Smartest One

Why work for someone else if you can work for yourself? Some people are lucky and have the type of profession where they can be self employed. I work for a group of psychologists and that is one of the professions that can be independent. For some reason, no one in my group has tried that. These are young people who can start a private practice by just renting a desk in someone's office space. There is minimal overhead. Desk, phone, paper, file folders and a laptop computer. They have to carry the same malpractice insurance wherever the are. No one does it. I ask them why, but no one has a good answer. Last year we had a young woman work for us. She had been with us as a grad student intern and chose my office for her post doc externship. After a few weeks, she became disillusioned and opted out of her 4 year contract. She went on to become a full professor at a local college and called me a few weeks ago for advice about opening her own practice. Finally, someone is sensible. She became licensed as soon as it was allowable and is ready to go out on her own. I told her that I would guide her as to how to run her office and do the billing. She is the youngest of the doctors, but she is the smartest one.

4 out of 5

I placed an ad on Craigslist offering a part time job. It was for 2 evenings a week and Saturday morning. The hours and salary were clearly stated. I received almost twenty responses and called each person back. Five people returned my call. I went over the specifics of the job and asked if they would like to set up an interview. They all said yes, happily. I scheduled two interviews for Tuesday and three for Wednesday. Only one girl showed up. The other four never even had the consideration to call and cancel. I did not really care that they did not show, but I was annoyed that they did not cancel. The girl that did show was nice and smart and personable, so I hired her. If I were to do a statistical analysis of the event, it would show that 80% of Americans are inconsiderate and do not take employment serious. How sad.

Great Gatsby

Last night I went to the movies with friends. I do not go to the movies often, so I was glad to go. We saw The Great Gatsby. I remember reading the book many years ago and loved it. As we all know, the movie is never as good as the book because some visions in our minds play out better than visions on the screen. I liked the movie but I did not love it. The acting was good, the scenery was good, the music was entertaining but over all something was lacking. All night I though about it. Then it dawned on me. Many of the scenes were almost like caricatures. The colors were too bold. The music was too fast and loud and some parts were almost like 3D with objects and people flying towards you. I like realism. I do not like too much fanfare when it does not enhance a storyline. At times the movie seemed frenzied. I would have preferred a toned down version. I think I might rent the version with Robert Redford and see the difference.

Cinnamon

I have been having an ant problem. For the past two years as Spring approaches, the march of the ants begins. Hundreds of tiny baby ants begin to take over my kitchen. They walk all over the counter and get into any food that is left out. I have tried ant spray and ant traps and nothing has helped. One day, during one of my lectures, a student told the class that ants hate cinnamon. I had never heard this. She said that for some reason they have an aversion to it and they will let the nest know to steer clear of the area. I went home and poured some cinnamon into a dish and put it on the counter. Miraculously, the ants stopped coming out. It had been one month and not one ant has appeared. Sometimes the home remedies are the best ones.

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day. It is a beautiful day. Sunny, bright and cool. I thought it might be warm enough for the beach, but if it is cool here it must be cold at the shore. Every year my town has its annual parade. People walk for about a mile from the high school to the town square. The boy scouts walk, the girl scouts walk and most of the sports clubs walk. The baseball club has its own parade on their opening day, so they do not participate. The most special of the parade walkers are the war veterans. When I first started going to the parade, there were World War 2 veterans. I do not think they are still around since they would be in their 80's at least. There are the Korean War vets, the Jewish War vets and the Vietnam War vets. People always applaud loudest for them, as a way to show that they are appreciated. Unfortunately, no one applauded when they returned home originally. So, a happy and healthy day to all and enjoy whatever plans you have.

Sun-Day

This morning I woke up to a spotlight in my eyes. It was the bright sunshine coming through my bedroom window that placed itself directly on my eyes. As I opened my eyes, I heard the wind outside. Although it is almost summer, the weather has been strange. I had a spring time outfit planned for today, but I am now wearing winter clothes. At 10am I am off to Brooklyn to visit my parents. Even though it is only 30 miles away, it feels like a "getaway". The neighborhood they live in has turned more ethnic, specifically Chinese and Russian. You can purchase things there that you cannot find on Long Island. That is half the fun of going there. You never know what you will find. One thing that I am sure will be there are two loving parents. I am so very lucky, that at 57 years old, I can say that.

Un-Suitable

Today is the start of Memorial Day weekend. It is raining and feels like 30 degrees. It is the kick off of the summer season for all resort towns. This year people will not be in bathing suits. The weather feels more like they should be wearing snowsuits. Outdoor barbeques will be transformed into indoor get togethers. Hopefully by tomorrow the clouds will clear and the sun will shine.

