Out west

Our niece Kinley playing with flowers 

Well, I can't say that I have a whole lot to blog about right now. Mostly it's excitment about inheriting the XM radio in the Seabring. The radio stations here are pretty useless so it's been forever since I've gotten to hear new music. And XM is much better than anything else, it has a lot more variety, even if you keep it on the same station. I miss my Mike & Bob but I don't miss hearing the same song 20 times a day. I figure'd I'd do a little run down of some of the good stuff I've heard lately.

"Alone" The Prom Kings--these guys are apparently really new, the CD was released this year so it's been hard for me to hear much more. If you go here http://www.hyfntrak.com/thepromkings/AFF16002/ and click on launch player you can hear the song I'm talking about.
And here http://www.giantradio.com/promkings2.htm has a few of their other songs.

"The Hand that Feeds" NIN--I don't really have to say anything here...it's Trent Reznor, you can't go wrong. Unfortunately the single will only be released in Europe so I'll have to order it if at all possible.

Let see, a friend has gotten me listening to Jet...they sing that song "Are you gonna be my girl" 96x played it obsessively for a while so I'm sure you've heard it. Smile Empty Soul seems to be pretty good, as does Killswitch Engage. I've been listening to The Used and Simple Plan a bit more...they're a lot...softer than what I'd normally listen to, but change is good. hmmm....and I think I heard that System of a Down is coming out with a new CD.

mood: rushed
music: linkin park vs jay-z!

So--I'm too worn out to do a nice, thoughtful blog. So instead I'm posting a nice little sample of a typical Friday. They are getting more crazy--I started out with only 2 med boxes having to be delivered and now I'm up to five...plus...its Doctor Day.

Billed Actual Reason
8-9:30 8:30-9:15 Deliver Stinky's meds/home visit
9:30-10 9:40-10:30 Dr appt
10-10:30 10:30-10:40 pick up for appt/no show
10:30-11 10:40-10:50; 11:30-11:45 Dr appt
11-11:30 11:22-11:30 phone call/medicaid card
11:.30-1:30 12-1; paperwork from earlier Dr appt, meds, MTP
1:30-2 1:20-1:30 pick up for appt/no show
2-2:30 1:30-1:45 pick up for appt, MTP signature
2:30-3:30 mixed times pick up and deliver meds from 9:40
3:30-5:30 3:15-3:45 Dr appt, meds, seen with boyfriend
3:30-5:30 3:15-3:45; paperwork from earlier Dr appt, meds, MTP

Added to that--one creepy client sent little "love notes" to all the female case managers...as if I dont already have enough creepy clients (ie Stinky) So Fridays are pretty busy...a lot of time running around the town and sitting in on psychiatric appointments. And med delivering...What is more annoying is that the end of the month falls on a Monday so I'll be spending my next day at work delivering all the monthly meds. I'm just hoping that I dont have to see what happens when the month ends on a Friday. I dont think I have enough time in the day to take care of all the monthly meds and the weekly ones and still have time to keep the appointments with the doctors. Plus I need to find out what happened to my no show. I dont think she's every just disappeared before.

so...if you havent managed to catch them you should check out finger eleven...they had a single in '98 called Quicksand that was really good and a friend of mine just reminded me of them. Apparently their most recent stuff is really good but I've managed to miss it being out here...here being stuck in the 80s :p

Something has stuck in underneath my skin
Eyes all looking in for something within
Somewhere in here

Now everything I say gives this all away
Senses deadened again
Nothing lives today
Not in here

Here in your head

[Chorus:]

Careful what you’re feeling on the inside
You should try to remember the good times and the high life
Are you feeling alright?

Felt that I belonged
And now I feel that gone
Where it all went wrong
I traced it all along
Back here again

There was something calling me to negativity
Dark covering meShrouding every scene I’m cast in

[Chorus]

[Chorus #2:]
Careful, when you're feeling, out of your mind
You should try to remember
The storm lines, in the spotlight, till you're feeling, all right.

Please answer
I’m calling just to find out
If you could be here for me when I crack
The answer came
I found it buried in the trash there
I saw it stare…

[Chorus]
[Chorus #2]
[Chorus]

Again...its been awhile. I've tweaked some things and now I think that you'll be e-mailed whenever I update this blog (this means you mom :) This will hopefully speed things up...rather than having to blog and then let you know that I've done it, it can all be done at once (I hope). Anyways....I did not get that job at the hospital. They hired someone with more HR experience (and quite likely someone who was willing to work for $8 an hour) And since things have settled down a bit at work I guess its not so bad. Its definately better than taking a huge pay cut. The weather out here has been warming up nicely. Today i was able to run around in a tank top, jeans, and flip flops...its somewhere in the 70s right now...I cant argue with that. In other news I finally went and got my tragus pierced. Its something I've been wanting to do for awhile now and just never got around to doing. You can check out a picture of it here http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/aibarnett/detail?.dir=cc34&.dnm=f32f.jpg&.src=ph

