Clayton Hill Studio

Posted on February 14, 2011 by claytonhill

If A and B then G, else … (AKA Weekend Wrap-up)

Or something like that … It rings a distant bell for some type of math – or maybe it’s HTML coding … ??? Anyway – that’s about how much sense our new Senior ED ‘criteria’ is making right now: … If the patient is 65 or older, you must (mandatory) complete a senior assessment – unless they’re stable=visit less than an hour, critical=visit less than an hour, ‘some’ level 3, all level 4, all level 5 (***see stable/critical exceptions) … and so on and so on. I could keep going with these rules, until you’re head is spinning as much as mine – but if you’re getting the gist of the blind leading the blind in a mandatory endeavor to accomplish … [what??? …] then, you’re getting it!

Meanwhile, census was way up this weekend – especially Saturday. Apparently everyone wanted to converge upon our ER in this time span … whether their symptoms were of one hour onset or 3 weeks … this was the magical time frame to ‘get it fixed … NOW’! And it’s not even the full moon weekend (that’s next week – I already checked!).

So what’s a charge nurse to do … keep plugging away. I was chanting “I love my job” so much, that it [almost] became part of my greeting, “Hi, I’m Kris. I love my job. What can we help you with today?”

But – it’s all over for another 5 days … Happy Valentine’s Day!!

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Posted on February 11, 2011 by claytonhill

Studio News …

I’ve gotten a few pendants and badge reels pulled together … just quick projects. And I continue to re-photo some ‘older’ pieces – as I realize now just how horrible the lighting was in some of my initial listings …

It keeps me busy and close to Olivia – who is going through a normal, but rough stage at the present. She’s being very finicky about what she’ll eat … Her preferred diet right now is hotdogs (lots of them!), cheese, vanilla ice cream and water. She’s balking at cheeseburgers, canned food, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, etc. … We’re encouraging squirts of formula and spoonful’s of yogurt … I hate this stage. We should be through it within the next day or so … but – jeez!

And it’s Friday, so I’m also mentally preparing (or trying to …) for the weekend. Maybe some wine would help …

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Posted on February 10, 2011 by claytonhill

Technology … Day 2

So … here’s what you can do when you are on pup-duty all day, have your smart phone, a lap top … and 12 sweet puppies …

I love puppies …

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Posted on February 9, 2011 by claytonhill

Meanwhile …

Not to be left out of our ‘puppy-nursery-overload’ … Mr. Yoda Kei: Is growing tooth buds, and putting all that ‘kissing’ technique to good use … he is teaching his littermates the joys of ‘gruel’ (puppy formula mixed with can food) … and lovin’ it! Momma Monet still pops in to the Yorkie nursery for feedings, cleanings and general clean up, but the older (Yorkie) pups – especially Cooper and Griffin – love to jump into the (again, Yorkie) nursery to play with the ‘babies’ … and clean up any left-over gruel … just in case there are left-overs … Smile

In between playing den-mother to our … DEN … I hope to have some studio time (the perks to being an insomniac …): I have a special request for a large blue free-form bowl; I started working on the proto-types for colored, personalized slumped, textured wine bottle-trays; I’m slowly taking new photos of pieces, playing with more natural lighting; and I continue with my painting and ornament experiments …

And – if I get bored: … I still have a mountain of tax papers/receipts waiting for me; I can now take my Christmas trees down; and I just saw our youngest daughter’s report card – time to scare-the-snot out of her while reinforcing the ‘rules and regulations’ of her mother’s expectations for her ‘academic career’ … Oh to be retired and ‘BORED’ …

Which brings me to another weekend-work gripe: I’m used to ’20-somethings’ demanding I absorb their problems for my own (read: “I took an ambulance to the ER for my complaint of ‘cold symptoms’ x 2 hours – I have NO ride home, no ibuprofen, ‘no money’, etc. … what are YOU going to do about it???”) … But – I’ve recently had a lot of 30-somethings, 40-somethings, etc. ask the same type of questions …

