Vignettes From The Road Part III: Chicago WizardWorld

We got a good jump on the day with Breakfast at the Silver Stallion restaurant on Mannheim road. (Think "Dancing Zorba's" from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.) Julian, unused to being awake at the ungodly hour of 8:00 am, does his best to smile.

Here's the line to get into WizardWorld. Fanboys on Parade -- make of it what you will.

I attended the DC Panel "New Worlds Order". I asked if Chuck Dixon had anything in the pipeline -- Dan Didio said "Maybe." They showed trailers from the New Frontier (JLA) and Doomsday (Superman) animated videos coming out, which were excellent. Dc also has theatrical releases in production of Justice League and Watchmen, and the Flash movie is currently deciding on which Flash to use (Wally West seems to be the favorite of the crowd.) Vertigo also has several animated features in development, including Sandman.

From the Q&A:

Items listed as "Resting": Warlord and Aquaman ("Sleeping with the Fishes")

Items listed as "WTF???": War Comics from DC, audiobook versions of comics

Items listed as "Depends on the Sales . . . "' Ultimate Dark Victory,

Coming Soon: JLA/Hitman (2-part story)
All Star Wonder Woman ("As soon as we get enough issues in the can to release it")
Teen Titans "Games" Graphic Novel ("It's a long process -- George has been real busy on Brave & The Bold")

Also noted: Paul Levitz says "Kyle Rayner will not die -- but we will beat him up a lot." And something from James Robinson in the near future is a "definitely yes!". Also Firestorm Vs. Darkseid in JLA (he wasn't supposed to say that)

Almost immediately I found Todd Fox and J. Morgan Neal (yes, that's a "Jughead" beanie he's wearing . . . ) of "Aym Geronimo" autographing their Graphic novel. We confirmed plans for dinner tonight (8pm at the Ram Restaurant). Seen vaguely in the background shadows is Scott E. hileman, who says "Hang In There and Take Care!"

The DC Direct booth has lots of new statues. While the Legion of Super-Heroes has none apparent, the DC Direct guy told me "that's the questioln we've been answering all morning; and the answer is an unqualified 'YES!'". The Legion will have a full line of figures and variants of all versions of the Legion, if not from their licescee Mattel, then from DC Direct. Seen here is the 12" Green Arrow figure, complete with multiple interchangeable arrows and the legendary Boxing-Glove Arrow. Not pictured are the saliva stains on the carpet from Scott McCullar, noted Green Arrow afficianado.

Here's something you see a lot of at these kind of conventions; fanboys (and fangirls) dressing up. Here we have Batman and Superman fighting over Emma Frost of the X-Men. With that costume of hers, you can see why. She may win the "most photographed" award at the costume contest.

This is one of my favorites; a perfect (and I mean PERFECT) Batgirl costume, right down to the patent leather and spandex. Yvonne Craig's costume on TV was not this perfect.


And I suppose this was just a matter of time; the inevitable Mask kiosk has a sale on "The King" masks from the Burger King commercials -- only $40.00 each. Advertising becomes pop culture.

More later.

~~JD~~

Vignettes from the Road (Part II)

It started late today. We didn’t really get to bed until about 11:30 pm, between blog posting, cleaning up, and wrestling out the confusion with the desk clerk. So when the wake-up call came at 6:30, I just hung it up and slept for an hour more. We needed it.

However, there’s a few things about the St. Robert Missouri Days Inn that you should know, should you feel the desire to ever stay there:

1) They messed up our reservation – badly. Wrong address, wrong credit card, wrong discount (AAA) – we were lucky to get our room right.
2) The deadbolt in our room didn’t work. We put a chair against the door just for prudence’s sake.
3) Somebody threw up on one of the chairs in our room, which stained it. They tried really hard to get the stain out and failed. My feeling is, personally, if you’ve got a stained chair in your room, it needs to be replaced.
4) The complimentary breakfast is no compliment if it’s gone before you wake up.
5) The first sight that greets you when you walk into the office is a sign on the public restroom that says “Out Of Order.” It still wasn’t working when we left, which is too damned long.
6) That’s right next to the complimentary breakfast, by the way. Ewwwww.
7) And just to make it all surreal, a dwarf waited on us at checkout. I wouldn’t mention it except that after everything else was so wrong, this just capped it off nicely.

No, I DIDN’T take a picture.

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Waynesville, Missouri has changed a LOT since we lived here from 1989 to 1993. Exit 156 on I-44 (where we exited for downtown Waynesville and our house) used to have just houses, a Casey’s quick stop, and a Cinema 8 (which was built the year before we left.)

