Clayton Hill Studio

Posted on January 29, 2011 by claytonhill

I’m OK – and you’re OK – cuz I say so ….

So – after commiserating with co-workers, it has been decided … I’m not ‘demented’, depressed (*inappropriately so), or an alcoholic (*when compared to my cohorts) … so all is well! Bring on the Senior ED!!!

In other news – Yoda Kei is routinely taking 4 tsp+ per feeding … way up from previous weeks … And I’ve touched base with my specialist vet, just to see if we should be doing anything more for him. We’ll have a ‘look-see’ appointment in the upcoming days, but all still looks promising for my little ‘misfit’!

In my post-inebriated stupor – I feel that life is good. Who knows what the next 20 yrs will bring … ??? But, I feel like I’m doing the best I’m able – for me and anyone who’s life I touch – for now … My promise: Anyone reporting to me in the ER for ankle pain will have their pain addressed before we talk about drawing clock faces …

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Posted on January 28, 2011 by claytonhill

And on the 5th day …

Patiently waiting for my kiln to cool down so I can remove the pieces … yea, so I’m not so patient … I took some pictures still in the kiln. I’m not sure I like my big fall slab in this mold. I may rework it … But I do like some of the other bowls …

Next week – in between tax prep – I’ll be working on some bottle slumpings and ornament ideas. And – my paints should arrive … so I hope to be painting on glass …

Had another mandatory in-service today … I swear ‘they’ come up with some of these classes just to torment me! This one is for our new section – the Senior ED. I just KNOW that Gramps, with his possible broken ankle wants to go through 20 minutes of cognitive assessments, drawing clocks, and answering questions about depression and alcohol intake! WTH!! As I sat through this craziness, all I kept hearing is, “yep – those that can’t do … TEACH!”

After that – I’m so depressed myself, I need to meet up with some coworkers to commiserate while consuming alcohol! Smile

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Posted on January 27, 2011 by claytonhill

The tickets are bought … the deal is done!

Woohoo!! I’m going on VACATION!!! The DH and I try to get away every year, but some years – it’s a question mark … can we financially swing it? The mystery has been solved yet once more. YAY!! Look out paradise, here we come … Yeah, ok, in like 53 days, 13 hours and 47 minutes … but who’s counting???

Before you feel bad for the kids, or call protective services on me … they will be well cared for and have a vacation (of sorts) of their own. Poppa and Grandma will be staying with them … So, a week of ice cream, HoHo’s and junk food for breakfast, lunch and dinner; no chores, as Poppa takes care of all that for them; and at least one school skip day, shopping trip, etc. … shoot, he probably doesn’t even make them brush their teeth – but I don’t want to think about that …

We’ll be heading to a tropical island, with nothing to do but lounge, soak up the sun and drink ‘island spirits’ … it’s my own liver function test … and I joke when I come back, is it a tan coloring my skin … or jaundice?? Either way, it eventually fades – so it’s all good!

OK … time to get back to reality … at least for the next 53 days, 13 hours and 42 minutes … Watch out tax papers – here I come!

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Posted on January 26, 2011 by claytonhill

Graduation day …

Yoda Kei and his littermates ‘graduated’ to their next nursery … They turned 4 wks old today, and are now big enough to cruise around in the mud room. Monet likes it too – being able to join the rest of our gang in between feeding her crew. Tunie’s pups were curious, so Griffin, Cooper and Dahlia checked the babies out … that’s Griffin sayin’ Hi!

I took pictures … unfortunately – they were after I fed Yoda and before Monet gave him his bath …

In other news: Our youngest daughter has made the school basketball team! I’m proud of her! And yet – I’m also dreading the additional ‘taxi service’ duties it adds … Disappointed smile

Finally got around to the de-bubbling run … my extra large blank is now ready for slumping! I can’t wait to see this done and on my kitchen table! I’ve also been adding some items to the shop, like the Shades of Amber Bowl. And – don’t tell the spousal unit, but I made another order for glass supplies … this time heavy on the glass paints, cuz I have ideas … Smile

And, we’ve started sorting through a years worth of tax papers … can’t see our dining room table – but it’s a start! Oh how I love tax season …

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Posted on January 25, 2011 by claytonhill

Changing my ways … oh, the stench

I’ve spent the last week or so reading someone else’s blog … she’s a fellow crafter, young mother, and has been blogging for 5 yrs (means I had a lot of reading to do) … It’s been interesting to follow her life (she’s moved 3 times cross-country style, had two children, opened her Etsy shop, struggled with ‘life’ at times, etc.) … She’s an upbeat person, who focuses on staying positive. I’ve thought about that a lot. It’s not that I’m not positive, but I can’t shake my sarcastic shell. I thought about trying for a bit, but it’s so much a part of me … it would mean a complete mid-life overhaul. Nah … I’m ok with who I am, but I will TRY to stick with my kinder-gentler mindset …