Overly Protective

One of my friends has been having a problem with her Yahoo email account. It seems she put in a wrong password three times and the account has been blocked. As a safety measure, Yahoo has a security question that needs to be answered in order to regain access. She chose a random question and answer and never wrote it down. When she was prompted for the answer, she could not give it. Hence, no access. She called Yahoo and told them what happened and they said that without the answer she would lose the account. She screamed and yelled and got nowhere. They said they were only trying to protect her and if she had chosen not to take the security question seriously, there was nothing they could do.

Parting Ways

After much thought, I fired one of my evening receptionists. In the one month she worked for me, she managed to annoy every doctor, office person and a few patients. Years ago I hated to fire anyone. Now, I have no emotions when I do it. Business is business. I called her in the morning to say that things were not working out and I would have to let her go. She told me that she has never made a mistake and she is a good worker. I told her that the day before, she let 5 patients leave without asking for payment. It totaled $1881 in lost daily revenue. She said someone else did that. I said she signed her initials to the ledger. She said someone forged her initials. I said it was in her handwriting. She said she signed the initials because she was being bullied. I said the conversation was over. Her last statement to me was, "So, should I still come in on Thursday?" I said," Being fired means you no longer work here". If I did not have the conversation myself, I would never have believed it.

Great Expectations

It has been two months since my husband's car wound up in a ditch on the parkway. He has taken his time finding a replacement for it. I did not agree with his decision to purchase the first car and I am not thrilled with the decision about this one either. The car will be delivered to my driveway sometime between 11am and 1pm. It originated in Missouri and then made it's way to Chicago. From there is is making its way to Long Island. Normally, with most plans, Murphy's Law kicks in. In the case of my husband, even Murphy is too confused to intervene. There are explicit instructions for the day. If he is happy with the car, great. If he is not, he is to suck it up, slap a smile on his face and pretend he is.

He Is Home

As I predicted, my grandson came home late yesterday afternoon. He will now begin to adjust to home life like most babies, after over a month in the NICU. When my daughter in law first told me that he was going to be born in South Nassau Community Hospital, I thought that it was a small neighborhood hospital. I was so wrong. It is a state of the art facility. The maternity wing was so beautiful and modern with all private rooms. The nurses were so professional and caring. The doctors were compassionate and explained everything clearly. The staff at the NICU nurtured him as he grew and you could see their love of babies. The day he left a photographer took pictures of him and his parents that will be used for a brochure. They will now be the face of the Neonatal Unit of South Nassau Community Hospital. The hospital hand picked them for this honor. When he grows up, he can look at himself in those pictures and be able to see the faces of the professionals that helped him along in the first month of life.

Prophetic?

Last November, my daughter in law was a bit sad over a blood result that was not good. She was 2 months pregnant and scared. As it turned out, the result was a false positive but it took 5 days until she learned that. She sat in my kitchen crying that all she wanted was a healthy baby. I took my calendar off of my refrigerator and opened it to a random day. May 20th, today and marked it with a big smiley face. I said, "On this day you will be a very happy person". She smiled, as I reassured her. Today the baby is scheduled to come home, as long as he passes the "car seat test". It is strange that considering the baby was due June 15th , I put a big smiley face on May 20th. Either way, she is a happy person today, because he is a healthy baby boy.

The Cart Before The Horse

Today is my daughter in law's baby shower. It was planned since November and was to happen 1 month before the baby's birth. Instead it is happening one month after. We are all looking forward to the party as it has been a rough month. It has not been easy for her to visit the hospital everyday and then leave behind her son when it is time to go home. It has not been easy for my son to go to visit after work and stay there until 3am. They have been handling things so well and I am so proud of them. Today will be a time for celebration and happiness. The baby is now 5lbs2oz and is getting ready to come home. After today, he will have received all of the gifts that will make his homecoming easier.

Different Circumstances

My grandson is still in the NICU and he is doing great. He weighs over 5lbs and will be coming home very soon. His room is ready and waiting. He has become the favorite of the NICU nurses because he is so easy to take care of. He is never fussy and when he cries it means he is hungry. When they feed him, he looks around and "socializes". He went into NICU due to no fault of his own or his mother's. She did everything right during her pregnancy and watched her health more than most. Not all mother's do. The baby next to my grandson is detoxing. She is a beautiful little girl who was brought into the world addicted to drugs. That is so unfair. She had no say in her addiction, but she is the one who must live through withdrawal. It will take 5 - 7 days. After that Child Protective Services will decide if she goes home with her parents or if she goes to foster care. Two babies, side by side, under such different circumstances.

