Growing up I didn't have the happiest of childhoods. My mother and I never seemed able to get along, and my brother was spoiled rotten. The bright spot in my life at the time was my grandmother. I loved her more than anyone, and the feeling was mutual. She gave me so much, including her name, Marjorie.
One thing Nana gave me was her time. She worked at the Augusta General Hospital as the head dietician, and every August she would take two weeks of vacation and I would come to stay with her. She would take me to the Capitol Building to see the museum and the state library. We would walk downtown and browse through the shops. She took me to Old Orchard Beach, Storyland, Santa's Village, and Six Gun City. Before I went home Nana would always bring me to the hospital kitchen to show me off. "Is this little Margie?" they'd say. "Hasn't she grown!"
If it wasn't for Nana, I wouldn't have had new clothes for school. She was a seamstress, and made me many outfits on her sewing machine. We would walk to the sewing store and I would pick out the fabric for each new outfit. She would make me pants, tops, skirts and dresses. Then we would go to Kmart to buy shoes and a few pairs of jeans. I couldn't wait to show off my new clothes at school!
Another thing Nana gave me was love. The look in her eyes when she saw me and the fierce bear hug she would give me meant so much. Whenever I had to leave her I would cry for hours. I dreamt of living with her so we would never be apart.
My Nana passed away a few years ago. I miss her terribly, but the memories of her and everything she gave me will stay with me forever.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Effect essay - redone
My youngest son, Jerry, can be the sweetest boy imaginable. However, he can be rotten in an instant, especially if he's overtired from a sleepover. He had two sleepovers in a row last weekend. This gave Paul and me a nice, quiet couple of days, but boy, did we pay a price for that later.
Jerry starts fighting with his brother on the ride home from his friend's house. Despite having two captain's chairs and a bench seat in the back of the van, he has to pick the chair PJ is sitting in. "PJ, it's my turn to sit where I want!", he yells, kicking his brother. The scuffle continues until Paul and I are both yelling and threatening to drop him off on the side of the road somewhere. "You both like PJ more than me!", he declares.
After we arrive home, Jerry spies a job application for Dunkin' Donuts on the counter. "That's not fair!", he shouts. "PJ's going to get rich, and he'll have more money than me!" I tell him that when he's older he can get a job, too, and get out of my hair. "PJ gets to do everything!", he grumbles, kicking a dog toy across the living room. He proceeds to look over PJ's shoulder while PJ is filling out the application. This, of course, causes another scuffle and screamfest, until I yell at them both to go outside and play. I can still hear the yelling, but it's now muted by the walls of the house.
After a movie, PJ and Paul drive to Dunkin' Donuts to submit his application. I'm preparing dinner, and I ask Jerry to wash a popcorn bowl while I'm cooking. "That's not my bowl! That's PJ's bowl! PJ doesn't have to do anything!", he hollers angrily. "Jerry!, I say. "I don't ask much of you, but if I ask you to wash a lousy popcorn bowl I expect you to do it! You have five minutes to wash it, or you won't go to basketball tryouts tomorrow." I set the timer. He stomps over to the sink, turns on the cold water, grabs the scrubber and starts spinning the bowl crazily around the sink, getting water everywhere. I give him a whack and send him to his room until dinner is ready.
After a good night's sleep, he'll become my cuddly Jear Bear again. He's such a sweet kid when he's well rested. I really don't know if the break from Jerry was worth the hell we went through when he came back home overtired. Maybe next time we'll give him a sedative when he gets home....
Jerry starts fighting with his brother on the ride home from his friend's house. Despite having two captain's chairs and a bench seat in the back of the van, he has to pick the chair PJ is sitting in. "PJ, it's my turn to sit where I want!", he yells, kicking his brother. The scuffle continues until Paul and I are both yelling and threatening to drop him off on the side of the road somewhere. "You both like PJ more than me!", he declares.
