, because it was that time. In other words, my body is still confused about what time to sleep and work, and tonight I start five-in-a-row 12 hour shifts again. The good part about all these days I'm working is the paycheck, which is much better than the firefighter paycheck from past days. I officially retired after 15 years April '06 and don't miss it any.

I enjoy working as a Registered Nurse®, even though I am a guy and I have a dream that males will dominate the nursing field in the next 10 years. The guys I work with now have backgrounds as a waiter, Marine, fireman (me), home remodeler, and paramedic just to name a few. History tells me that the first nurses were men, and the whole Florence Nightingale thing gets under my skin.

But I do enjoy the female perspective in nursing and they add balance to our ER. There must be a definitive and conscious change in the recruiting process nationwide to recruit guys, though. The language in the textbooks and elsewhere is distinctly female. My mission is to recruit guys to this profession, because I believe that we fit in, despite the tradition of woman as nurse.

Summer: Too Hot to do Anything
Listen to this guy's brief thoughts on summertime.

Floyd Landis Billed as "The Outcast"
I never did hear the end of this story, and from what I see in this in-depth article about the winner of the Tour de France 2006—the story is not over. Floyd, a former Mennonite turned bicycle racer extraordinaire, teammate of Lance Armstrong, is still in Limbo over questionable lab techniques and France's upside down legal tactic of assuming a party is guilty-until-proven-innocent which is the complete opposite of U.S. ways. I give the guy credit and say innocent, because of his first-hand experience with Lance's accusations I would never believe that Floyd was doping. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it...until I read the rest of the article that is.

FREEFREEFREE Downloads!
RIght now you can download a buncha songs and please rate them as well so the good folks at ninetyandnine.com and Notes® blog will know where they stand with you, the unbiased and potential Nielsen Ratings group. So give a listen, then give your comments, give it all. Or, You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you at interrogation time and at court.

What th' News?*
by artist Kirk d. Willingham

GLobal markets tumble amid mortgage crisis,
BriDge failure can't fend off usual politics
Quake rocks Peru leaving dead & rubble behind,
Facing the riSKs of newer deeper mines

(chorus)
SOunds like, sounds like,
queeN adelaide gots de whooping cough
Wish sHe'd cover her mouf
ANd let us sort out our own stuff.

Who is the real face of plastic surgery?
MEts rally in ninth then escape victory
Restaurants: reading fortunes in a bowl o' pasta,
Travelocity pays fines for bookings to Cuba

(chorus)
Sounds like, sounds like,
queen adelaide gots de whooping cough
Wish she'd cover her mouf
ANd let us sort out our own stuff.

O why caint it be that we all follow suit
ANd recanize that the point is moot

(chorus)
Sounds like, sounds like,
queen adelaide gots de whooping cough
Wish she'd cover her mouf
ANd let us sort out our own stuff.



*from NY Times

Veni, Vici, Video

We are run amuck today at ninetyandnine.com with NAYC videos at youtube and also Godtube and the link is here. Check out all the stuff that folks were filming while knee deep in, well church! As we have been heard to say, "We're all churched up!"

Navy Seal's Testimony: Lone Survivor
The wife just informed me that while driving to work she heard this interview: Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10.

Inside Look: Actor Spends 2 Years in Pakistani Prison
I read an article over the weekend in Men's Journal about Erik Aude, a bit-part actor who was in Dude Where's My Car (I haven't seen this one), who was arrested in Pakistan for smuggling opium. He was doing a friend a favor, he thought, until authorities discovered 1.2 million bucks worth of opium stitched in the lining of the suitcase he was carrying.

Read the tragic tale of his life in a prison hostile to Americans, plus his survival tactic of converting to Muslim just to save his skin. We believe that we have it so tough, that all the world's against us, until I read something like this modern day account of what survival is all about. A grim account of beatings, torture, and solitary confinement is the order of the day: read it now.

And because of my imprisonment many of the Christians here seem to have lost their fear of chains. -Paul, Letter to the Phillipians 12:14

Super Bowl of Pentecost
That's what the Charlotte Observer dubbed our fair week at North American Youth Congress in Charlotte, N.C...Super Bowl. Project 22:39 was mentioned as was the $1000 prize for the winner of the Christian Rock Talent Night. Next: I'm looking to see if the NY Times mentioned us anywhere.

Read about NAYC from
Charlotte Observer perspective
Although a short plunge into what deems a pentecostal service, the Observer nailed it for the most part. I mean, what reporter entering into the frays of an APostolic service could possibly understand why we do what we do, crying out to God for change and direction? I'm still not sure why the Jacki-O Pop suit garnered so much of the reporter's attention.

stu confesses all

Okay, so while checking out all the NAYC 2007 pics of various hair/suits/dresses I must admit: I'm into hands, specifically...your veins. Why? Because your hands tell me pretty much your story. How active you are, how much you lift/strength train or play music. So if your main activity is walking back and forth to the frig, your hands will tell all. Oh yeah, because I'm an ER RN, or Emergency Room Registered Nurse, former fireman and paramedic...I look at your hands.