Stockpiling

After Hurricane Sandy, I promised myself that I would never again stockpile the food in my refrigerator. When the storm came, I found packages of frozen foods that had been dated more than a year before. I threw out food that I thought I would eat, but somehow never made it to my plate. After I purged out my freezer, I made a promise that I would only buy foods that I would eat that week and would not buy extras. I looked into my freezer this morning and saw that old habits never die. It was once again filled with foods that I intended to eat. After taking a close look, I do not even remember how some of the food got in there in the first place. I think that while I am in work, someone comes and puts strange foods in there. I decided I will cook all of the surplus this week and only eat what is there. I will try again to keep my promise and see how it works out in a few months.

Honeysuckle

Every year, I know that summer is approaching when I smell the honeysuckle plants. The border of my yard is surrounded by them and they have such a wonderful sweet smell. If you pluck a flower off of the bush and put it in your mouth, you can taste the sugary flavor. I guess that is what attracts the bees. I love the smell of honeysuckle, but only in its natural form. I do not like it in perfumes or lotions. When I smell it in the morning, it starts my day off right.

The Talk

Today, I will have to have "the talk" with one of my new workers. When I hired her she looked great "on paper". She had fourteen years experience as a medical office worker. Fourteen years working for the same doctor. After having her work for me for a month, I am wondering if she worked in a closet, locked away from all other human beings. Either that, or her co workers were deaf. She is distracting and annoying to my doctors and my other office staff. She comes in every day screaming that she is hungry and forgot her food, but does not want to order anything to be delivered. For the next five hours she complains of hunger. The other day she forgot her glasses. If a carpenter came to work without his hammer, he would have a hard time getting his job done. She is almost as needy as my patients and that is not good, considering I work for psychiatrists. So, today I will put her on notice. Shape up or ship out. I do not have the time nor the energy to coddle anyone that is not a blood relative.

Too Early

I got up at 5am this morning. I am taking friends to the airport, then going straight to work. It feels like winter again at this time. The seasons seem to be a bit confused. The other day I was wearing sleeveless and today I need a coat. I do not mind taking someone to the airport. Somehow, nobody seems to mind spending thousands of dollars on a vacation but spending $75 on a taxi ride to JFK is annoying.

Off She Goes

Nothing is more exciting than seeing a baby take her first steps. I saw my grand niece over the weekend and she just turned one. She has taken a few steps, here and there but she is not walking consistently. Her parents were away for the weekend and we had her all to ourselves. As much as we tried, she would not take more than four steps. When her parents came home she was so happy to see them. Each of them sat on the floor on the opposite end of the room and put her in the middle. All of a sudden she went running to her mother and then reversed and went running to her father. She walked the full length of the room each time. We were mesmerized by the "best show on earth".

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to everyone. Today, my family has 3 generations of mothers. It is a special day for us. My two daughter in law's are celebrating their first Mother's Day. One was an expected celebration, the other was not. Since my grandson was due June 15th, we expected  his first Mother's Day to be in 2014. We are so glad he bumped it up to 2013. He is growing by the minute and hopefully he will be at home by Father's Day. The nurses in NICU are getting attached to him as he is such a good boy. His Mother's Day gift will be to put on a few ounces today.

Tree Trimming

When I moved into my house 31 years ago, there were a lot of bushes around the perimeter. Most of them were unruly weed types. Some were flowers. We hired a nice man to remove the unsightly bushes. When he was all done we went outside to check. He not only removed all of the weeds, he also removed a beautiful lilac bush. I did not say anything because he was a nice man and did not charge a lot. For years I felt bad every Spring when other people's lilac bushes flowered. I could only faintly smell the beautiful scent of the flowers. This year, my neighbor's bush has gotten so big it overhangs my yard. I could smell the strong perfume again! I am heading outside with my scissors and cutting off a branch. I can't wait to have that scent in my house again.

Many Happy Returns

It has happened again. Another bad eBay purchase. Why do people think that what is advertised is reality? A picture says a thousand words, but an eBay picture says two words. Don't buy. Nothing is more aggravating than watching someone open a box and say, "That's not what it looked like in the picture". What did Barnum and Bailey say about a sucker being born every minute?

Like A Child

Shelby is not feeling well this morning. When his stomach gets upset it can take days to get him back on track. He needs to be treated special when he is feeling ill. This morning I made him a hot breakfast. At 6am I was cooking chicken and rice. The kitchen smelled wonderful, but this was the last thing I wanted to do before work. He is such a good dog so the extra effort is well worth it.

The Tone

You can tell so much from the tone of a person's voice. I was a bit unhappy yesterday because Shelby had been sick. You could hear it when I talked. He came home from the hospital and slept all day. He had been up all night and was exhausted. Seeing him lie there was upsetting, as he is normally a very active dog. He had a good night's sleep and is back to normal. This morning, when my sister called me to check in, I answered the phone saying, "Good Morninggggggggg". She laughed, and said that she knew things were good, just by the way I said hello.