Case in point – ‘The stench story’ … A few weeks back I discharged a little old lady from the ER who had been ignored by our staff for too long. In an effort to ensure she left feeling cared for and satisfied, I spent some time just talking with her. She’s a 70+ y/o ‘farm girl’ – complete with several missing teeth – which did not distract from her wrinkled cuteness (??… OK, yeah – she was cute). She had a simple UTI (bladder infection) and had the unfortunate timing of seeking treatment on a busy night – hence the ignoring that unintentionally occurred. As we were (I hoped) wrapping up our conversation, she said to me, “Now, if I could just get rid of that stench …”, and points to her pelvic region. What?!? Oh … I sooo didn’t want to go there with our conversation, but – felt duty bound:

me: “I’m sorry …???”
Granny: “The stench … the doctors gave it to me.”
me: (Lord help me, please …) “The doctors …???”
Granny: “Yeah, they said I had stones, so they put the stench in.”
me: ??? … realization dawns … “Oooohhh – the STENT! To help you with kidney stones.”
Granny: “Yeah, that’s it.”

Sarcastic-me will ALWAYS find that funny! The moments of pure dread and horror as I fast-forwarded in my mind what Granny might be referring to, and what all that would entail (pelvic exams – with ‘stench’ rolling out like THE FOG to fill up the small room … protective service referrals, etc.) … only to discover that her missing teeth, southern drawl, and geriatric mind has her pronouncing words just a tad bit differently … Smile

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Posted on January 24, 2011 by claytonhill

Weekend Wrap-Up

I never even looked to see if it was a full moon, but based on our patients … I’d say so! This weekend’s complaints can be summed up as GI flu (never-ending!), OB (and) GYN, and Psych (Behavioral Medicine, to be P.C.) … much of it routine, some of it humorous, and some heart-wrenching (read: mid-pregnancy imminent delivery/miscarriage [yes, in our NON-OB hospital] and young [7-13 y/o] psych patients).

My advice (this week, anyway …): While adventurous intimacy can be exciting … ‘swinging from the chandelier’ can land you in the ER – requiring surgery no less!! Use judgment – it might just save your genitalia!

Working with strong-willed coworkers (both doctors and nurses) can be a challenge … and guess what? The ER attracts strong-minded individuals … It’s tough when that strong will is competing with experience. Throw in some kind of ego-complex to boot – and it makes for a trying weekend. In other words, I’m tired of patiently redirecting new residents/doctors/nurses down the better path – gently, of course – so they can believe it was their idea … kinda feels like I’m banging my head against a brick wall …

And to sum up the weekend – in an oh-so-NON-politically-correct way … “I need a hockey-helmet, STAT!”

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Posted on January 21, 2011 by claytonhill

Week Wrap-up

I realize my life is set up different than most … My ‘work week’ begins on Saturday and ends at 7am Monday morning, but I like to think I cram a whole lot of headache, turmoil, drama, etc into that 48 hour window (enough to equal most folks work week) …

So for me, Friday marks the end of my ‘weekend’ … Smile

Studio news: I’ve listed a few items in the shops – my Koi Platter, Monet Trinket bowl and Summer Landscape bowl … I’m going to start listing a few items regularly verses bulk listing in one day. I’ll try it and see if that works better for me …

I’ve not had the kilns as active this week as I like … but, life happens, so I roll with it. Had a SANE call that tied me up for the bulk of Wednesday night (7p-12mn), and tomorrow is John’s birthday (– the guy is getting OLD! And I can say that, since I’m almost 3 yrs younger Open-mouthed smile ), so I made this cake for him … I haven’t made a German Chocolate cake from scratch in years … but that’s what he wanted, so there you have it. It’s been so long, that I couldn’t find my 3 special pans and had to make do with 3 different sized spring form pans … Makes for a funny-shaped cake, but what’cha gonna do? Smile

Have folks stopping by to meet Tunie’s pups over the next two days … Griffin has been reserved. It’s sad, but I enjoy it too … everyone needs at least one dog, so it’s my goal to convert as many people as possible to either Yorkie- or Neo-lovers … Smile

Yoda Kei – has definitely upped his eating volume this week – I think adding the Nutri-cal has actually increased his appetite. And we’ve graduated to a larger syringe … he’s chugging down 3 cc’s (x3-4 fillings) at a time now, and he’s keeping up nicely – only taking a small ‘bath’ in formula …. Winking smile

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Posted on January 19, 2011 by claytonhill

We’re off to see the Wizard …

Yoda Kei and I went to the vet today … to have him checked out and see if there’s anything more that I could/should be doing. We both ‘passed’ … I’m being a good home-dog-nurse/surrogate-mother and he’s doing well. He weighed in at 7 ounces. I put him a good 2 weeks (developmentally) behind his siblings … so we’ll see. I’ve added Nutra-cal to his formula – just trying to pack in the calories.