Youth Congress...Apres Minuit dans L'Hotel

Late Registration at Charlotte Arena's Gates

(sound men at Youth Congress)

Don't Miss the Week at NAYC
Click here for updates on internet hotel service, fashion and eating at Walmart(?)

Where's stu at NAYC Charlotte???

Hey kids, take a moment and, in the vein and excitement of Where's Waldo®, find Stu! But, please, don't try this when your youth director is screaming at the top of his lungs in the hotel hallway, "LET"S GO,WE'RE LATE!"

Ninetyandnine.com Opens Startup eBay Store
Now you can purchase your very own 90&9 T-shirt available in different sizes/style/colors here. Order now while supplies last. And remember, I'll be the first to bid on a framed photo of kdc in that big pink cowboy hat if he decides to offer one for sale.

stu's off-n-on read

I've been reading through this book again and it remains relevant to our e-mail textmessage ipod iphone bluetoothstupidearthingy cellphone culture. Sort of a thinking man's Future Shock.

A Noisy Place is the ER

I ran across this piece on a woman's stay in the ER and how noisy it is plus constant people in and out of the room which prevents mere sanity from prevailing. I know my ER is loud, and we're working nights and are always making racket. So read for yourself this woman's take on the whole peace issue.

Kings of Leon Peon Side Revealed
Read this guy's blistering opine about the Kings of Leon, especially the part about them selling tons more CD's overseas instead of in these United States. That's because those foreign countries drink wine instead of water with meals, which would explain the large number of Kings of Leon purchases. Unfortunately, the author did not address the really bad haircuts (see Cyrano de Bergerac inspired haircut in photo left).

Stu's Blog Year Winds Down
Yep, m'last month, for all of ye faithful readers of House Calls, the reins will soon change hands and someone else will beat this horse. So if you have any questions about what makes a former fireman-turned-ER nurse tick, let me hear from you. You've been a great audience, and I hope those of you attending Youth Congress have a blast and come home feeling better about life than now. In other words, the view never changes for the last horse in the wagon team.

Chest Pain At the Final Hour
I'm sitting at the computer charting at 0630 this morning at the end of my 6th 12-hour shift in a row, and PLOP! comes a new chart: chest pain patient. Well, everyone else had disappeared, wrapping it up for shift change, so I called the PA (physician's assistant) to meet me in the room and shot over to the room to set up I.V., cardiac monitor, 02, lab draw and when the PA arrives and takes and brief history, we give him meds and within five minutes his BP drops down and the chest pain eases off. Emergency averted. Just another day in the life of a male ER nurse.

Sunday Scenes

You Can Be the Next Mark Twain!
Yes, at this site, you can get a classic book reprinted with your own art or picture on the front. For example, order Animal Farm but this company will print your name and image on the front cover and your friends will actually be fooled into thinking that you are the original author! Well, maybe not. But it is a truly novel idea, pun intended.

And Now For Something Completely Different
Like the Disney Florida ride at Animal Kingdom, you can witness real world Countdown to Extinction at this world clock site. I enjoy watching the cardiac and respiratory deaths in the Deaths box, because this is mainly the beer and cigarette category. Why, if it wasn't for alcohol and cigarettes I would be out of a job as RN! So pull up a chair, wait NO LONGER for the ball to drop at Times Square on Midnight of New Year's Eve...watch it NOW!!!

A Stu Night in the ER: 8/2 to 8/3, 2007*

6:30pm, or 1830: Leave house in '93 Honda Accord.
1845:59 - Clock in (on time with one second to spare).
1850: Assemble in tiny breakroom for schedule assignments for the night.
1900: Coffee.
1905: Take report from outgoing nurse about the 3 patients.
1910: Assess patients.
1915: Coffee.
1920: Check in-hospital email and cartoon-of-the-day.
1925-2025: Talk to co-workers and chart on the computer about patients.
2025-2025:15: Watch Minnesota bridge collapse for 18th time today on tv.
2025-2030: Do first set of stair climb to 9th floor (arghh!)
2030-2330: Check in new patient with AMS, or altered mental status.
2330-0001: Lunch.
0005: Coffee.
0100: Stair climb #2.
0105: Coffee.
0105-0300: Patient care, new pt needs 3units RBC's.
0300: Stairs #3.
0305: Coffee.
0400: Stairs #4  in sprint mode (time 46.32 seconds, a new record).
0410-0600: Patient care, am labs, snack.
0600-0700: Coffee and report off to incoming nurse.
0700: Normally, clock out and drive home, but today, skills test (UGH!).
1930: Drive home.

*Okay, so a whole lot more patient care is involved than this, but it goes by in a blur, whereas these stu moments hang in my memory like, say, pork chops in my teeth.