Now there’s entire mini-malls built around the site, which has revitalized Waynesville proper. St. Robert (a traditional strip town around a military base’s main gate) has also been revitalized and cleaned up. The third Wal-Mart in the town’s 20 year history has been built (a new Super-Wal-Mart this time) and moved the city center a mile north in the process.

We stopped by our old house and were sorely dis- appointed. The site was trashed, and in dire need of repair. Very sad.

And while Julian didn’t remember much of Waynesville, he had a memory flashback as we passed St. James Missouri just past Rolla. Ariane used to have two friends who spoiled Julian rotten as a baby. He remembered Terry used to live in St. James.

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One of the real historical treats of the expedition was finding an actual section of old Route 66 between Exit 163 and the Highway J exit between Rolla and St. Robert. This is actual, unrestored Route 66 here, in some disrepair but quite drivable. The 1920’s era construction techniques played havoc with my suspension, but it was well worth it.

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Lunch was fun – White Castle sliders. My wife thinks the frozen one you can get in the store are just the same, but Julian and I both think they’re better in their natural habitat – fresh steamed from the store.

The fries suck, though. Ick.

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Second major stop of the trip (after re-touring Waynesville) was the St. Louis Arch. I wanted to stop in the gift shop and get a little souvenir arch for my collection of souvenir landmarks (I have tiny copies of the Golden Gate Bridge, Sears Tower, World Trade Center, Eiffel Tower, Empire State, and such) and Julian wanted to go up in the Arch itself. But as we entered (and security was as tight as any airport when we entered – metal detectors and everything – I had to take off my belt to get through!) they announced that lift tickets were sold out through 5:30pm. (This is being announced at lunchtime.)


So while we didn’t get to go up, we did get some nifty souvenirs, some great photos, and a promise to go back on the way if we can.


Julian got to drive right after we picked up I-55 in Illinois and lost I-70 (those interchanges can be tricky business; and the last thing I wanted was having a teenaged driver panicking in downtown St. Louis – let alone East St. Louis.) The end result; he drove all the way across Illinois top-to-bottom! Did a great job, too.


Well, we made it to the Sofitel and after a bit of confusion (I turned the wrong way on Mannheim road and ended up in Schiller Park – wrong way!) we had dinner at Harry Caray’s and did a little recon for dinner tomorrow (The Ram: an Irish brewpub, which means Julian is driving home.)

More tomorrow.

~~JD~~

Friday's Feast (From On the Road in Missouri . . . )

Appetizer: What is your favorite kind of pie?

Pecan Pie, even though I'm diabetic and it's literally liquid death for me. Conversely, I can't stand "Chess Pie", even though it's Pecan Pie without the Peacans. Weird.

Soup: Name something that made you smile this week.

Driving down the road with my son on our cross-country trip, having a civil conversation. (See previous entry.)

Salad: What do you do to cool off when the weather is hot and humid?

If there's time, jump in the pool. It there's not, there's a lot to be said for ice-cold showers. I learned to love them as an adolescent. (A- Hem!)

Main Course: You receive $1,000 in the mail with a letter that says you can only use the money to redecorate one room in your home. Which room do you pick, and what do you buy to spruce it up?

The kitchen. My wife deserves it, and she and my son are both gourmet chefs in their spare time, so I will most decidedly benefit from it as well.

Dessert: Fill in the blank: My _________ says __________, but I __________.

(I love multiple desserts -- goes back to Thanksgivings at my Grandmother's house.)

My wife says I snore, but I think it's mutual.
My son says I'm a grump, but I will never let him know he's right.
My family says I'm difficult, but I just try to be fair and even-handed.
My God says He forgives me, but I know I'll never deserve His love.
My dog says "Woof", but I thin she sniffs her butt too much.

~~JD~~

Vignettes from the Road (Part I)

UPDATED!!! Now With Even MORE Photo-y Goodness!!!!

The Fuji Blimp, which entertained us over Norman Oklahoma. Julian's first blimp.



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It starts fairly predictably. Wednesday the night before we leave, and here’s Julian at 8:00 pm – “Oh, I just I have one more load of Delicates to Wash . . . “ Now, only My Son Julian has any “Delicates” to wash. (My clothing has two settings – lights and darks. Julian – he follows the clothing wash instruction tags religiously.

So, in other words, he’s not packed, and has no possibility of being packed until at least 10:pm. Our wake-up call is 4am, with departure at 5am to beat the Austin Rush hour traffic.

