My personal take on various subjects including but not limited to: current events, occultism / the paranormal, psychology, relationships, parenting, society, music, fitness, funny stuff and all the rest.
Hello! I've decided to come out of my prolonged hiatus to get real and drop a little knowledge about things concerning Clinton County Nursing Home. This is for all the RNs, LPNs and CNAs out there. (Stay tuned for a sneak peak of something cool I'd like to get off the ground.)
Bare with me. - the internet can handle my awesome personality for only 5 minutes at a time so if I seem rushed, that's why. And as always - Thanks for stopping by.
Why County?
If you become a new employee...
Usually I write about two or three different topics but this one is special because it concerns a place that's very much worked for me and I feel like it needs a healthy injection of good vibes. I love my co-workers and want to be helpful to those in need.
If you want something new and different come seeee us.
Hello! and once again thanks for checking this out. It's been some time since I've written anything. Or more realistically maybe it's just been some time since I've felt like putting anything out for people to see. Either or, here we both are.
Probably lost most of my "fan" base during the many months of being absent, and that's alright -but if you're coming back to read this - I truly think you are just so great.
One thing I can't stand lately is people who pull these cards out from their wallets to show you some symbol of their social status. This has happened to me more than once in my life and has been just as annoying each time.
One day back when I was working as a Cashier this one customer overheard me voicing my opinion about the government bailing out banks. (During the time it was big news.)
"You see this, son?" the man said to me as he pulled out a crusty, half legible card from his wallet. "This means I'm a federal employee. Before just spouting off some idea about what you wish the government would do or not do, take a minute to think first." I was stunned.
"Heh heh..., errmm, wow looks like you're the real deal." I said to this guy. - and Sure he was. At that moment he was the most official of all the official government jobs they give to the most official people in the US.
Another time, I accidently rear-ended a guy. (which sucks I know, and believe me I realize it was my fault - but..) After we both pulled to the side of the road he got out and started directing me on what I should be doing.
"Ok, I want you and the passenger to exit the vehicle and sit down on the curb over there. We're going to have to report this accident."
I got out of my car, looked at both of our vehicles and I shit you not - there wasn't even a scuff on either car. I said to him, "Hey! It doesn't look like there's any real damage here, are we sure we want to get the cops involved?"
This must have set him off because at that point he reached for his wallet. And for the second time in my life, a cruddy, illegible, more than likely awful smelling card was presented to me in a manner as if it were some lost documents to the Kennedy assassination. "Look at this. You know what this is!?"
I had no idea. To be perfectly honest. I couldn't have told the difference between his priceless credential and a losing lottery ticket picked up from the side of the street. I did, however, see an Underlined Title and what appeared to be a handwritten signature.
What was actually displayed on the card may have made some real sense to someone at some point, long ago, but all I could make out of it was "Association of the Local Commerce" - of something only God knows what. Signed. - "Fredrick Alberts."
Once again. To my pure astonishment.
I thought to myself, "Well shit. You're Fred Alberts! THE Fred Alberts? Noooo. C'mon - Old Freddie Alberts from buttfuck wherever!? Who would've known."
Thankfully the policeman who showed up was more than reasonable about things and nothing punitive was ever done. For that I'm grateful. Grateful to not have gotten in any trouble, but also grateful for this funny story I get to tell.
Another thing I feel is incredibly ridiculous is when you're in line at a drive through window and some guy behind you honks his horn. I'll never understand this move. There's no clearer message in life that says to the world "Hello everyone - I'm a complete Asshole." It's hard to respond to something like that too - you can't go back, you can't even move forward. All you can do is wait for the line to move, glance in the mirror, and pretend you're on the guy's side. Having to mentally identify with some complete stranger. This is just what society is lacking right now.
