Recovery Part 14 - Happy Days are Here Again
Recovery Part 14 – Happy Days Are Here Again
Happy days are here again!
I went to the oncology clinic this morning for my routine dressing change. The change was routine; it should be after all. Changing consists of slowly taking off the old tape and cleaning my skin. Then, the nurse tests the PICC line to see if it is clear; she draws a little blood. Next, the nurse tapes everything up and covers the PICC line with a protective cover.
Simple.
Today, Nurse Myrna told me how to take a shower with a PICC line in my arm.
That was epic news.
I have to wrap my arm in saran wrap and tape over the potentially open ends to prevent any leaks. Myrna gave me a roll of waterproof tape so I won’t get any leaks.
I am so looking forward to a long, long, hot shower this weekend.
I also saw one of the Baby Blues today. I almost didn’t recognize Glenda because she had her mask off of her face.
This was great way to start the weekend.
El Gringo
I went to El Gringo for dinner on Thursday as usual. Merit the Server was there to greet me.
Merit introduced me to the new table busser, Isabel.
That gave me an opportunity to toss out one of my old word jokes from the early 1970s. I turned to Isabel and asked, “Is a bell necessary on a bicycle?” I think I got that from one of my ex-wife’s co-workers, Patti. Isabel laughed and giggled; Merit had a blank look on her face; perhaps she wasn’t paying any attention to me.
That, not paying attention to me, is easy to do. I sometimes see that in class.
Since I had a large lunch, I decided to get my dinner to go. That way, what I didn’t finish would ready to pop in the refrigerator. I ordered a chicken burrito; it came with some taco chips and salsa.
I was the only customer in El Gringo. It was early in the evening so I may have missed the crowds. I sat at a table and waited for my dinner while I talked to Merit. During out discussion, we came to the mutual conclusion that we both think Arnie Morton’s is the best place to go for great beef. I also learned that Merit used to be a waiter at McCormick & Schmick’s. I assumed that she worked at the one in El Segundo. I suppose that I should have asked which McCormick & Schmick’s location but that did not seem like really relevant or necessary information at the time.
I got home and ended up finishing the burrito. I really had no stomach for the taco chips. They just seemed to be too oily based on their smell.
The Shower
The shower was so wonderful today; I can’t describe how good it felt to have hot water pulsing down my chest and head and back for a change.
It also felt very good to be cleaner than I could get with a bath. Even in a bath, I had to be careful not to get the dressing wet. That limited what I could do with my right arm. Being right handed made things all that more difficult for me.
Doug did a good job of bandaging me up with saran wrap and the tape the nurse gave me. I think we put the saran wrap on a little too tight because I had trouble bending my arm. In any event, the wait and the inconvenience of not being able to bend my arm now seem all very inconsequential.
Doug
After I finished my shower, Doug and I talked about the next few visits to the oncology clinic and the testing schedules. Doug now skips the blood testing trips. This is an in and out procedure that is now almost routine with me.
We also firmed up the invite list for the Douglas Reinhardt Birthday Dinner, an event formerly knows as the Douguary Dinner. It looks like guest list includes all of the usual suspects and familiar faces.
Doug asked where I wanted to go for ice cream this coming week. He said that I ought to be over the cold sensitivity. I said that, right now, I was leaning towards Coldstone Creamery or Glacier Gelato. The weather forecasts are calling for temperatures to be in the 70s F – 20s C next week, perfect weather for ice cream or gelato.
My Friend Sandra
I had a surprise phone call from my friend Sandra. It took me completely by surprise. I think it has been a couple of years since we talked so I didn’t recognize her voice. She also has the same first name as my brother’s wife so when she said, “Sandra,” I was still in a daze.
Anyway. I recovered and we had a good long talk. A really good long talk for two hours. I hope Sandra will be able to cleverly explain that charge on the phone bill.
Sandra and I have been friends since I hired her in 1998 to work for an airline credit union where I was the Chief Operating Officer. We needed to hire a manager for the busiest office; that would be in Houston. I had made several trips to Houston to interview candidates and none were worth writing home about until I interviewed Sandra.
Sandra was the last candidate that I interviewed. I think our interview lasted a bit over ninety minutes. We only spend twenty minutes talking about her professional skills and job related tasks like that. Sandra knew that stuff cold.
We talked about movies and the cinema. We both love films. Sandra used to call me on Mondays when we worked together to see what films I had seen over the weekend. This was back when Doug and I used to send out a long email; we would use a blog today, called Doug and Chuck Go To The Movies where we played critics.
I used our interview in my Human Resources Management course as an example of how things don’t always follow the textbook. Some interviews can get off track quickly and can stay off track.