So it was just a complete surprise at 4am when he was already up, dressed, and ready to go by 5am. I swear, I was seriously contemplating leaving him home if he wasn’t ready.

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Pulling up to a Burger King, 5:53am to get some Road Food breakfast;

“Welcome to Burger King, can I take your Order?”

“Are you open for breakfast?”

(Slight Pause) “No sir, we don’t have breakfast until 6am.”

Julian and I look at each other and just laugh. We weren’t laughing ten minutes and three Burger Kings later.

McDonalds was just fine, Thank you very much. Haven’t had a Sausage McMuffin with egg in years.

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While we’re at McDonald’s I got my first Legion of Super Heroes action figure – Lightning Lad. (Our budget is so tight, it may be the only souvenir I get.) Pretty nice workmanship, nice detail. We stopped to deposit our debris in a garbage container. I pull up right next to one, but Julian sees the garbage can clear across the parking lot and makes a beeline for it.

This is how he earned his first Legionnaire nickname: “Incredibly Complicated Teenaged Sapien Lad.

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Driving down the road, about 6:45am. I see the morning star and point it out. “There’s Venus.”

“Where?”

“Right there.” (Points to the morning star, up and to the right.)

“Oh. (Pause.) “Where’s Earth?”

He says he was kidding.

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Have I ever mentioned the “Station Wagon Full of Nuns” theory? It’s a title taken from an old “All in the Family” episode where Archie Bunker hits a car and it was witnessed by a station wagon full of nuns. The punch line is “In a court of law, you can’t beat a station wagon full of nuns.”

My theory is this: If two cars are driving down the road the same direction at approximately the same speed, and one car is going 0.5 mph faster, that second car will automatically speed up. It doesn’t matter if the second car is a station wagon full of nuns with the Mother Superior herself driving, it’s an automatic human reflex.

We picked up a silver Chrysler “gangster-mobile” (I honestly don’t know what these things are called – Ariane calls them that, and they look like a ’34 Ford coupe) about the Nacogdoches exit of FM 1604 in San Antonio and that guy raced us all the way to the Central District of Austin.

Julian thinks that he was doing it on purpose. Man, you give them a driver's license, and suddenly he's a psychologist . . . .

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I’m blogging this section from the world-famous Blue Star Café, which I’ve blogged about before. I knew I was going to like this place when they had about a dozen different types of burgers (hamburgers, chesseburgers, baconburgers, mushroom burgers, and every combination thereof) as well as Chicken Fried Steak sandwiches As Rachel Ray says, “Yumm-O!”

The people are friendly, the cooking is down-home and reasonably priced (Julian & I ate well for under $20.00), and they bring your food right to the table. Plus the Ice Tea is the best I’ve ever had – not too sweet, just right.

And two TVs to watch whilst you eat – just like home! I’m watching Paul Schaffer humiliate himself on Jeopardy as I write.

Mention Texas Fred as you leave and watch their faces light up.

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Interesting fact from Oklahoma; the Indian nations issue their own license plates! This (very blurry) example is from the Cherokee Nation.


And here's one from the Muscogee Nation.







Weird, but true.

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Got to the Missouri/ Oklahoma border about 3pm, and of course the place we had to stop was -- the Petro Truck Stop!

The WHERE!?!??

If you've ever seen the CMT reality series "Trick My Truck", you know it's a country version of MTV's "Pimp My Ride" or ABC TVs "Extreme home Makeover." They take a deserving trucker down on his luck and completely overhaul his truck complete with custom paint, interior, and pretty much make it a new truck.

The character of "CB" is my favorite, because they always send him down to the Petro to lie in wait for the unsuspecting trucker. I believe this is because CB knows these guys are NUTS, and can't wait to get out of the shop for a sanity break.

So we cruised the Petro, and no sign of CB. Got pictures of us there, though.

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Into St. Robert MO at 10pm, and Julian wants to check his e-mail, so I'd better go. More tomorrow.

~~JD~~

And . . . They're Off!

(Phew!) 68 hours of work last week, and 24 hours in 2 days this week. Finally, I got a breather. And It's Official -- we're off.

Julian and I are leaving on our Road Trip tomorrow morning, 5am (to avoid the rush-hour traffic in Austin, which is brutal.) Stops along the way include the Blue Star Cafe, which I've blogged about previously HERE.

Everthing else TBD. We havea plan, but it's subject to change. Right now he's being a pain -- I'm not sure a road trip of a week is a good idea, or that we'll last that long.