After we arrive home, Jerry spies a job application for Dunkin' Donuts on the counter. "That's not fair!", he shouts. "PJ's going to get rich, and he'll have more money than me!" I tell him that when he's older he can get a job, too, and get out of my hair. "PJ gets to do everything!", he grumbles, kicking a dog toy across the living room. He proceeds to look over PJ's shoulder while PJ is filling out the application. This, of course, causes another scuffle and screamfest, until I yell at them both to go outside and play. I can still hear the yelling, but it's now muted by the walls of the house.
After a movie, PJ and Paul drive to Dunkin' Donuts to submit his application. I'm preparing dinner, and I ask Jerry to wash a popcorn bowl while I'm cooking. "That's not my bowl! That's PJ's bowl! PJ doesn't have to do anything!", he hollers angrily. "Jerry!, I say. "I don't ask much of you, but if I ask you to wash a lousy popcorn bowl I expect you to do it! You have five minutes to wash it, or you won't go to basketball tryouts tomorrow." I set the timer. He stomps over to the sink, turns on the cold water, grabs the scrubber and starts spinning the bowl crazily around the sink, getting water everywhere. I give him a whack and send him to his room until dinner is ready.
After a good night's sleep, he'll become my cuddly Jear Bear again. He's such a sweet kid when he's well rested. I really don't know if the break from Jerry was worth the hell we went through when he came back home overtired. Maybe next time we'll give him a sedative when he gets home....
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Division essay
With Halloween behind us, the holidays are quickly approaching. It will be Christmas before we know it! Before Christmas, of course, is Thanksgiving. I have hosted Thanksgiving dinner for fifteen Turners for the past ten years, and have discovered that there are three main parts to this holiday.
Thanksgiving would not be complete without family. In my case, the eleven other Turners that show up for dinner at my house. There is Ralph, Paula, and their two kids, Abby and Andrew. Abby and Andrew don't talk much, but everyone else more than makes up for their silence. Next is Edwina, our deceased great-aunt's sister-in-law. Every Thanksgiving someone drives from Bangor to Bucksport to pick her up, and then takes her home again. She will spend a lot of her visit complaining about how lonely she is, and how she never gets any visitors. When she is finished with that she will proceed to tell us many stories about her cat. Then we have Gram and Gramps T. They are very religious, so we can't have any alcohol at our family gatherings. Everyone has to watch what they say - Gram T. even thinks that "fart" is a swear word. Anthony and Carolyn have two kids, Morgan, 9, and Michael, 11. These two kids are wild - running around, screaming, antagonizing the cat, spanking my two kids, and pretty much bouncing off the walls. Then of course, there is myself, Paul, and our two boys, PJ and Jerry, who ask us every five minutes before people start showing up "When are they coming? Are they almost here? When are they gonna get here?"
Another important part of Thanksgiving is, of course, the food. I do most of the cooking, which includes a twenty pound turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, sweet potatoes, gravy, stuffing, squash, and turnip. Gram T. brings homemade rolls, pumpkin pie, strawberry pie, and apple pie. Carolyn brings pumpkin bread and salad. Paula brings homemade pecan pie and pearl onions. After the blessing, we dig in and barely make a dent in all the food, but that's ok - we all have containers for leftovers. Everything gets divvied up equally, and Edwina always goes home with a turkey leg.
The last very important part of Thanksgiving is the newspaper with the sales flyers for the next day. While dinner settles we excitedly look over the big day after Thanksgiving sales. I make my list for each store and map out our route for the next day. We figure out who is going to stand in line at Circuit City, who's going to Walmart first, and who is going to nab the deals at Target. If we plan things right, we can get out of one store just before the next one is opening.
Our Thanksgivings may be hectic and noisy, but they are always special. The food, the laughter, and the bargain hunting help make wonderful memories each and every year. As our family grows, Thanksgivings will get noisier and crazier. I can't wait!
