Yet another brutal weekend in the ER.  Seemed like everyone was trying to test my resolve to stick with my New Year Resolution … I didn’t fair well.  From unbelievably immature kids (who are about to become parents in a few short months!!) to seizing, vomiting (read: aspirating) developmentally delayed adults,  I seemed to move from one crisis to the next.  And we had our fair share of ‘behavioral medicine’ patients to assist in welcoming in the new year (read: intoxicated, overdosed, withdrawing, demented with violent outbursts, personality disorder and/or drug seeking).  I work with some great staff … and (like every other profession) I also work with some staff that think they’re great.  Its painful when the ratio isn’t right.  End the weekend with a useless conversation with my boss, designed to identify and fix an ongoing problem … and it makes for an exhausted me wondering if a career change as a WalMart greeter might be in order …

On a sad, but lighter note – I did get called every name under the sun by a closed-head injury patient who arrived just minutes before the ending of my ‘tour’ … some names that I hadn’t been called since my days at the inner city hospital.  Sad – as it was his only verbal output – the repetitive string of obscenities he yelled to any verbal or physical stimulation.  Mood-lightening – because you just can’t take yourself too seriously when someone is screaming “Fu#* you, you whore, bit*#, cu#@!  I said fuc$ off!” in response to, “Steve, would you like a blanket?”

Time to shake the weekend off and enjoy the week!  My youngest daughter gets her braces off tomorrow.  I’m excited for her … We opted for the more expensive built-in retainer, so she can’t lose it (thus, we won’t have to beat her).  Which just leaves our youngest son in braces.  The poor guy loves popcorn – and he’s the only one who still can’t eat any.

Studio news:  I’m not quite ready to switch gears and leave the holidays behind,  so I’m still working on some ornaments – ideas/designs stage.  I’ve been running blanks in the production kiln all week.  Which means I’ll have a major slumping run – tomorrow, I hope.  So, no finished projects to share, but here are some blanks. 

Time for a glass of wine …