I'll be pseudo-live-blogging the trip as we go from the laptop and posting whenver we get to an internet connection. Stop By and watch the, uh . . . fun!

~~JD~~

The Way Of The Beaver

It's very possible I'm so tired from working straight through Tuesday that my sense of humor is missing this..


But I sincerely doubt it. I've laughed out loud at funerals before. I can be a pretty amusing guy at times.

These images are from one of the facilities I've worked at, and I think they illustrate the complete disconnect between the management and staff. This is why this facility is currently run on 75% agency nurses (because so many nurses, aides, and others have become fed up with the patronization, the incompetence, and the utter absurdity of this place.

No offense, of course. I mean that in the most professional way possible . . .

This first poster (one in a series of three; and part of an hour-long orientation of corporate Mission Statements.

What that Mission is, I still don't know. But it reads like Summer Camp at the YMCA.

The theme of this poster seems to be Less Autocratic Direction, More individual Freedom -- which is right in line with the Liberal-Speak that permeates Nursing today. Sort of a "Do Your Own Thing" for the new millennium. What it has resulted in (at this particular facility) is massive resignations, confusion of authority, and miserable working conditions.


And this silly new-age mantra about "developing new habits makes no sense to me at all. It's kind of like saying "don't step on that bug, but make sure you squash it." Huh???



This third one contradicts the first poster, in saying that "we all need a game plan" -- but the first poster said to "Do your own thing."


Finally, the last is a card that must be worn behind the name badges at all times, signally successful completion of the orientation course. The item about "clearly marked territory" is unintentionally hilarious (I have visions of beavers peeing all over the Nursing Unit.) Plus doesn't "clearly marked territories" kind of negate the whole teamwork concept? Plus what, exactly, does "Able But Challenged" mean? It sounds like a Special Education class to me.

And this place takes this seriously -- someone who does not wear this card on their badge can be sent home or suspended.

Another great place I'm never going to hire into. I think the funniest thing is that, in this place with a decidedly high female-to-male ratio, nobody has noticed the double entendre yet.

"Way of the Beaver", indeed. Heh.

~~JD~~

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I've been a bit absent this week. Like the previous week (where I began to wonder if I would ever work again), this one has been crammed head-to-toe with work opportunities. I worked three 12-hour shifts back-to-back at the skyscraper hospital, then started a week of straight midnights at the Rehab hospital I work for part-time. Tonight is my second straight midnight shift (both a time- and- a- half rates!); followed by tomorrow again, then two straight days of 16 hour shifts.

The Rehab hospital is still desperately short of staff, and it's only getting worse as time goes on. This is bad for the patients, but my dance card remains full, praise God.


That leads into the second thing. Julian & I are taking a road trip (no, that's not him in the second picture!-- name withheld to protect the innocent.) We're leaving the middle of next week, and we're hopeful we might even make it to the Chicagoland area briefly. We'll be blogging from the road with pictures, so you'll be kept informed.

And, as you may notice, the scanning project continues apace. From top to bottom, you see (1) me, in Belgium, circa 1987; (2) a Brenda's son in Germany, circa 1988, and (3) my grandmother, circa 1989 Christmas.

Finally, Ariane (my lovely and gracious wife) is having some challenges, both at her work as well as health-wise. If you're really interested e-mail me for details, but otherwise prayers are definitely in order for the next month or so -- especially the health stuff. When we know something definitive, I'll share.

~~JD~~

Friday's Feast!

Appetizer: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how polite are you?

You can't overestimate the effect being polite can have on a person. I try to be as polite as possible, although I've been known to be witheringly rude in reply to rude people. I'll say 7.5 here.

Soup: What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud?

Carlos Mencia. A lot of his stuff is way over the top lately, but his first season was incredibly funny.

Salad: Who is your favorite cartoon character?

My wife says I'm my own favorite cartoon character. Everything important I know in life I learned from Bugs Bunny.

Main Course: Tell about the funniest teacher you ever had.

His name was Dale Ciciora, and he taught History at Valparaiso High School in Valparaiso Indiana. He had us in gales of laughter most of the time (except tests, of course.) But like all good comedians, he seasoned the laughter with deep truths of life. I think mr. Ciciora was almost everyone's favorite teacher that way. I went back years later and told him so, and almost made him cry.

Dessert: Complete this sentence: I strongly believe that . . . .

I strongly believe that there is a God, and that he cares for me.

I strongly believe that President Bush means well, but is not hard enough on the people he entrusts wit positions of power.

