It's but a flesh wound...

Sorry, just had a need for a bit of humor today...

Back at home...

Wow this has been a LONG week. It started Sunday morning with a 6:40am flight out of Greenville to Memphis, then on to Las Vegas with my counterpart from the Tupelo district. We met up with our other counterpart from the Gulfport district in Vegas and crashed out by the pool Sunday evening. But hey, it's VEGAS....we can't just sit at the pool, right? Heck naw! We walked the few blocks to The Strip and took in all the sights - the Paris Casino with it's half-scale Eiffel Tower, the Fountains at Bellagio, the thousands of tourists, and a couple of the older casinos. Of course with a two-hour time difference there, we sort of lost track of just how long our day had been, and it was almost 2am central time before we got back in to the hotel.

Monday morning started bright and early with classes, and lasted ALL day. We had dinner with the Coastal ERC's cousin that lives near Vegas. Tuesday morning we were off to the desert for three days at the Nevada Test Site. This is the most bombed place on earth, 1350 square miles of desert that's seen 928 nuclear bomb tests over the years spanning 1951 to 1992. For obvious security reasons, we have no photos to share from our days out there. But I can assure you it was an awesome experience to move among all that history. I like blowing stuff up, and this is the mother-of-all explosive devices. Seeing these HUGE craters from underground tests, to the massive 1300-foot-wide Sedan Crater left from Operation Plowshare, to training on an actual "ground zero" site where several above-ground shots were fired for military and civil defense planning purposes....it was all an awe-inspiring experience. But three days in the desert is enough!!!

We came back to Las Vegas on Thursday evening, well past ready to fly home Friday. Two delays - once in Las Vegas due to a bad indicator on a thrust reverser, then another delay in Memphis due to bad weather in Greenville - kept me out much later than I'd anticipated. But Ohhhh, did MY bed sleep soooo well!!!

Glad to be home, happy to have been part of the Radiological & Nuclear Hazardous Materials Technician - Bravo Group at the Nevada Test Site this week!

Out of touch...

By the time you read this, I will have boarded a plane in Greenville, flown to Memphis, met up with one of my co-workers, and flown on to Nevada. We'll be out there all week on a nuclear test range attending a radiological training course. We'll be outside of Las Vegas, and out of touch with reality and civilization for a few days, so no blogging, texting, updating, or facebook'ing for a while. I might survive.

A full update when I get back!

Selling Snake Oil...

An interesting little video I ran across today during lunch. You'll have to avoid some of the little callout-bubbles that were inserted by whoever posted it on YouTube, but it's appropriate for today's political climate.

Uncertainty to "Certainty".....

The transition continues. I'll be moving into my new house this weekend! Mom came over yesterday and was a GREAT help, taking care of some cleaning while I finished up the painting. It's looking really great, but I've still got a little bit of trim touch-ups here and there. No big problem.

In these 9 months I've experienced a whole range of emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual feelings. The emotional roller coaster was - much like a real one - a wild ride at first, but it's tamed down to a decent ride now, in part thanks to some good pharmaceutical engineering. Physically, I'm flirting with about 60 pounds of weight loss in that amount of time. Most of it was stress-induced, but a good portion was in part due to dietary changes. The compliments come almost daily now, and they're highly appreciated. I've also had a great physician/friend available to me, and he's been a great support. Psychologically, I've had two great people to guide me a long. A PhD psychologist, and a professional counselor have been on my speed dial since Day One. Their kind-hearted, practical, real-world support has kept me "grounded" during this time. Without them I'd be a complete wreck right now. Thanks, ladies. Spritually, there's been a whole host of people who've stepped forward with their prayers and support. I've written a lot in this blog about some of the questions and observations I've had about spiritual things during this time. Some are still yet unresolved, but that's alright. In due course and in good time they'll become clearer.

If all goes as anticipated, this phase of my journey will be complete soon. Before me I will have a blank slate, of sorts, on which to draw a new path. I've learned a lot about myself lately, not so much about "new" things about myself...but things that have always been there that I've pushed aside.

It is my hope that I'll bring those old traits back to the surface, and to be the "me" that I want to be. I'm not anticipating a wholesale change, but there will be some differences.

What's with the title "Uncertainty to 'Certainty'..."? For the past few weeks, moreso than any other time in these months, things are starting to settle down into a more predictable pattern. At first I had to take a tip from my own critical incident stress management teachings - maintain a routine. It seemed odd at first, somehow creating a "routine" out of complete chaos. But that "routine" has now, in fact, become THE routine, a new routine for me. And I like it. But I used the term "certainty" in quotes, because as I prepare for this next move (physical and personal), I can't be fully certain of what the near future will hold. I know what I'd like to see in the next few weeks and months, but like before, there are some adjustments yet to be made. Perhaps this current "routine" is but a transient one, holding me over until the next one settles in. That's fine, I look forward to it.

Thank you for your continued readership. I'll keep you posted as I go!

Stole from a friend...