Another Shrimp

Just throw another shrimp on the BBQ of my life. When is enough, enough? I never have a clear head. I just returned home from a wonderful vacation and in less than 12 hours there is turmoil in my life. Shelby was staying at the vet while we were away. He has stayed there for years without any problem. When we picked him up yesterday he seemed agitated. He was sick all night and at 1 am my husband brought him to the emergency animal hospital. He is on IV fluids and they are taking tests. He will be fine, but the initial bill for the stay is $926. The final bill is still unknown. Thankfully I had foresight and took out health insurance for him. Most people laughed at me when I told them, but now in my time of need I will be reimbursed 80%. I have not slept all night and am going to work on 1/2 power.

Lasting Smiles

Yesterday, I spent the entire day with family and friends at my son's house. I cherish this time because I only see my granddaughter every few months. She is an absolute joy to be around. She smiles all day. All you have to do is glance her way and she grins from ear to ear. She is very alert and soaks in her surroundings. I heard her giggle for the first time when I kissed her toes. She must have thought it was funny. My son and daughter in law say that she is like this every day. A content and happy little girl. What could be nicer?

Cinco De Mayo

Today is May 5th. Cinco De Mayo. My granddaughter's Christening. A day of celebration for my family. This will be the first Christening I will be attending, as I am Jewish. I will be proud to stand in the church as she is Baptized. I have my own personal beliefs when it comes to religion. I believe that there is only one God. The way we worship him is either inherited from our parents or the way we feel most comfortable showing our devotion. It is better to bring up a child in one parent's religion, than to bring them up without any affiliation. I never agreed with the theory of letting a child pick their religion when they are older. That would mean that they spend their childhood missing out spiritually. People may not agree with me, but I feel strongly about this. So today, God will look down on my beautiful granddaughter and bless her. What could be wrong about that?

Traveling

It is a beautiful morning and we are on our way to New England to see out granddaughter. Nothing is nicer than taking a long ride on a beautiful morning, especially when you know who awaits you at the destination. I haven't seen her in person since February and cannot wait to hold her. We have Skype visits, so I am hoping that we look familiar to her. This weekend I will have the pleasure of holding both my grandchildren. Last night I held the newborn in the NICU, for the first time. The nurse asked if I would like to hold him and I almost said no. He is so small and I was afraid. My heart said yes, before my mind said no. It was a joy to have him in my arms. He looks bigger in the isolette than he feels in your arms. His head is the size of an orange. He opened his eyes and looked at me as I held him. His eyes wandered around the room as people were speaking and I was amazed to see how tuned in he was to his little world. After about five minutes, I gave him back to the nurse to feed. As we left the hospital, we went by the nursery and looked at the full term babies through the glass. They looked humongous, like baby hulks. I guess my perspective has been totally thrown off.

Big Weekend

There are many things going on this weekend. Today is my anniversary. This is also the weekend that the Kentucky Derby runs and this year Cinco De Mayo falls out on Sunday. The best thing that is happening, is that I will be spending the weekend in New England visiting my children. They are having a party in honor of my granddaughter. This will be a much needed get away as there has been so much going on in the past few weeks. I feel like there is a cement brick weighing down my head. Part of the worrying is real and the other part is self inflicted. I was born a worrier. I am all packed and ready to go. The weather is going to be picture perfect. I hope time moves slowly as I want to enjoy every second of the next few days.

Sweet Pea

I visited my grandson at the hospital last night. I had not seen him in a few days and he looked wonderful. The tubes were out of him and my daughter in law was able to hold him for about an hour. I never took my eyes off of him and the time flew. The nurses in the NICU are wonderful. Each one is pleasant and soft spoken. When we sit there, it is quieter than a library. Very calm and relaxing. After an hour, the baby's hands got cold so he needed to be put back into the isolette. The nurse came and took him out of my daughter in laws arms and rested him back in his bed. As she put him down, she said, "See you later, Sweet Pea". Then she turned around and said,, "I call my little ones Sweet Pea. When they get bigger, I call them Buddy". It seemed so nice that she uses endearing names for the babies. I cannot wait until he becomes her Buddy.

Beige Sneakers

Old men wear beige sneakers. No one else buys them. For some reason if you look at an elderly man's feet, you will probably see beige sneakers. Look at all other men's feet and you will see that everyone else wears white or black. Younger men wear purple, green or orange. This fact holds true from state to state. I have seen it in New York. I have seen it in Florida. I have seen it in New Jersey. I cannot say whether or not this holds true for Europe. I would have to ask an international traveler. So for now, I can only confirm American men.