Something quite interesting happened this week. The nurse I share an office with, the facility’s treatment nurse, took a few days off to be with her husband who is going through some tests and possibly surgery. Dee, a PRN (as needed) nurse, took her place for this week. This happens to be a nurse who was working at another facility with me about 10 years ago when I did an eight month stint as a CNA (certified nurse’s aide). I had already applied and had been accepted to nursing school for the fall of that year and I wanted to experience the environment for a variety of reasons. It just so happens I kept a poetry journal of the experiences and put a collection together which a few years latter won a monetary prize and publication. I dedicated the book to a nurse and an aide that I respected where I worked. When it was published I could only find the nurse and gave him a few extra copies. One of them wound up in Dee’s hand. (I would have given her one had I known where she was at the time). I did not know she had one. At some point in our conversation she mentioned having a little book from someone who had worked in a nursing home. She said it was really good but she didn’t remember who had written it. I told her I had written something similar and told her my pen name. She came back the next day with a dog eared copy. There is some indication that it is being passed around and read by the staff but I don’t know how many and I don’t want to know. Isn’t it funny how things come back to you?

On another interesting note, another internet radio station has picked up my Gypsy Art talk show. It’s out of the U.K.: TYNE FM at http://tynefm.com It’s a 24 hour streaming radio. So, I updated all my web sites, adding a live link to their site.

Downloads for my show have increased considerably over the past several weeks both in terms of numbers and countries. I’ve picked up listeners in Morocco, Kenya, Russia, Turkey, Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Qatar plus all over Western Europe and the US. Is this ham radio or what?

Monday, I understand we will all be given a turkey at work to take home for our Thanksgiving dinner. Since I knew I wouldn’t cook it or have anywhere to store it, etc. I’ve already found a home for it. Javier, the other unit manager who started the same time I did has a family and a few kids and loves meat products. We also help each other each week on “skin rounds” where we physical check our residents for any signs of breakdown so we can get treatment for them before they get bad. (Thankfully there are very few such problems in the whole facility).

Another tidbit: I’ve have a few new friends of the male variety. I’ve met a well respected and well published author who has been on the best seller list and was nominated for a Pulitzer prize. He has led an exciting life and has many wonderful stories to tell. I am very happy to know him. I’ll probably be mentioning more about him later. And, on second thought, I don’t feel like mentioning anybody else now. More tidbits later.