I strongly believe that the moon was once made of Pistachio ice cream, but was stolen by aliens.

I strongly believe that there is no problem love cannot overcome.

I strongly believe that my grandchildren will walk and live on the Moon and Mars.

I strongly believe that squirrels are plotting the overthrow of mankind, but their mortal enemies, the raccoons, are styming their evil plots.

Thank God for raccoons!

~~JD~~

"Old-School" Nursing

I've been giving a lot of thought to the subject of Nursing and nurses in general this weekend. I dunno; something about working in three different facilities in three days (and having been canceled by almost as many in just as many days) gives you a nice broad perspective and ample opportunity to consider the differences in facilities.

Plus, I think I might be coming off as "Too Negative" to anyone who doesn't understand the standards I'm evaluating my experiences by. I don't want to sound like some kind of "Nursing curmudgeon" that complains about everything, either. I have some specific gripes about specific standards that are routinely ignored, compromised, or violated.

I've been a nurse since 1981 -- that's 26 years of experience last May. So by definition I'm an "old school"nurse -- been nursing since before Political Correctness and newspeak infiltrated the profession and made it murky.

Like everyone, old-school nurses have good traits as well as bad ones. First, the Bad Ones:

** Intolerant. Old-School Nurses are less caregivers and more the Authority Figures of their domains. Like Old-School Doctors, they are not used to lots of question, and jealously guard "The Way Things Have ALWAYS BEEN" and do not like or tolerate change in any form.

** Sexist. Nurses are Female. Nursing, as the name implies, began by women who wet-nursed infants and evolved into assisting doctors in their rounds. Men have no place in nursing, except as token expressions of our benevolence. As one of the RNs (and in Old-School nurse-speak, "RN" stands for Real Nurse), "I thought you were the Respiratory Therapist or the Radiologist." (Oh, well, THAT explains why she has been ignoring me all night . . . . )

** Rude. Nurses are Busy, and Nurses don't have time to be polite. Lives are at stake, so please get the hell out of my way.

** Authoritarian. Nurses are Authority Figures second only to Doctors themselves, and Doctors are second only to God Himself.

The Good traits of Nurses? Glad you asked . . . .

** Care Givers. Nurses care for the sick and dying when families are overburdened and overwhelmed. Nurses are there literally 24/7 to care for those too ill to do it themselves.

** Dedicated. This morning when it was time for me to leave, we found out the Unit Secretary had called in sick. One of our patients was going to be evac'ed out in an ambulance in a few minutes, so another nurse and I stayed to do the transfer paperwork -- off the clock. It was work that had to be done before the ambulance arrived, and Old School Nurses don't leave work for the next shift.

The newer nurses -- they ran off like bunnies.

** Providers of Information. The old "Health Teaching" of the 1980's has evolved into the "Teach - as - you - Go" of today. Nurses are no longer automaton pill pushers; they have to be able to tell you what each medication is; why you're taking it, and what possible side effects are to watch for.

** Accountability. Nurses, as I've frequently pointed out, are held to a literal Life-and-Death accountability of our actions. More, we have to document every single thing we do for every single patient, in detail, frequently in multiple places. And if the least, tiny little thing is incorrect, it's all my damned fault, and a sympathetic jury will probably award the aggrieved hangnail sufferer $12.8 Million.

~~JD~~

Texas Declares Drought Over; Texans respond with "Duuuuuh!!!

Well, it's official -- after record-setting rains this summer, The Texas drought is Officially Over:

For more than a decade Texas has been in a drought, but recent rains have dumped a surplus of water across the state. That led state Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon, who is also a professor at Texas A&M University to conclude Texas is officially out of the drought. According to Dr. Nielsen-Gammon, steady rainfall since last August has done away with drought conditions for much of the state.

Central Texas has had so much rain this summer, numerous rivers and lakes are still at or above flood level. Already this year, Waco’s had almost 41 inches of rain, the usual is just over 33.

Dr. Nielsen-Gammon said of the 22 key weather stations in Texas, five have already reached their annual average rainfall amounts, and 2007 is only halfway over. "It's unusual that we've had so much for so long. Often we'll have one or two weeks of the summer that are like this, but it's been week after week," Nielsen-Gammon said. However, he said if there's enough rain to say we're drought free that means there's enough water to cause problems.

In the Central Texas area, many farmers are struggling to salvage crops, like wheat and corn because the ground is too wet. Nielsen-Gammon said the only areas still below normal are in the northern Panhandle, far West Texas and along the eastern part of the state. However, most areas have had enough rain to tide them over until next year, and he said this wet trend is not over.