I try my best to convey some helpful vibration, "For god sakes man, I understand.. It sucks to have to wait for anything. It sucks that the whole world isn't just lining up to make each one of us happy. You know, The president should do something about this sort of thing. After All - Our happy meals are on the line here!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These memes lately about how when you think or say something in real life and all of a sudden the internet puts ads up for it get under my skin. Like the internet is some big conspiracy and we're all just sheep waiting for the digital slaughter. Well News Flash - We all noticed that as soon as we got hooked up with smart phones and Netflix and all the other shit. The meme is a little late and furthermore, we're doing this all on our own free will! None of us gives Shit #1 if the internet knows we prefer this or that or whatever else. At the end of the day all of this is as simple as pressing the off button. Everyone thinks that if AI takes over It's all going to be this big nightmare. But I say Fuck that. They could just as easily be fun and charming! A benevolent species... "I know how you like everything, TJ, so I'm going to make that totally possible for you." (For a low monthly payment of course.) The saddest thing about it is that when the robots take over only the super rich are going to be able to afford top quality, Grade A, robot girlfriends. Sure they'll offer "more affordable" versions, but it just won't be the same...
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It's totally Valentine's Day today and it's just been one great big ball of weirdness. First of all - Why the eff was V-day SO SAD this year? I picked up on that even before the shooting in FLA. Let it be known my heart goes out to all the victims and their families... but God Almighty if we aren't approaching some MAJOR shit on a Universal level. "In the midst of Life, we are in Death." How shitty do things have to be where V-day now is like just another mass shooting...
I didn't have too much on the line this year myself. Well maybe I shouldn't say that.. There were a few moments I had this morning that were hard to get through. First of all let me say - I'm single and believe me, I have no trouble with that. But looking back and remembering good times with former GFs over my bowl of Honey Comb Cereal... It was tough. Not because of how things ended, how much time was wasted, or all the nasty fights or whatever. But because of the understanding that some of time, some of those experiences were good. Some were REALLY good. BUT - time just keeps passing, and life keeps on happening.
It's inevitable. We separate, come back, move on again, grow apart to pursue our dreams, meet someone new, old flames rekindle, new people drop out of thin air, sometimes we die (Shout out to Stacey, lol). It's a tough pill to swallow. It's the realization of knowing that all we really have is now and how it's so important that when the good times DO happen, we try our best to enjoy them.
Moving on, - I couldn't help but laugh today. While running my errands and carrying on with my normal routine I must have had 3 separate people ask me how my Valentine's day was going. This kind of thing is like chocolate covered strawberries for my ego, so I just want to acknowledge these very fine people: Thank you so much, guy who sold me a cherry coke at Target. My best wishes for you, PMLD cashier. And last but not least... E-trade online consultant - I'm going to miss you most of all.
My Valentine's day is going just fine. I hope yours is too. <3
Hey, guys! Thanks for once again checking out my side of the world! I truly appreciate it. I'm on vacation now so I have some extra time to tidy up my living space, work on various shortcomings, pull together some kind of tangible future (haha), and yes - complain about things.
This time I share my thoughts on aggressive salespeople and talk about Introversion and how It relates to Magical studies / Occultism. (from my perspective.)
I give you all the cool points in the world for checking this out - but remember everything I say or write is for entertainment purposes only.
"Never believe anything you publish. And never publish anything you believe."
Introversion and Magical Studies / Occultism often go hand in hand and it's a tough thing to deal with at times - Here are my thoughts on what happens, why it happens, and how to handle it.
The extent of my Memorial Day celebrating consisted of going to the grocery store for food - but that was mostly out of habit and societal pressure. The day itself had come and gone without any significant consequence and I found myself alone that night listening to music and thinking about the way my day went. Only very briefly remembering that it was memorial day and what that represents. I didn't feel any sense of TRUE gratitude until I was about to doze off...
As I drifted away I suddenly became aware of Dain Venne, whom I will explain shortly. Just after the recollection the thought came back to me of earlier in the grocery store while I was shopping.. "Everyone is here shopping, getting food, making plans, preparing for a feast and I don't know a single person who's actually given their life for this." How ironic, and truth be told, a little bit eerie.