Thanksgiving would not be complete without family. In my case, the eleven other Turners that show up for dinner at my house. There is Ralph, Paula, and their two kids, Abby and Andrew. Abby and Andrew don't talk much, but everyone else more than makes up for their silence. Next is Edwina, our deceased great-aunt's sister-in-law. Every Thanksgiving someone drives from Bangor to Bucksport to pick her up, and then takes her home again. She will spend a lot of her visit complaining about how lonely she is, and how she never gets any visitors. When she is finished with that she will proceed to tell us many stories about her cat. Then we have Gram and Gramps T. They are very religious, so we can't have any alcohol at our family gatherings. Everyone has to watch what they say - Gram T. even thinks that "fart" is a swear word. Anthony and Carolyn have two kids, Morgan, 9, and Michael, 11. These two kids are wild - running around, screaming, antagonizing the cat, spanking my two kids, and pretty much bouncing off the walls. Then of course, there is myself, Paul, and our two boys, PJ and Jerry, who ask us every five minutes before people start showing up "When are they coming? Are they almost here? When are they gonna get here?"
Another important part of Thanksgiving is, of course, the food. I do most of the cooking, which includes a twenty pound turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, peas, sweet potatoes, gravy, stuffing, squash, and turnip. Gram T. brings homemade rolls, pumpkin pie, strawberry pie, and apple pie. Carolyn brings pumpkin bread and salad. Paula brings homemade pecan pie and pearl onions. After the blessing, we dig in and barely make a dent in all the food, but that's ok - we all have containers for leftovers. Everything gets divvied up equally, and Edwina always goes home with a turkey leg.
The last very important part of Thanksgiving is the newspaper with the sales flyers for the next day. While dinner settles we excitedly look over the big day after Thanksgiving sales. I make my list for each store and map out our route for the next day. We figure out who is going to stand in line at Circuit City, who's going to Walmart first, and who is going to nab the deals at Target. If we plan things right, we can get out of one store just before the next one is opening.
Our Thanksgivings may be hectic and noisy, but they are always special. The food, the laughter, and the bargain hunting help make wonderful memories each and every year. As our family grows, Thanksgivings will get noisier and crazier. I can't wait!
Division intro
With Halloween behind us, the holidays are quickly approaching. It will be Christmas before we know it! Before Christmas, of course, is Thanksgiving. I have hosted Thanksgiving dinner for fifteen Turners for the past ten years, and have discovered that there are three main parts to this holiday.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Division essay - intro
In the nineteen years my husband and I have been together, we have met and socialized with many different people. We have continued some friendships and discontinued others due to a lack of common interests. Through the years I have discovered that couples, including us, can be divided into three groups.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Process essay
"Marj, can you order me an IV pump for 719? Thanks!", Jess, an RN, asks as she rushes by to check on another patient. Before I can call dispatch, the phone rings. "Grant 7, this is Marj." "Hi!" a voice on the line says. "My friend is having a baby. How is she doing?" I transfer the voice to the labor room. I pick up the phone to call dispatch, and the nurse call goes off, room 711. I hang up the phone, and answer the nurse call phone. "Can I help you?" The patient in room 711 asks for pain meds, so I track down her nurse and pass on the message. I finally call dispatch, order the pump, and attempt to enter doctor's medication orders into the computer. And so begins another day as unit secretary on Grant 7.