Meanwhile back in San Antone, The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) continues the Year-Round Drought restrictions we've had for years, even though the Edwards Aquifer is at record levels. Once agin the neo-conservationists get hold of a good thing and run it into the ground, refusing to see the reality around them.

Yeesh!

~~JD~~

Burning Fire in The Sky & Thousands of Pissed Off Mexicans

I worked a 12-hour at my art-deco skyscraper hospital today; and I'll probably do it again tomorrow. Sunday I have a double (16 hours) at another hospital; so posting may be light this weekend.

Two little vignettes to tide you over: The first is that the Burning Orb of Doom y'all call "the Sun" returned to the South Texas skies today, marking a five-week absence. I actually had to wear my sunglasses today -- first time since April. In related news, the drought is officially over in Texas. The state announced today that every single part of Texas has now received enough rain to last until (at least) late 2008, ending the 10-year drought in Texas. (In fact, parts of north Texas from Dallas to Sherman on the border officially have enough rain to last them until the early 31st Century.)

Secondly, San Antonio is full of thousands of pissed-off Mexicans this week. The last week of July is traditionally "Tax-Free Weekend", when taxes are removed from school items (including office furniture, backpacks, computers, and anything remotely related to schools or studying). Thousands of Mexican nationals flood San Antone to buy tax-free, even planning their vacations around Tax-Free Weekend.

Last year the Texas legislature passed a law to start school only after Labor Day (it had been steadily creeping nearer the 1st week of August for years.) As a result, they moved Tax-Free Weekend to two weeks before the start of school -- this being the middle of August.

Nobody told the Mexicans. So they're all in town, and all pissed-off that they have to pay taxes.

And why the heck should the Texas taxpayers spend money to let Mexicans know to plan their vacations two weeks later?

Lots of tempers flaring in San Antone this weekend. The Mexicans are mad; the shopkeepers are mad about lost sales; the Texans are mad that the Mexicans are so poorly mannered . . . I'm just keeping my head down and trying not to giggle too much. Como se siente?

~~JD~~

Friday's Feast!

Appetizer: Describe a toy you remember from your childhood.

Teddy Bar; a hand-me-down from my cousin Nancy. Still hav it 50 years later.

Soup: On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how observant are you?

SCARY observant -- like a graduate of the 'Batman School of Technology." I know when papers are disturbed on my desk.

Salad: Where would you rather be at this very moment?

St. Thomas, the U.S. Virgin Islands. I'd love to live there. They actually have two hospitals and three dialysis clinics there, so I could find work. Maybe someday.

Main Course: When was the last time you learned something new?

I use a PC. I learn something new every day. Plus I'm finishing my RN at school, so it's pretty much a daily thing.

Dessert: Fill in the blank: I have ____________ but I haven’t ____________.

I have saved a life, but I haven't flown on the Space Shuttle (yet.)

~~JD~~

Crisis on Infinite Earths; The Untold Chapters

The date was 1985; the place was DC Comics. DC had the largest comics library ever through the acquisition of several competitors (the Marvel Family, Charlton Comics, etc.) and for convenience's sake had constructed this elaborate series of "parallel Earths" where each set of heroes resided. Even the original versions of Superman, Batman, et al had their own "Earth-2" where they were grown, had children of their own, and had (mostly) retired.

Unfortunately, it was awkward as hell. It took me five minutes just to write the paragraph above on general sweep of the concept. Try explaining how Black Canary was actually originally from Earth-2 but had "emigrated" to Earth-1 while possessed by the spirit of her dead mother.

Just-too-Freaky!

The most-remembered (and most-parodied as well) cover of the CRISIS is #7's "Death of Supergirl".

However, most people don't recall that the CRISIS was industry wide, and many more comics were affected than just DC comics properties. The Comic Buyer's Guide did a series of cartoons by Johnny Lowe in the fall of 1985 that aptly illustrated the fring-effects of the CRISIS. Oft remembered (but rarely collected), these comics are cute, even priceless -- but worth the effort to scan them in for posterity.

So, without further ado . . . . (Click the comics for an enlarged view)





With Ziggy here, I think Lowe has completely captured the spirit of the character.



And The Far Side, as well (man, how I miss The Far Side!)