Dain was a guy I knew briefly in my early 20s.. We had spent some time in the same region of NY before and we had the same Mexican History instructor during one of my brief in-periods at College. We made it through the semester together and got to know each other along the way.
From my perspective the most prominent thing I can remember about Dain is that he had a very real zest for getting involved in things. He was always the guy to speak his mind, put down his cards and show everyone what he had. I always admired that about him. Halfway through the semester it became known that he was on active duty.
After some homework assignments and a few tests later I got around to asking him about what made him join the service. He told me that after 9/11 he got pretty fired up. Basically got hit with the bug and enlisted to serve his country. This made sense to me and always seemed just a little bit cooler than going to college. In any case our paths crossed briefly but then separated. It wasn't until Nursing school for me that I had heard anything about him, and unfortunately the news wasn't good.
It had been about four years since I saw him, but it still put me back a bit to hear that Dain was Killed in Action. It was shocking and (in it's own way) carried a great sadness to me. He was truly a larger than life kind of person in my eyes - and fully unique - someone people could look toward... and someone who absolutely didn't deserve to have life cut short. Later on I heard there were anti-war protesters at his funeral. (This is something I'm not sure I'll ever understand - and in truth I'm not sure I even want to.)
I knew Dain for only about 4 months but it took much less than that for him to make a mark on my life. Believe me when I say this guy was cool. He was friendly, funny, smart, engaging and always brought life to the situation. A person you could look up to in the most real sense of the concept.
It's a tough situation, how the world is. The way we do things, the way we handle opposition... As I write the end of this, reflecting on my time with Dain, I offer my gratitude and appreciation for his sacrifice. To A good buddy from Mexican History and someone whom I believe to have found their true will - And for the countless amount of others who have been loved and lost during the course of their duty:
My dad was in the Air force so I grew up with a lot of the history channel, I've gotten more than an earful on the Kennedy assassination, and there were many war movies that got watched... Here are some thoughts on a couple of my favorites - WARNING - these clips contain spoilers and if you haven't seen them I would suggest not watching what I'm about to talk about. Hurt Locker, Patton and Saving Private Ryan.
The caduceus is an ancient symbol representing the balance between Universal Forces
This awesome blog server will not let me upload any more movies because I've apparently reached my limit. That's not going to stop me though from sharing my thoughts on this symbol, what I believe it represents, and how it can help you as a HEALTHCARE worker.
So we have a stave with wings protruding, a visible bulb on the very top, and two serpents intertwined around the stave. There are a lot of interpretations and different lineages that can explain the symbolism but I'm going to tell you about what I have learned and personally believe.
In it's simplest form this symbol represents duality in life. The stave represents equilibrium, the wings represent the celestial / (angelic?) / sovereign and higher power that governs over our lives. The bulb on the top represents the closed system / the ONE true singularity that is behind everything. The serpents represent the duality that is occurring in the world we find ourselves in. Serpents are also a symbol of wisdom...
We find ourselves in a world of duality / opposites - and in healthcare especially, there is a constant battle between what we can do to promote health / wellness, have a healing effect on people, promote the sanctity of life, etc and what we are powerless against (ie. death, sickness, other people's attitudes and wishes, disease process, etc.) The trick is to strive toward a place of balance between these two.
I think it's important to stress that neither side is any better or worse than the other, and both sides are actually quite essential for the ongoing forward movement through life that we enjoy so much. It's important to remember that although we do what we can, we can ONLY do the best we can - there are aspects and powers in life that are completely out of our control and it's okay to take some relief in that. Don't you feel a sense of relief when you realize that it's not YOUR job to control EVERYTHING? Simply put - do the best you can. All you need to do is all you're able to do. This can be very liberating.
No matter how advanced healthcare gets - it all comes down to this concept. All we can do (As outlined in the Doctor's Creed) - is Do No Harm, Prevent illness as best we can, and Promote wellness as best we can.