And if that doesnt work than go here http://photos.yahoo.com/aibarnett and check out the hot air and hole album. Some time ago we randomly saw a hot air balloon cruising around over the river and took a few pics of it. It was definately an odd sight to see...esp since it was still pretty cold out then. Anyways....there really isnt a whole lot of new stuff to tell...just a little bit of bragging about how warm it is today and my new piercing (which I love).

or maybe i'm just a slacker...but the fact of the matter is that things got busy, work wears me out, and I've talked to you guys so much on the phone that you know most of the stuff thats gone on. But a friend pointed out to me how lax I've been in updating my blog and he does have a point. So to sum stuff up...its been hectic. I've applied for a position in the Human Resources department of the hospital here in hopes of getting out of mental health. its too exhausting dealing with that population constantly. and it really affects me when i cant do anything to help them. there's only so much we can do. i wont know if i got the job until later this week but i'm hoping. plus it will give me a chance to get into a job where i can move up...maybe get a raise or two. frank and i have also talked about me going back to school once he has his bachelors. he'll have to work in a hospital for at least a year before he can apply for his masters program so it would be a good time for me to go back. i've been thinking that i/o psych might be good if i enjoy the human resources department.

on another note...everyone here loved the ham. it turned out wonderfully. and that same week i found out that one of my friends makes THE BEST clam chowder.

also...the best guess at what is wrong with frank's back is spinal sternosis (or however it's spelled). not much to do about it but go through pain management until its bad enough for surgery. neither of us are too happy about it but he's doing pretty good right now.

in all honesty, not a whole lot has been happening lately. we've settled into the whole work/school routine and have been taking it easy. i recently went out and bought the fragile and anne bishops new book (both of which are excellent) and working a bit more on at lest looking girly. its just easier to get around like that...people take you more seriously if you're dressed all respectable. and its not all bad...except it takes for ever to get my hair from sticking straight up. it definately misses the humidity

I know i havent posted in a while...and really...things have been fairly dull...not much to report. i have 3 new pictures up...maybe more after this weekend. and since i've been meaning to do this for awhile...a copy and paste job about one of our clients. he is a paranoid schizophrenic and my friend cassie is his case manager. i have been going with her to visit him since i started...it was a nice way to learn how crazy our clients could be and sometimes she just didnt feel safe going alone. the first part is done is an amusing way as possible since it was a little scary and the second part is...anti clamatic if anything (assuming i got the word righ, i'm a little tired right now). anyways...enjoy :P

And now for a colorful rendition of my encounters with schiz guy...Cassie walked into the office to receive a rather disturbing voicemail. It seems her client (who we'll call X), a paranoid schizophrenic who's been off meds for several months, is causing disturbances at his appartment complex. Yelling, screaming, sounds of stuff being thrown around in the appartment. Cassie is required to perform a home visit to check on X's condition. Afraid to go alone, she calls on yours truly to go with her. Safety in numbers, and besides...we all know I could kick some ass :P Its cold, windy, and rainy...we go up and knock on his door. The space between the two appartments is barely large enough for the two of us and we look uncomfortably at each other as we hear him come to the door. There is no room for us to run and her truck is parked too far away for comfort. X peeks through the blinds and then answers the door wearing nothing but a towel! Now this is disturbing in itself...X is a rather hairy guy and not the sort you'd want to see without clothes. Add to that the fear of the towel slipping and his desire to find himself a woman for 'companionship' and you have 2 very nervous case managers. Cassie tries to convice X to go put clothes on but to no avail. So we stand there in that narrow walkway with a man dressed only in a towel trying to find out just what has been going on. According to X, these sicko bastards have been trying to rape him and steal all his personal records and he has been having to fight them off. Well, that seems like a perfectly reasonable explaination for the yelling and throwing things. X gets progressively louder and angry...speaking clearly for the first time since I met him 2 months ago. According to Cassie he has never been in this bad of shape. X gets louder and more...vulgar...complaining about his rapists. Finally Cassie steps in...asking him if maybe he'd like to go to the hospital...you know...just to see if he's been hurt. But no...X does not want to be distracted from his ranting and he's just fine thank you very much. After a bit more of this we decide there is nothing we can do at that time and we make a rather hasty exit. Later Cassie talks to our supervisors and I guess some one goes to get X and take him to a hospital while Cassie gets to pick up some clothes from his place. I was not along for that trip, but I would imagine it was just a scary. X has a facination with ads from porno mags...and keeps not one, but TWO bottles of baby oil right by his bed. And lets not dismiss the funky smell that hangs around and the occasional wet stain on the front of his pants.


Cassie's paranoid schiz came home from the hospital today. I went with her to pick him up at the bus station. The first words out of his mouth were about the bastards that kidnapped him and sent him to the hospital. Cassie had called the police to go get him so he didnt associate her with him being taken away. He was on meds this time...never seen him on them before. He still had all the same delusions but he was so much happier. And he was very talkative and talked louder and clearer than before. He was pretty cute too...Cassie asked him what he needed to do to keep the cops from kidnapping him again and his answers was " i dunno...run maybe?" she was going more for him remembering to take his meds...but it was pretty cute...and who knows...maybe running would help...or locking the door :P