I’ve been laughing, tee-hee’ing, and poking fun at Dr. Flea and all of you who had been hit by the last meme … I felt safe, secure, waaaaaaaaaay over here in little moofie land, thinking I was immune …

Well, dear Dr. IBear just tagged me … so that will teach me to sit in a corner and giggle at other people’s misfortunes! ;o)

Actually - it looks like a bit of fun … here goes …

4 jobs I have had in my life:

* Nurses’ Aid back before the days when you needed to be certified
* First lady gas jockey in Atlanta in the early 70’s during the gas crisis
* A pet store clerk - wanna buy a hamster?
* A religious retreat promoter

4 movies I could watch over and over:

* The Stand
* Lord of the Rings (all of them!)
* Independence Day
* Deep Impact

4 Websites I visit regularly

* DeVry U classrooms … *blink*
* Fox News
* Google … and more google … and yet more google …
* A whole load of science sites …

4 of my favorite foods

* Fettucini Alfredo
* Fettucini Carbonera
* Almost any finger food at a Chinese Buffet
* If Dr. IBear can say beer, I can say GRATEFUL DEADS!!! :D

4 places I would rather be right now

* Wilson Lake in Acton, Maine
* Atlanta, GA (or really anyplace warmer than Maine … it’s snowing right now! )
* Netanya
* Sleeping on my nice warm water bed … zzzzzzzzzz

4 Most wonderful places I have been

* Israel
* England
* Ireland
* Georgia

4 books I could read over and over

* Almost anything by Orson Scott Card
* Poem of the Man-God Quintology
* Selected novels by Roger Zelazny
* Stephen Donaldson’s “Thomas Covenant” series

4 songs I could listen to everyday

* Anything at all by John Michael Talbot
* Anything by Michael Card
* Moody Blues
* Pink Floyd

4 reasons I blog

* That “connected” feeling … being part of something larger and greater.
* A chance to have my say in whatever matters interest me - and actually be heard
* The community spirit
* Because I’m blog-addicted!

4 people to tag

* 1. Dr. Cat Scan Man *poke poke!*
* 2. Dr. Bob
* 3. Fugger Nutter
* 4. Pattie (Domesticator)
* 4. i want to throw one at Sarah-Jean too!
(Sarah once told me that Moofie doesn’t count … and I wanted to prove her right!)

Tag y’all! Yer it! :o)

Grand Rounds are up at UroStream. Keagirl did a fantastic job with her unnusual, clever layout:

I have decided to organize this into a very familiar form for most of us in the health care professionals: The History and Physical Exam:

CC (Chief Complaint): I have a “winky” problem“.

HPI (History of Present Illness):

Mr. G. Rounds is a 52 yo man who presened to the Emergency Room a few days ago after a MVA (motor vehicle accident). His teenage daughter was the driver who fell asleep at the wheel when he hit a tree. The patient was the restrained passenger, and though the car did not have an airbag, he suffered just minor injuries because of his beer belly. …

Lots of great bloggers this time! Don’t miss it!

He was a quiet sort, sat by himself while his wife socialized, always seemed to be smiling. Whenever I would look over, and our eyes would meet, I was always taken aback by the gentleness and warmth I saw in them. Bruce was a quiet, smiling engima at each of our Sunday morning coffee hours after church.

That was just about two years ago … during a time when I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. I had recently been diagnosed with kidney failure, severe hyptertension that the physicians just couldn’t seem to control, and I had just developed a renal blockage, which had me facing heaven knows what surgeries and procedures over the coming months. I had had a string of TIA’s which had left me frightened and confused … and I truly felt as if my life was over. No one ever heard me complain, but I was a frightened, hurting puppy on the inside.

