Tired, Tired and More Tired!!

Did I mention that I am very tired? Does the accompanying photo give a clue? I had made a deal with myself this morning, as I was dropping the child off at school I pledged, to myself, that I was coming right home and going BACK TO BED!!!!!! I walked in the door, went right upstairs, got into bed and pulled the covers over my head and ...... could not shut off my brain!! Do you think that I could get back to sleep? Not a chance. I was up there for an hour tossing and flailing around. Thinking about everything I want to get done today. Things for the weekend. You name it I was thinking about it. So the phone finally rang and I answered it and came downstairs, made some oatmeal and now I am poised at the keyboard with 3 newspapers that I have been saving to comment upon and much other misc that has been building up in my brain as I have not been able to blog since last weekend.

So, prepare yourself folks I think we are in for a vast post today. Liken it, if you will, to a blog with ADHD and no meds!!

Let's begin with someything a little more personal. The nice thing about havinga teen that is technologically savvy is that they can burn cd's for you in no time at all. I just carry a small pad of paper in the car and when I hear songs that I like I write them down and eventually give the list to the child and have him burn me out a new cd. I have to carry the pad because the station that I listen to is an alternative station and they do not always talk inbetween music and blab and tell you what you are hearing AND they also do not have a constant rotation, so you are almost always hearing new stuff.

It has been some time since I last had him burn me anything new, but for those of you that like to listen to new stuff, I thought that I would jot down a few of my new "heavy rotation" favs and see what you think, if you ever have a cjance to listen to a few of them. Here they are:

1. Hate Me/ Blue October
2. Snakes on a Plane/ Cobra Satrship
3. Lips of an Angel/ Hinder
4. Dark Blue/ Jack's Mannequin
5. Dani California/ Red Hot Chili Peppers
6. Liar/ Taking Back Sunday
7. I Hate Everything About You/ Three Days Grace


Now for an update on that Texas art teacher that took the kids to an art museum. You know the one where some goofy parents were upset that their 5th graders saw some nudity. I find it sad, but she and her school district have reached an agreement and she is out of her job. They are paying her the remainder of her salary, which they should, and she is agreeing not to say anything else about the principal or the school and they agree to put a letter of reccomendation in her file. The article ended with the principal saying that she did not feel that " time was used wisely" on this field trip. Well, let me tell you, as a teacher that has taken kids of middle school and high school on field trips, that it is VERY difficult to manage every second of the trip to ensure that every moment is a "teaching moment". I don't care how many adults are along there is no way to ensure that everyone is up to the task and making it a quality learning event. It is just how field trips are. I am sad that she had to lose her job. I am happy that I am not part of her school district. I took my students to the Cleveland Science Museum when Body Worlds was there. For those of you that may not have heard about Body Worlds, look it up, it was one VERY COOL exhibit. Although they were cadavers who had donated their bodies, after death, and it made for a great science learning trip. Since they were nude I proably would have lost my Texas teaching job. Things like that can not be learned in the classroom just looking at text books or films.

Then we must touch on Iraq in an article from New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. He talked to economists and public finance specialists. Looks like for every second we continue to stay in Iraq we taxpayers will end up spending and additional $6,300. I think I'll just send my check now.

His point, and I think it's a good one, that we are spending huge sums of money over there that could be better spent helping out the American health care system, developing alternative forms of energy and making a serious effort to reduce global poverty. Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel prize winning economist at Columbia and Linda Bilmes, a public-finance specialist at Harvard have worked together on a new study that for the Milken Institue Review. It states that the total costs of the war, including the budgetary, social and macroeconomic costs are likely to exceed $2 trillion.

The article then went on to put that number into prospective. It is 4 times the additional cost needed to provide health insurance for all uninsured Americans for the next decade. It is 1,600 times Bush's financing for his hydrogen energy project.

If you are one of those people that like to tinker on web sites there is another study that puts the dollar amount a bit lower, at $1 trillion. They are economists at the conservativeAmerican Enterprise Institute and they have set up a web site where you can play with figures on your own. It is www.aei-brookings.org/iraqcosts

Of course many of the costs of this war are hidden and haven't been spent yet. More than 3,000 American vets have suffered severe head injuries and the gov't will have to pay for them for decades. The sad cost of that could range from $600,000 to $5 million per person.

Sad, sad figures in a continually sad situation indeed.

With the number of uninsured Americans reaching a record 46.6 million last year, up by 7 million from the year 2000 it was great to read that there are a few hospitals that are taking a proactive stance to help those who are in most need!! It seems that a few hospitals have finally realized that if they work to help people before their illnesses get so out of hand that they are not constantly using the emergency rooms as a last resort.

People without insurance, and who have dieases like asthma, diabetes and have no health care are often left to use over the counter meds until their illness gets out of control and then the only option is to go to the emergency room which they cannot afford and does not get paid.

In some Denver, Texas and New York some of the hospitals are using funding to get aptients into programs that will help to control their medical conditions so that they might be less likely to be frequent clients. They are opening clinics to help meet the needs of the growing number of uninsured. Care is being donated by the hospitals. One hospital saved $475,000 in one year by educating 631 asthma patients and giving them caseworkers to help manage their care. Good for them. Going through the experience, as one of the uninsured , I know how scary it can be when you don't have meds or a doctor and people get sick. Sometimes we will spend the $39 and go the local quick clinic, but they don't deal with long term health issues like asthma, so I am left to "self treat" and use over the counter meds that only cost me $10 as opposed to a prescibed inhaler that would be about $100.00. Well in about 90 days the coffee mega giant will rpovide health care for me and mine, so gotta love'em for that.

Well, aside from those issues things have just gotten crazy. We are finally moving into the active part of my EMT class. We have the book part and take our quizzes and tests and then we move into the larger room and practice trauma assessments and triage. We are now getting into airways and all the real stuff that will need to be done to save a life and get them to the hospital. I am very tired when I get home.

It is interesting though to see how the class has naturally divided itsself. There are 14 of us, one dropped out, and we are 7 and 7 on the sides of the room. The side that I am on seems to be the more serious side. we always have our homework completed and take it seriously. The other side of the room are the "jock types' that mostly want to be firemen and do not often do their homework and swear outloud. This one guy has a problem constantly dropping the "F" bomb. Have some class dude!! He is a 29 year old adult, but acts like he is in a high school locker room. He is already a fireman, and I respect that, but he is very immature and does not care too much for the fact that his dept. is making him take this class. When we have to practice he goofs off and screws around. Very annoying for those of us that are seriously trying to grasp the info.

With more Marines getting killed today it scares me for my friends son. He will just be 21 on Wednesday and is right in the heart of it all.

The sun is ouy here today and it looks beautiful outside my windows as I type this. Even though I am tired I can not help but appreciate the beauty right outside. I think a sweatshirt would be great today, a stop for my inexpensive java and a trip to several stores will be on the "to-do" list. Just as an FYI to all of you on my blog list. Now that SO is in Oman I imagine, since he had a one way ticket, not knowing when he is leaving, that all my computer stuff will be monitored, my web sites and phone calls, so say hello to Big Brother!! I told them, on the phone the other night, when SO called to announce his arrival at the hotel, that I hope they enjoyed my boring conversation!! I hope they find all of your blogs intelligent and maybe they can learn something from some of you!! I don't know....maybe like, what the real pulse of the people might be!! Unlikely at best.

Hope this post finds you all well and rested, although I know Mixter is burning her candle at both ends like me as well. Hey, anybody got more candles out there??