This Bloom County strip always cracks me up. Note the picture over the boy's bed of Christopher Reeve as Superman (whom I originally mistook for Jim Shooter, whom many blame for the "parallel worlds" concept):



This final comic shows the aforementioned Peanuts, Bloom County, Cathy, & Hagar the Horrible casts assembled together, along with Garfield, Shoe, (possibly) Krazy Kat, and the snake from B.C. in the penultimate scene -- which is itself a riff from a controversy of the day; how editors in newspapers were shrinking the size of comic strips. )Doonesbury was particularly loud on the subject -- even negotiating for his strips to stay the original size -- which is why Doonesbury to this day is 50% bigger than most comic strips in newspapers.)

And I don't know about you -- but that potential hook-up between Cathy and Steve Dallas just has "Rape Charges" written all over it . . . .



These next two appeared during CRISIS in Calvin and Hobbes by comics fan Bill Watterson. While they do not tie into the previous "Cross-Over" exactly, they do reflect nicely the zeitgeist of the times . . . .



Or, this:



And this actual "Far Side" appeared during the cross-over as well; showing an "alternate version" of Marvel Comics Thor:



Finally, these last two show some possible variants of DC's Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th Century. First, how Doctor Who REALLY got his start:



And finally, this one, where apparently one too many Earths got merged . . .



~~JD~~

Animals Begin Pairing Up; Underwater Film at Eleven

Why, Yes, it's been raining quite a bit lately. Why do you ask?

~~JD~~

"M.B.A." = Moronic Bastards Arguing

I wish there was a "Dilbert" for Nursing.

I don't think it's a problem confined specifically to Nursing, although being a Nurse, I see it almost every day in a Nursing context. For years I've thought that it's because Nurses are not given any kind of training in management of employees or business practices. While this is true, I don't think it's exclusive to Nursing, either. This from a recent column on the Website Save WRKO:

By contrast, in talk radio, executives who have never programmed a radio station, much less been behind the mic, are increasingly in charge of hiring and firing talk show hosts. These "suits" come from sales, FM music stations, television news, public radio outlets and even outside of broadcasting altogether.

Even worse, these managers won't even admit to the problem, which is why so many in the media are now bearish on radio broadcasting's future.

One of the commenters ("LOL") puts it even more succinctly:

Yup, the trend for a long time was to move from operations to management. The idea being you knew the core business. Now the trend is just be a manager, a la MBA schools. No specific skills needed; except how lie, cheat and blame others.


One of the places I've been working recently is a prime example. They hired a new CEO last year from a nursing background and put her in charge of this Orthopedic hospital. She has a Master's in nursing, but no administrative or management training. Since her hiring she has fired (or had quit) almost every single management person in the hospital. Most of those who have quit have cited her unreasonable demands and refusal to consider input from the floor nurses.

Power Trip. Head Rush. Megalomania.

The second case from another place I've recently worked is somewhat similar. (In fact, this was pretty much the case when I worked at Porter Memorial in Valparaiso.) This second place is what we call a Skilled Nursing Facility -- essentially a Nursing Home with Hospital Trappings. Created when the Medicare Reform Act began capping the amounts they would pay to hospitals for care of Medicare Patients, these turbocharged Nursing Homes were created to provide the same care for less money.

Unfortunately, this put what were colloquially termed "Nursing-Home Nurses" (i.e., Nurses with Nursing experience limited to Long-Term Care) making Nursing decisions for patients far outside their experience bases and scopes of practice. When they are constantly challenged and even reprimanded for their incompetence, they turn bitter, nasty, grossly unprofessional, and start to become a major reason these facilities lose "good nurses" with the skill sets necessary to work with these challenging patients. The image provided here is from a t-shirt company, which just goes to show how widespread these negative feelings have become in Nursing.

Nor is it a recent phenomenon. When I was a young student the phrase was "Nurses eat their young." There is one of these Skilled nursing Facilities where I've worked is infamous for the terrible treatment this supervisor heaps on them day after day. In fact, the last I heard a majority of the available LVNs and RNs have refused to work with this Supervisor. (I personally have had the wonderful experience of having her call me a "Dumb-Ass Agency Nurse," which she and another staff nurse found uproariously funny and alughed in my face about all night.)

Abusive. Insulting. Cruel.

These are the reasons, in my honest opinion, why we have a nursing shortage today. Between the incompetence of the management and the abusiveness of the supervisors, Nursing in many cases becomes a matter of "Survival of the Fittest," with those developing the thickest skin being able to stay on to slog through another day in Hell.

And they then become as abusive, insulting, cruel, and incompetent as their mentors -- and perpetuate the "Nurse Rachet" archetype.

Is there a solution? God, I hope so. I'll be damned if I know what it is.