One Sunday morning, Bruce came and sat at the same table after church. I could see that he had some motor difficulty, and I thought that he had perhaps had a stroke at some time in the past. I realized that I’d never heard him speak … and was looking forward to getting to know the man behind the gentle demeanor …

… I was not prepared for the lesson Bruce had for me …

Bruce quietly began to tell me about himself … he hadn’t had a stroke - he had Parkinsons. This sweet fellow, always smiling, always peaceful seeming, had a degenerative disease which was going to eat away at his ability to take care of himself … with no hope of improvement or cure … for the rest of his life! And yet, there he sat - sipping his coffee, giving me a very badly needed lesson … making me realize that no matter how sorry I felt for myself, he had far more reason to wallow in self-pity than I did, and was doing far less of it than I was …

I wanted to understand what exactly caused him to be so peaceful in view of his Parkinsons. I questioned him closely, wanting to find whatever it was he had, and make it my own …

Here is part of what he told me:

[...] …my change of attitude all began with a chance remark as a group of us were marvelling at Lois’ everpresent saintly attitude despite losing both her legs to diabetes.

The group knows I am in early stages of Parkinson’s…with an attitude far less lofty than Lois’. I confessed to turning the air in my vicinity a deep blue more often than not as I cope with the loss of strength in my arms and dexterity in my hands, as well as other manifestations of the disability.

The profound ramifications of Ann’s chance remark: “But you do offer it up anyway, don’t you?” weren’t immediately obvious but, rather, came to me during one of my turning-the-air-blue sessions shortly thereafter.

I paused and it sunk in: with such a negative attitude on my part, “my” Parkinson’s wasn’t meriting anything for anybody. I realized that all my little aggravating moments/adjustments needed to be offered up. By so doing I could merit grace and offer it for…well, who really needs it? Of course!…that most neglected soul in Purgatory…that forgotten soul standing way at the end of the line of those approaching entry into Heaven.

So I raised my eyes upward, and in an audible voice said:

“OK, you guys, I’m about to get dressed here — lots of shirt buttons to button, trousers to pull up, a belt to thread through loops…bunches of little tasks that no longer come easy. Lots of grace to be merited here with the right attitude. So stand by, it’s coming your way.”

And that’s the way it goes now … whenever there is an instance of adjustment because my muscles just will not respond as they used to, I call to those souls to line up, and for the last one in the line to get ready to receive the grace merited through the proper attitude.

Is it just my imagination, or has life actually gotten a bit easier for the both of us (that soul and me) lately?

Dear Bruce … I’m sure it’s not your imagination …

A bit about Bruce … I haven’t seen him in a long, long time, and I was delighted and surprised to receive an email from him a few days ago. He told me that his friend (and former seminary/monastery classmate) Archbishop Sean O’Malley made cardinal, and that he and his wife are leaving for Rome this week, and will be there over Easter. Wish I could fit myself into that suitcase! ;o)

Bruce may be familiar to some of you … he’s the Bruce Gallagher from Image International. He no longer travels across the world doing image consulting because of his illness, but he still sees customers at his place in Dover, NH: ManStyle. I think I would go as much to imbibe some of his wisdom as I would to benefit from his talents.

Thanks for being a part of my life, Bruce!

Michael C. Hebert, MD - Journal - A Scalpel and a Prayer

“We are having trouble getting prayer consultants. The surgeon said he won’t operate until he gets one. Ever since that study came out showing that prayer decreases post-operative mortality by 39%, no surgeon will operate without the prescribed quantity of prayers.”

You’ve probably heard about the recent study - they believe that prayer not only doesn’t help the recovery of those who’ve had heart surgery, and in fact, in some cases, it seems to even make things worse!

Well, hand that piece of news to Dr. Hebert, give him some space to exercise his imagination … and what you’ll end up with is another wonderful, engaging, well written story!

This is a “must-read,” “don’t miss it” tale by someone whom I’m beginning to believe should have been a writer …

I am 6% Idiot.

I am not annoying at all. In fact most people come to me for advice. Of course they annoy the hell out of me. But what can I do? I am smarter than most people.

Take the
Idiot Test
@ FualiDotCom

Saw this cute little test on Respectful Insolence, and I just had to try it out. I’d hate to tell the poor man that I’m 5% less of an idiot that he is … *snicker* … he was 11%! ;o)