I carried him into the vet in a little wicker basket (complete with hot water bottle) … all Wizard of Oz style … except that I had the (Silence of the Lambs) movie line – “Put the dog in the basket!” stuck in my head. Either way, I’m sure we were a sight to see … Smile

After one of his feedings today, he started licking at my thumb, which is great! I’m hoping within the next week or so we can (successfully) introduce gruel – but don’t want to push his little immature body too quickly. So we’re still doing ‘a day at a time’ …

Meanwhile – I did get those pictures taken of my finished bowls … now to resize and upload to the shops … my butt is going numb just thinking about it.

And the marble ‘full fuse’ experiment was a flop … they’re different COE’s, so the glass is breaking, but this is what I found in the kiln … even if they weren’t breaking – they aren’t pretty. Sad smile I may try it again, just for completeness sake, making sure I just tack fuse them …

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Posted on January 18, 2011 by claytonhill

Winter Blues … my first treasury

I got too much sleep yesterday … Being a 3rd shifter part of the time means I’m supposed to have a 3-4 hour ‘nap’ on Mondays, so I can ‘turn around’ for the week, and try to sleep at night. SOMEONE let me sleep for 8.5 hours yesterday … which means I’ll be up for 24+ today, in an effort to flip tonight … make sense? No, not to my body either … Disappointed smile

Anyway, what this means is I had lots of alone time through the night, so along with catching up on missed Criminal Minds episodes, I created my first Etsy Treasury. What is that? I’m not really sure of the purpose (some marketing, networking, advertising perks, I suppose) … but they can be very pretty collections of interesting colors, textures and mediums … so I ‘made’ one, sorting through the more than 6 million handmade listings … Here it is:

Kinda neat … Thumbs up

I also had some playtime/photo time with Tunie’s pups. They’ll be 8 wks old on Thursday. They’re so much fun to play with now, exploring everything … That’s Cooper, Griffin and Dahlia (in order). I can’t get over how different they look from each other – it’s hard to believe they’re from the same litter … I shouldn’t be surprised, though, as I often said the EXACT same thing about our twins … Winking smile

I have my next coffin de-bubbling almost ready to go … some final scrubbing to do. And, I’m playing with fusing some marbles. I wasn’t thinking when I set the kiln program though … I was shooting for a tack fuse, but ran the kiln too hot for that … so these should be interesting when they come out …

Hmmm, time for more coffee and feeding Yoda Kei …

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Posted on January 17, 2011 by claytonhill

The Ask-A-Nurse Radio Show …

“I HAVE A(n) IDEA …” – I say (in jest) on this anniversary of a WISE man’s birthday. What about an ER based radio talk show (… late night, of course) ?

“Caller – you’re on the air … What question can we help you with today?” And the next 20 minutes are spent explaining why it would be acceptable for vomit to smell ‘fishy’ if a person had recently taken a fish oil supplement … “No really, not to worry, no need to call 911 just yet, it’s NOT a rare tropical disease … you’ll live [to annoy] another day, honest!” …

So goes my idea for the next late night radio talk show … What’cha think? Probably NOT … But unfortunately, that’s how I got to spend a chunk of my time this weekend …

We’re not officially supposed to give advice over the phone … it’s in the policy book – I’ve seen it! But, that doesn’t mean we’re not encouraged to … or that people stop from calling to ask us to … Questions range from amazing to unbelievable – and everything in between. From how to tell if someone’s significant other is cheating on them (REALLY!!) to a 20-questions style “Name That Rash” (on the phone) game – which CANNOT be won – so I won’t even play.

In the meantime, we (my coworkers and I) got to wrestle with intoxicated/stoned individuals while deflecting verbal abuse – like we have super-powers. Which brings us to the next ‘BEEF’ … While I understand, and accept that I should strive to be a kinder, gentler ER nurse – I don’t subscribe to ‘kinder, gentler’ cops …

There is no reasoning with a drunk that you (Mr. Police-Officer) have brought to the ER for me to draw blood – against their wishes. So why would you, Mr. Police Officer be okay with another public servant (that’s me – and my ‘volunteered’ sorry-self) being verbally abused and threatened by YOUR drunk prisoner? I much prefer the ‘old-school’ officer that ‘reminds’ a prisoner of his/her forgotten manners (gently, of course!) … “Verbal Judo” may work in the board room, court room or even a rest-room, but not with a drunk in the ER!

And, all this fun while dealing with the next ‘flock of [GI flu] seagulls’ … managing art lines/central lines … stomping out hypotension … and running a Bed & Breakfast as we wait for inpatient rooms to open up. Nope, can’t do this in any ‘ol job!

“Thanks for tuning in … listen for our upcoming show, when we host the special topic of why there is NO SUCH THING as an EMERGENCY SH*T! See you next time on WKRAP… As always, callers comments are welcome …” [music fades] … Winking smile