Forgiveness does not always lead to a healed relationship. Some people are not capable of love, and it might be wise to let them go - along with your anger. Wish them well and let them go their way.

- swiped this from a friend's Facebook. Thanks JTM!

Doodles of the mind...

I haven't posted lately, and sitting here in absolute boredom (but watching N.C.I.S.), I decided to write. As these very letters make their way from my brain down through my fingertips into the keyboard and out over the ether, I don't know where this blog will end up going. Thus, the title of my blog...My Ramblings...

Let's first talk about Swine Flu. Yeah, it's still out there. Mississippi hasn't seen any cases just yet, but give it some time. Sooner or later we will. Humans are just viral incubators, and we don't like to sit still, so we travel. We cough, sneeze, wipe our noses, touch things, shake hands, kiss babies....and we swap bugs. Then we come back home and do it again. So what do we do about it? Wash, wash, wash, WASH your nasty, filthy hands! Watch where you cough or sneeze. And for goodness sake, if you're sick, stay at home. I love you, but please don't bring your bugs to me; I have enough of my own. Otherwise, this is just the flu with a special name. Respiratory problems, cough, body aches, fever, the whole nine yards. But the vast majority of cases in the United States haven't required medical intervention.

I've been slowly working on my new house. If you're inclined to do some painting or cleaning this weekend, let me know or just come on over Saturday. I'll take all the help I can get. I want to get all the preparatory work done so I can get moved in somewhere around May 15. Come on by, I'll get your lunch.

Thank goodness my trip this week to the Coast got cancelled. It's a nice break in the middle of a LOT of travel. Jackson next week for a few days, then Nevada for a week of training in the desert at a nuclear test range. Fun stuff, I say. But tiresome. I'm thinking it'll be vacation time after Nevada.

I'm ready to get into a new routine, and my new house will help. I'm ready to get back to being out on the streets at night dispensing care to the ill and injured. Bring on the trauma! (Not wishing anything bad on anyone, you understand. It's just a thing...)

Hopefully after the Nevada trip I'll have some time off to slow down and get settled in at the new place. I'm looking forward to it, looking forward to having friends and family over from time to time. I like entertaining friends, and plan to do it occasionally.

Y'all behave out there. And PLEASE wash your hands regularly. Or go sit in the sun, let the UV rays kill off the cooties!

A Quote...

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." - Bill Cosby.

I love it.

More on "The Influence"

Did you know we get the term "influenza" from the Italian word for "the influence"? It seems the Italians of earlier times believed the illness was caused by unfavorable astrological influences. Later medical thinking led to a modification of the full name to influenza del freddo, or "influence of the cold." Enough etymology for today.

As of 1pm today in Mississippi:

• Mississippi's count of confirmed H1N1 swine flu cases remains zero. However, H1N1 continues to spread in the U.S., and Mississippi will almost certainly be seeing human cases at some point.
• MSDH and CDC are the only authoritative sources for testing and confirmation of human H1N1 cases in the state. MSDH will promptly inform the public of any laboratory-confirmed human cases.
• H1N1 swine flu continues to resemble seasonal flu in severity. It can cause illness for four to six days, with the very young, the old, and those with underlying medical conditions being at risk for more severe illness.
• Mississippi has received its shipment of antiviral medication from the national stockpile and will distribute it to health care provers in the state as required.
• The State Public Health Laboratory will soon be receiving materials from the CDC necessary to perform all H1N1 testing in-house for quicker confirmation of human cases.
• Influenza, including H1N1, is characterized by the sudden onset of fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and weakness.
• General infection control procedures are still the best recommendation for Mississippians: wash hands frequently and well with soap and water or an alcohol sanitizer; avoid unnecessary contact with those who are ill; stay home if you are sick, and cover your coughs and sneezes.
• Pork is entirely safe to eat, and no one can contract H1N1 influenza by eating pork, ham or bacon. H1N1 influenza is currently being passed from human to human.

A movie to see...

www.thewaywegetbymovie.com/

This flu...

Let's gain a little bit of common sense here, folks. We're talking about influenza - la grippe - the flu. It just so happens that this one has a name (or formerly had a name. Is that kind of like "The Artist Formerly known as Prince"...."The Disease Formerly known as Swine Flu"?)

If you're in the world of medicine, the term standard precautions should be familiar. It simply means protecting yourself from exposure to the greatest extent possible. I'm not suggesting that everyone run out and grab a box of masks to wear. Some 30,000 people die annually in the United States from seasonal flu, and do we do anything extra to protect ourselves? Other than taking an annual flu shot, no, we don't. As of this morning, there are 141 cases in the U.S. - which is 0.000047% of the U.S. population. You can keep up with the latest at this CDC website, or at the Mississippi State Department of Health website.

Just be mindful of where you cough or sneeze. Take plenty of Vitamin C.

AND WASH YOUR HANDS!!!

Oh, and I'm on a one-man crusade to support the pork industry. I'm going to show those pigs exactly what I think of them and their flu!!

No go wash those nasty hands.