Case in point: A 45+ year old divorcee with the complaint of a ‘headache’: She’s living with her sibling (read: NOT HOMELESS – but whined about it), receiving medical treatment from the (“x”-county, FREE) Medical Clinic … and she DEMANDED that she be admitted to further her disability claim that she should receive FREE (read: tax-payer) housing, money, insurance and health care because she was just too tired of dragging her (able-bodied) obese (300+ pounds), tired-ass around … waiting for social services to respond to her request. I thought about showing her the want-ads (that spot-lighted a posting for help-wanted at Taco Bell) – but figured she wouldn’t receive this ‘assistance’ productively … So, instead – in the spirit of customer service, I placed a referral to our already over-worked ER social worker … Can you say ‘Blight-on-Humanity referral’ ???

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Posted on February 9, 2011 by claytonhill

Technology … it’s pretty cool!

I’m not crazy tech-savvy, but I can usually work my way around most electronics. With this in mind, I am in LOVE with our new smart phones! We (DH and I) both got Droid 2 Global phones – our first upgrade since texting. How COOL!! Along with easy texting (I stuck with a physical QWERTY keyboard), I can manage this blog, view maps/directions, play games, songs, browse the web, access my email accounts … there are applications for just about EVERYTHING! Even one with bartending recipes … hmmm, that’s something to think about for vacation!

This is totally sweet – and if you’re on the fence at all … I absolutely recommend it!! I even have the DH texting now – more than just yes/no responses! Smile I’ve had the phone for 5 whole days, and can’t imagine what I did without it!

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Posted on February 7, 2011 by claytonhill

Weekend update … puppies

Outside of the standard flu & psych patients … Superbowl weekend proved to be a fairly mellow one. A great crew of co-workers is always a bonus! My only gripe is this: There should be a national law that prohibits drug-seeking, drama-craving, possom-playing dingbats from presenting to the ER at 6:53am. There is no compassion left at this point in the shift to deal with patients that want to pretend they’re ‘passed out’ … Just sayin’!

We have puppies! … Oh my – do we have puppies. Olivia is still delivering, but at this point, we’ve helped bring 10 new babies into the world! At 4am this morning, the text messages started flying, as John was keeping me up to date on her progress. As a first time Mom, Livvie is doing great … 10 babies in just over 4 hours. She’s cleaning her crew, feeding them and loving on them. John is wiped out – (he is sooo NOT a night-owl) but he’s hanging in there like a trooper.

Oops – gotta go – another pup on the way …

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Posted on February 5, 2011 by claytonhill

If Martha Stuart and June Cleaver had a third sister …

She MIGHT just look like me … We had Christmas with my Dad yesterday … Whew! We pulled it off (… I think …) – and my Martha Stuart/June Cleaver façade is safe – for a while yet any way … It was close though: Mother Nature’s little hissy fit (can’t even really call it a temper tantrum) had us picking up the final Amazon packages (read: Christmas presents!) AT the post office (yeah – they were holding them hostage!!) some 20 minutes before my guests arrived! Add to it – a visit from a sweet couple to meet and reserve our Yorkie, Cooper in the middle of our ‘mad-dash’ day, and … I don’t mind saying, I don‘t think Martha would have held up as well … A good day with some great family time … it doesn’t get much better!

Olivia, our Neo soon-to-be mom (aka ‘the horse’) is sticking very close. She’s loving her pre-delivery diet of … well, anything she wants. She ‘smiles’ when we head to the fridge. Ok – it’s not a pretty smile, but it’s all she’s got! Smile She’s not nesting yet – which means John is on his own for the weekend … Helping our mom’s deliver is my thing (I love it) – but he does a great job too (he just doesn’t like it) …

Now to change gears and think like a kinder/gentler ER nurse who loves to test old peoples’ cognitive function, stomp out the flu, pass out warm blankets and snacks while we run a mini-ICU and/or Bed-n-Breakfast … Come on Martha – don’t fail me now …

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Posted on February 2, 2011 by claytonhill

It’s tough to be a guy …

Yoda Kei and John both decided they needed a nap this afternoon … cuz, you know … it’s tough to be a guy! Smile To be fair, Yoda just ate and DH is sick …

Meanwhile, in between cooking and cleaning, I took advantage of all the snow-bright lighting to take photos of our latest bowls, got a few items ready for uploading/uploaded to the shops and I’ll be running a bottle slump tonight.