7:00 am
A new patient has come over from the labor room. The nurse hands me the chart to enter her postpartum orders into the computer. As I start entering her medication into the computer, Jackie, an RN, walks up to me. "Marj, the printer won't work. Could you come and take a look at it?" I follow her to the back room, open the paper tray to the printer, and discover that it's out of paper. As I'm adding paper, I hear the phone ring up front. I hurry to answer it. "Grant 7, this is Marj." "Hi Marj, this is Kellie. Can you order one of my patients some pancakes?" I look at the caller ID. She's calling me from the room behind me. "Sure Kellie. As soon as I get this patient's orders in." I hang up the phone and work on entering the orders. I'm almost finished when the baby alarm goes off. I check the baby monitor and send a nurse to check the baby's electronic band. The phone rings - it's security asking if everything is OK. The baby is fine - just another safe-place malfunction, but better safe than sorry. I cancel the alarm, finish entering the postpartum's orders, and order Kellie's patient some pancakes. I glance at the clock and realize that an hour has gone by already. I get up from my desk and hurry to the kitchen to get some coffee. As soon as I reach the coffeemaker, I hear the nurse call system going off. I grab some coffee and run back to my desk, answer the call, and then hunt for the nurse to give her the message. By the time I get back to my desk, the phone is ringing and my coffee is cold.
12:00 pm
The recovery room calls. "Hey Marj, it's Linda. We'll be bringing that hysterectomy out in 15 minutes. Where is she going?" I check my list. "Put her in 700A - Kellie will be her nurse. See you in 15!" I hang up the phone and hunt for Kellie. "Kellie, 700A in 15!" After 700A's arrival Linda gives me her chart. Oh, great! Dr. G's patient. His orders are always a pain in the ass to enter, as he varies the medication from the order sets in the computer. All the meds he ordered will have to be entered separately. I stare at the chart and try to decipher his horrible penmanship. Is that phenergan? Is that a 2 or a 7? What kind of a test is that? The phone rings. "Hi. May I speak with Jane Doe?" I look at my patient list. "Is Jane having a baby, or has she already had one?" The voice sighs loudly. "No, she had the baby last week, and the baby had to stay. She's there visiting him." I transfer her to pediatrics. I'm now one half of the way through Dr. G's orders for his hysterectomy patient. Jackie drops off a food order for me to enter. "When you have time, Marj, I'd really appreciate it!" Nurse call goes off for three patients. I answer each call and track down their nurses. I walk back to my computer and discover that it has booted me out of the system, and I will have to re-enter Dr. G's orders.
5:00pm
Right on schedule, nurse call goes off. "Can I help you?", I say. "Yes. I didn't like my supper. Could you order me something else?" I take her order and enter it into the computer as nurse call goes off again, three patients at the same time calling out. All want something different to eat, which I enter while answering phone calls and directing visitors to patient rooms. In the meantime, a new patient has come over from the labor room, along with another chart with medications to enter. I field five phone calls, transfer one to the lactation office, help three with locating patients, and transfer one to the charge nurse. Two nurses stop by and hand me charts of patients they have discharged. Lori from housekeeping walks up. "Marj, 712 and 715 have left. Could you discharge them from the computer so I can clean the rooms?" "Sure thing, Lori!", I say as I discharge the patients. It's almost 7:00 pm now, and I think I'm caught up until I look at the floor's inbox almost overflowing onto the floor. Thirty minutes later, the mail is delivered and I am eagerly awaiting my night replacement.
Unit secretaries are definitely underpaid at the hospital. It is amazing that they have so many simultaneous responsibilities while they are entering medication dosages into the computer. EMMC is trying to rectify this by requiring physicians to enter their own orders. Computerized Physician Order Entry, or CPOE, goes live November 1. It will be good for the secretaries, the hospital pharmacy, and especially the patients.