Hiring Sandra was one of the best hires that I have ever made, period.
I could always count on Sandra to come through when I needed her to complete the duties and jobs. One of the nice side benefits of working for the credit union was that she met her future husband while at work.
Nice fringe benefit for anyone.
Getting back to the call, Sandra wanted to know how I was doing and what was going on in my life. It was a great way for me to end the week. I probably could have talked for another hour but Doug showed up and then I checked my watch and could see it was close to dinner time in Houston.
Regrettably, I had to end the call. I told Sandra that I would call her next.
Faline Song
As a side note, Faline Song’s Weekend Bonus Feature ranked as the number three most popular blog page this weekend. That was a great show of support for Faline, I appreciate that. Here are some more Faline images.
Visitors
This was another good week for visitors. The month got off to a slow start and traffic volume is increasing. We should have another good month.
We had visitors from Thailand [2], Canada [15], Germany [11], Singapore [4], Italy [2], Texas [5], Malaysia [4], France [5], Romania [2], India [2], Slovakia, Japan [5], Korea, Indonesia, Philippines [2], Brazil, United Kingdom [4], Turkey [3], Hungary [2], Australia [4], Mexico [2], Argentina, Hong Kong, Switzerland [4], Puerto Rico [2], United Arab Emirates, Guam, Colombia, Sweden, Iran, Vietnam [2], Poland, Netherlands [2], Ireland, and Czech Republic.
This was the first time that we have had a visitor from Guam. Guam, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the island, is an unincorporated territory of the United States. It is a major Pacific military base and communications hub. The United States acquired Guam from Spain following the Spanish American War. The islanders enjoy a relatively good standard of living with an annual per capita income of over USD$15,000.
I have some fond memories of Guam. I landed at Anderson Air Force in 1967 when I was on my way to the Philippines to join the good ship Leonard F. Mason in Subic Bay. I can also remember having the Mason stop in Apra Harbor to take on fuel when we returned to Long beach from my first deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean during the Vietnam War.
We also had some visitors who stayed for a while at the blog during the week. We had one stay for 21 minutes, another for 17, one for 16, two for 13, one for 12, and one for 11 minutes.
I do appreciate all of you who take time from your busy days and stop by to visit the blog. Be sure to tell your friends about the blog if you enjoy it.
That was my weekend. I hope you had a great weekend.
Be well and stay happy.
Happy days are here again!
I went to the oncology clinic this morning for my routine dressing change. The change was routine; it should be after all. Changing consists of slowly taking off the old tape and cleaning my skin. Then, the nurse tests the PICC line to see if it is clear; she draws a little blood. Next, the nurse tapes everything up and covers the PICC line with a protective cover.
Simple.
Today, Nurse Myrna told me how to take a shower with a PICC line in my arm.
That was epic news.
I have to wrap my arm in saran wrap and tape over the potentially open ends to prevent any leaks. Myrna gave me a roll of waterproof tape so I won’t get any leaks.
I am so looking forward to a long, long, hot shower this weekend.
I also saw one of the Baby Blues today. I almost didn’t recognize Glenda because she had her mask off of her face.
This was great way to start the weekend.
El Gringo
I went to El Gringo for dinner on Thursday as usual. Merit the Server was there to greet me. Merit introduced me to the new table busser, Isabel.
That gave me an opportunity to toss out one of my old word jokes from the early 1970s. I turned to Isabel and asked, “Is a bell necessary on a bicycle?” I think I got that from one of my ex-wife’s co-workers, Patti. Isabel laughed and giggled; Merit had a blank look on her face; perhaps she wasn’t paying any attention to me.
That, not paying attention to me, is easy to do. I sometimes see that in class.
Since I had a large lunch, I decided to get my dinner to go. That way, what I didn’t finish would ready to pop in the refrigerator. I ordered a chicken burrito; it came with some taco chips and salsa.
I was the only customer in El Gringo. It was early in the evening so I may have missed the crowds. I sat at a table and waited for my dinner while I talked to Merit. During out discussion, we came to the mutual conclusion that we both think Arnie Morton’s is the best place to go for great beef. I also learned that Merit used to be a waiter at McCormick & Schmick’s. I assumed that she worked at the one in El Segundo. I suppose that I should have asked which McCormick & Schmick’s location but that did not seem like really relevant or necessary information at the time.
I got home and ended up finishing the burrito. I really had no stomach for the taco chips. They just seemed to be too oily based on their smell.
The Shower
The shower was so wonderful today; I can’t describe how good it felt to have hot water pulsing down my chest and head and back for a change.