My teenage kids have been ‘helping’ clean (like only teenagers can … full of enthusiasm and joy!) and now they’re checking with baited breath to see if school will be cancelled again tomorrow … so far, no luck!

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Posted on February 1, 2011 by claytonhill

I’m workin’ on it …

Went to the DARN SANE meeting before the big storm started … [yes – People suck! Are there any members of my community that aren’t sexually abusing people/beating their kids???] Now, I’m snuggled in for a long winter’s nap, hot toddy in hand …

I made a large pot of chicken noodle soup (the DH is sick – Lord help me! It’s a basic cold, but you’d think he was dyin’); we’re stocked up on Hot Cocoa; there’s gas for the generator – so the kilns can keep kicking … I think we’re ready for this temper tantrum from Mother Nature …

Here’s the dilemma … I’m waiting for packages to arrive (mail order) for Christmas with my Dad on Friday … It would really mess with my Martha Stuart image if I have Christmas with no presents! Plus – we’ve ordered fun, new cell (smart) phones. I really want my mail lady, FedEx man and UPS guy to make it to my house!!! Sad smile

Got through some more tax papers … Now to pack it all up, clear off the dining room table and start the white-glove cleaning! I’ve made the ‘to-do’ lists – nothing left now but do it! Ugghhh! I’ll start tomorrow … Angel

Yoda Kei: Is giving kisses on a regular basis; working his way up to one ounce at a feeding; is starting to toddle-walk and play (a little); and has become a real stinker – if the formula temperature isn’t ‘just right’ (warm enough), he turns his head away and spew/drools the rest out of his mouth, and he’s darn near impossible to get a good picture of these days. Can’t do it before his feeding, and he’s a wet mess after … the little bugger! Smile

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Posted on January 31, 2011 by claytonhill

Weekend wrap-up … Contrary

I think it’s something when a 92 year old says to you, “… well at least you have your head on straight …”. I had just popped in to her room to draw blood per the request of the medical floor she was on. “Thanks”, I said aloud while thinking, ‘Wow – if this is all it takes, I am soo impressive’ …

And then I went back to the ER – where I couldn’t ‘heal’ fast enough, expedite quick enough, or medicate with enough narcotics to please my own patient population. Contrary is the word for this weekend, from curmudgeon patients with extremely dry senses of humor (that only I seemed to appreciate) to my own co-workers who wanted to snap, snarl and rehash (read: ‘bitch, bitch, gripe’) all weekend long … Throw in a few 40+ year old “Mama’s boys” who had the flu … and you’re starting to feel my pain. Oh, wait! Did I mention? … Just for fun – our ER is renovating/remodeling – yeah, that NEVER adds stress …

But, alas … it’s over for another 5 day window. This is shaping up to be a busy week:

Another DARN SANE meeting (shall I predict it now? … umm, “People suck!”)
Yet another mandatory work in-service – this one the yearly competencies, which include such ridiculous annual topics as ‘back safety’!
Christmas with my Dad’s side of the family (we’re a medical family – we celebrate when our schedules finally mesh …) – which means deep-cleaning the house, dragging out the wrapping paper again, developing and producing a menu … all to maintain my ‘June Cleaver’ aura …
‘Puppy watch’ – for one of our Neo’s, as we roll in to her delivery ‘window’
Tax papers … yeah, it’s moved to the bottom of the list this week

Where will I squeeze in studio time? … Oh yeah – in the wee hours of an insomniac’s ‘morning’ … Smile