~~JD~~

Friday's Feast

Appetizer: On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how much do enjoy watching sports on television?

It depends a LOT on the sport and the specific event. I have fond memories of watching the Chicago Cubs on WGN-TV (8), so that's something I can do anytime they're on and enjoy. Football, I like the playoffs (7) (or the Super Bowl - 6), and I like college ball (8) more than the Pros. Basketball -- I love those San Antonio Spurs anytime (8).

Soup: If you could completely memorize any one work of fiction, which one would you pick?

Fiction? Shakespeare's Hamlet. I memorized the soliloquy in high School. It's so beautiful and deep and depressing. I'm currently actually trying to memorize the books of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John from the Bible. It has more practical application for my life.

Salad: What is your favorite breakfast food?

Certainly not Salad; that's for sure. Does day-old cold pizza with ketchup count? No? Then probably cold Coco Crispies cereal with milk; with Toast and Jelly coming in a close second.

Main Course: Name something fun you can do for less than $10.00.

Buy a beer and watch the tourists go by on the Riverwalk. Ride the mini-locomotive at the San Antonio Zoo. Re-read a book I've already read. Watch a movie matinee. Memorize some Bible passages. Take a walk and watch the sunset. Pray.

Dessert: How long does it usually take you to fall asleep?

The one skill I learned in the Army and still use. If I'm not asleep in ten minutes, that's a LONG time for me. Once my head hits that pillow, I imagine I can feel the gentle roll of the earth beneath me towards the west and that's pretty much it -- out we go.

~~JD~~

Nursing Myths (Part I)

Nursing Myths. You've heard them; when some big-mouthed nurse spouts out something that everyone in the Nursing Station knows is false, but everyone's afraid to say anything about it for fear of losing their job?

It drives me nuts. It's the one thing about Nursing that makes me want to take up that fascinating new career in truck driving. Here's a few I've run across in the last month:

Black Ink is ONLY to be used on official documents.

Uhhmmm -- no, it's not. Here's why: the only official government standard for ink colors is defined by Medicare, which specifies "blue, black, or blue-black ink." Some hospitals have defined this down further to "black or blue-black ink," but Black Ink has never been defined as the ONLY ink acceptable for charting or documentation. Don't believe me? Go look at your own SOPs -- they probably say the exactly same thing.

Insulin must be refrigerated.

I've actually seen nurses go into a Tizzy when their refrigerators had to be cleaned because Insulin must be refrigerated. Check your Product Inserts that come with the medication: Insulin only needs to be refrigerated until opened. After it's open, it's good from between 28 and 30 days without refrigeration. And even if the insulin vial is unopened, it's still good as long as it doesn't get above room temperature until the expiration date on the label.


RNs are better than LVNs. This one is a particular favorite of mine. Case in point: one place I worked recently we had four LVNs, two RNs, and a physician on the floor when my patient started to complain of chest pain. The doctor ordered an EKG while everyone else stood around and looked at each other. Take a wild guess who (a) put o2 on the man, (b) gave him the Nitroglycerin under his tongue, elevated the head of his bed 45 degrees, and hooked him up to telemetry?

That would be me -- the LVN.

When the EKG was done I took it to the Charge nurse, who gave it to the doctor, who promptly said he didn't know what to make of it, and left the floor. The RNs put their heads together and hemmed and hawed about it but didn't see anything too bad about it. Guess who was the one who pointed out to the RNs that the man had (a) and inverted T wave, (b) prolonged QRS, and (c) a depressed ST segment -- all indicative of a current myocardial infarction (or "M.I." -- a Heart Attack) in progress?


That would be me -- the LVN.

So the Charge Nurse called the cardiologist, who promptly gave the order to transfer him to the ICU, give oxygen and Nitroglycerin, and start telemetry -- all of which I'd done a half-hour before. (Did I mention this was my first day at this facility -- everyone else there was either staff or had been there several times previous?)

So two days later when the Supervisor wanted to put me under contract with their facility, who was it that was signed up for long-term work at this facility? That would not be me -- the LVN with 26 years experience, a Bachelor's degree, and cardiac/ICU experience. No no, that would be fresh-out-of school Associate's Degree RN with less than a year's experience who stood around wondering what to do while my patient was having his M.I.

Why did they sign the brand-new RN instead of me? Because the Chief Nursing Officer of this facility is a moribund old-school nurse who "only wants RNs."

Which just goes to show that degrees don't give you brains, despite what the Wizard of Oz might say.

~~JD~~