It also felt very good to be cleaner than I could get with a bath. Even in a bath, I had to be careful not to get the dressing wet. That limited what I could do with my right arm. Being right handed made things all that more difficult for me.
Doug did a good job of bandaging me up with saran wrap and the tape the nurse gave me. I think we put the saran wrap on a little too tight because I had trouble bending my arm. In any event, the wait and the inconvenience of not being able to bend my arm now seem all very inconsequential.
Doug
After I finished my shower, Doug and I talked about the next few visits to the oncology clinic and the testing schedules. Doug now skips the blood testing trips. This is an in and out procedure that is now almost routine with me.
We also firmed up the invite list for the Douglas Reinhardt Birthday Dinner, an event formerly knows as the Douguary Dinner. It looks like guest list includes all of the usual suspects and familiar faces.
Doug asked where I wanted to go for ice cream this coming week. He said that I ought to be over the cold sensitivity. I said that, right now, I was leaning towards Coldstone Creamery or Glacier Gelato. The weather forecasts are calling for temperatures to be in the 70s F – 20s C next week, perfect weather for ice cream or gelato.
My Friend Sandra
I had a surprise phone call from my friend Sandra. It took me completely by surprise. I think it has been a couple of years since we talked so I didn’t recognize her voice. She also has the same first name as my brother’s wife so when she said, “Sandra,” I was still in a daze.
Anyway. I recovered and we had a good long talk. A really good long talk for two hours. I hope Sandra will be able to cleverly explain that charge on the phone bill.
Sandra and I have been friends since I hired her in 1998 to work for an airline credit union where I was the Chief Operating Officer. We needed to hire a manager for the busiest office; that would be in Houston. I had made several trips to Houston to interview candidates and none were worth writing home about until I interviewed Sandra.
Sandra was the last candidate that I interviewed. I think our interview lasted a bit over ninety minutes. We only spend twenty minutes talking about her professional skills and job related tasks like that. Sandra knew that stuff cold.
We talked about movies and the cinema. We both love films. Sandra used to call me on Mondays when we worked together to see what films I had seen over the weekend. This was back when Doug and I used to send out a long email; we would use a blog today, called Doug and Chuck Go To The Movies where we played critics.
I used our interview in my Human Resources Management course as an example of how things don’t always follow the textbook. Some interviews can get off track quickly and can stay off track.
Hiring Sandra was one of the best hires that I have ever made, period.
I could always count on Sandra to come through when I needed her to complete the duties and jobs. One of the nice side benefits of working for the credit union was that she met her future husband while at work.
Nice fringe benefit for anyone.
Getting back to the call, Sandra wanted to know how I was doing and what was going on in my life. It was a great way for me to end the week. I probably could have talked for another hour but Doug showed up and then I checked my watch and could see it was close to dinner time in Houston.
Regrettably, I had to end the call. I told Sandra that I would call her next.
Faline Song
As a side note, Faline Song’s Weekend Bonus Feature ranked as the number three most popular blog page this weekend. That was a great show of support for Faline, I appreciate that. Here are some more Faline images.
Visitors
This was another good week for visitors. The month got off to a slow start and traffic volume is increasing. We should have another good month.
We had visitors from Thailand [2], Canada [15], Germany [11], Singapore [4], Italy [2], Texas [5], Malaysia [4], France [5], Romania [2], India [2], Slovakia, Japan [5], Korea, Indonesia, Philippines [2], Brazil, United Kingdom [4], Turkey [3], Hungary [2], Australia [4], Mexico [2], Argentina, Hong Kong, Switzerland [4], Puerto Rico [2], United Arab Emirates, Guam, Colombia, Sweden, Iran, Vietnam [2], Poland, Netherlands [2], Ireland, and Czech Republic.
This was the first time that we have had a visitor from Guam. Guam, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the island, is an unincorporated territory of the United States. It is a major Pacific military base and communications hub. The United States acquired Guam from Spain following the Spanish American War. The islanders enjoy a relatively good standard of living with an annual per capita income of over USD$15,000.
I have some fond memories of Guam. I landed at Anderson Air Force in 1967 when I was on my way to the Philippines to join the good ship Leonard F. Mason in Subic Bay. I can also remember having the Mason stop in Apra Harbor to take on fuel when we returned to Long beach from my first deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean during the Vietnam War.
We also had some visitors who stayed for a while at the blog during the week. We had one stay for 21 minutes, another for 17, one for 16, two for 13, one for 12, and one for 11 minutes.
I do appreciate all of you who take time from your busy days and stop by to visit the blog. Be sure to tell your friends about the blog if you enjoy it.
That was my weekend. I hope you had a great weekend.
Be well and stay happy.
posted by Chuck Reinhardt at 2:58 PM
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