7:00 am
A new patient has come over from the labor room. The nurse hands me the chart to enter her postpartum orders into the computer. As I start entering her medication into the computer, Jackie, an RN, walks up to me. "Marj, the printer won't work. Could you come and take a look at it?" I follow her to the back room, open the paper tray to the printer, and discover that it's out of paper. As I'm adding paper, I hear the phone ring up front. I hurry to answer it. "Grant 7, this is Marj." "Hi Marj, this is Kellie. Can you order one of my patients some pancakes?" I look at the caller ID. She's calling me from the room behind me. "Sure Kellie. As soon as I get this patient's orders in." I hang up the phone and work on entering the orders. I'm almost finished when the baby alarm goes off. I check the baby monitor and send a nurse to check the baby's electronic band. The phone rings - it's security asking if everything is OK. The baby is fine - just another safe-place malfunction, but better safe than sorry. I cancel the alarm, finish entering the postpartum's orders, and order Kellie's patient some pancakes. I glance at the clock and realize that an hour has gone by already. I get up from my desk and hurry to the kitchen to get some coffee. As soon as I reach the coffeemaker, I hear the nurse call system going off. I grab some coffee and run back to my desk, answer the call, and then hunt for the nurse to give her the message. By the time I get back to my desk, the phone is ringing and my coffee is cold.
12:00 pm
The recovery room calls. "Hey Marj, it's Linda. We'll be bringing that hysterectomy out in 15 minutes. Where is she going?" I check my list. "Put her in 700A - Kellie will be her nurse. See you in 15!" I hang up the phone and hunt for Kellie. "Kellie, 700A in 15!" After 700A's arrival Linda gives me her chart. Oh, great! Dr. G's patient. His orders are always a pain in the ass to enter, as he varies the medication from the order sets in the computer. All the meds he ordered will have to be entered separately. I stare at the chart and try to decipher his horrible penmanship. Is that phenergan? Is that a 2 or a 7? What kind of a test is that? The phone rings. "Hi. May I speak with Jane Doe?" I look at my patient list. "Is Jane having a baby, or has she already had one?" The voice sighs loudly. "No, she had the baby last week, and the baby had to stay. She's there visiting him." I transfer her to pediatrics. I'm now one half of the way through Dr. G's orders for his hysterectomy patient. Jackie drops off a food order for me to enter. "When you have time, Marj, I'd really appreciate it!" Nurse call goes off for three patients. I answer each call and track down their nurses. I walk back to my computer and discover that it has booted me out of the system, and I will have to re-enter Dr. G's orders.
5:00pm
Right on schedule, nurse call goes off. "Can I help you?", I say. "Yes. I didn't like my supper. Could you order me something else?" I take her order and enter it into the computer as nurse call goes off again, three patients at the same time calling out. All want something different to eat, which I enter while answering phone calls and directing visitors to patient rooms. In the meantime, a new patient has come over from the labor room, along with another chart with medications to enter. I field five phone calls, transfer one to the lactation office, help three with locating patients, and transfer one to the charge nurse. Two nurses stop by and hand me charts of patients they have discharged. Lori from housekeeping walks up. "Marj, 712 and 715 have left. Could you discharge them from the computer so I can clean the rooms?" "Sure thing, Lori!", I say as I discharge the patients. It's almost 7:00 pm now, and I think I'm caught up until I look at the floor's inbox almost overflowing onto the floor. Thirty minutes later, the mail is delivered and I am eagerly awaiting my night replacement.
Unit secretaries are definitely underpaid at the hospital. It is amazing that they have so many simultaneous responsibilities while they are entering medication dosages into the computer. EMMC is trying to rectify this by requiring physicians to enter their own orders. Computerized Physician Order Entry, or CPOE, goes live November 1. It will be good for the secretaries, the hospital pharmacy, and especially the patients.
Intro - process essay
"Marj, can you order me an IV pump for 719? Thanks!", Jess, an RN, asks as she rushes by to check on another patient. Before I can call dispatch, the phone rings. "Grant 7, this is Marj." "Hi!" a voice on the line says. "My friend is having a baby. How is she doing?" I transfer the voice to the labor room. I pick up the phone to call dispatch, and the nurse call goes off, room 711. I hang up the phone, and answer the nurse call phone. "Can I help you?" The patient in room 711 asks for pain meds, so I track down her nurse and pass on the message. I finally call dispatch, order the pump, and attempt to enter doctor's medication orders into the computer. And so begins another day as unit secretary on Grant 7.
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