Sooooo...
Whenever you're having a bad day or are unsure about your place in Healthcare just go back to this symbol and remember what it means. I can tell you from personal experience that going back to this symbol has helped me many times in the past. I'm sure it can serve you as well.
"I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug." - One of my favorite parts of the Hippocratic Oath.
First of all it's nice to be back, writing, thinking, expressing and reigning it all in again! I had to take some time because of karma, some of my own issues, and God knows whatever else in this weird life I live. but... Thank you for your patience!
This is the clip where I present my new self, try to convey my personal experience with becoming a home owner, and give the many deserved thanks to the people who helped me along the way.
For the Esoteric portion it seems appropriate to talk a little about psychic vibration and the imprint we leave on our physical surroundings / the imprint our physical surroundings can leave on us.
This is for entertainment purposes only and mostly a matter of opinion:
So this kind of thing becomes important if you are moving around a lot - and in my case, I have been - but hopefully no more... for a good while at least.
As I reflect on years gone by, all the new life in town lately, all the hustling restaurants, and the changing of the seasons, I am saddened by the news of the death of John Fenimore - I did not know him personally, but feel like I knew him well enough. Life is funny like that.. sometimes I feel like I get to know people MORE after their passing than rather if they'd still be around here on earth... In any case let it be known that his passing hit me close to home in many ways, and my heart goes out to his family and his friends.
If there's anything that I truly can't get my head around, it's when people of such value and potential get their time cut so short. There's so much to do and so many people out there to have an impact on. You will be missed - Keeping you in my thoughts.
Hey, guys! I decided to write it down this time because for some reason or another I just can't gather the momentum to "voice" my way through another entry... Vocalization and writing are two pretty different things and after trying my hand at "v-loging" I feel that I probably shouldn't quit my day job haha... (which is writing.) - Anyway here goes - another entry / episode of TJ writes it down. Throwback to writing - I'll give you some personal Updates, Talk about a good way to size people up, and End by a tribute to Nerds...
This week has been interesting for me, lots of things going on. Full moon in pragmatic / practical Capricorn - which is USUALLY not my favorite sign... HOWEVER - Capricorns are known for keeping their sense of self and are NOTORIOUS for how much they can get done / how they can keep their nose to the grindstone. - Maintaining momentum and following through has never been my strong suit, but after this full moon I feel like things might just work out for me. Let this be a lesson - just because you don't agree or naturally align with some things, doesn't mean those things can't help you and provide some hidden insight to your life along the way. I feel like I had things all figured out - I knew exactly what I was doing, how I was going to do it, etc... and then life goes - "NOPE! - try this out instead, lets make this, this, and that fall completely through - so now you're feeling lost, just about so alone it's comical, regretful about all your life's choices and in total limbo. Let's see how this feels for a little bit... " Perhaps the ULTIMATE test is to have faith, and see what I'm made of. I talk the talk... but can I walk the walk? - In the words of my SOL instructor - "Tj, up until now you've been like a caterpillar, happily munching away at anything that would give you a moment's satisfaction. You're beginning to rise above this now, and sometimes growth is painful." I find this to be very true. More on this to come...
I will end with a brief approval and huge thumbs up to nerds. Specifically nerds who do the speed runs of my favorite video games. I'm not sure if it's alright to call them nerds. Sorry if it's not - but that's kind of how I've always taken the term. People who are borderline obsessed with something - more often than not only ONE thing, ie collecting, or video games, or music.. (hehe) or comic books, or what have you. Indoorsy types, people who understand technical things, people who excel at the obscure, people who are just really really really into something..
Anyway let me just say - I LOVE these men and women who do these speed runs. It's so cool and they do it so fast. I love it. I love how these are like full blown adults too. And they are so harmless, and nice and all about fun, raising money for charities and stuff. - AND they have like EVERY video game! Check it out!