After working at Trauma all day...

I have decided that I am in desperate need of a deflective bubble to keep me safe from everything in life that could potentially physically harm me.

I have diagrammed for you my feelings of necessity and the things in life that scare me :



(click image for closer view of the terror)

Give me half of your bitterest pill

Have you ever thought how you might describe yourself if given the opportunity? I suppose that I would consider myself to be a great sceptic (except when it comes to aliens from outerspace - those suckers are out there and fixated on their next booty probe). While this is not a very positive description of myself (talented, world changing, looks darn good in a 40's old hollywood glam get-up all seem much nicer) I have to be honest with myself.

As you may or may not know, I was interviewed by an AP reporter who tracked me down via my wide-spread and rampant tweets regarding the furlough of State of Maryland employees.

If you know me, you know I am rather opinionated, often to a fault. I have no problem risking being on the receiving end of a bullet launched from a concealed weapon if it means I can right the horrifying driving behaviors of just about every other loon on the road. It tears me to bits to hear about those that I love having to endure injustice of any sort.

When I was approached by AP reporter Ellen Simon, I of course agreed to answer some of her questions. I feel that with Maryland raising sales tax, charging us a ridiculous amount to register our vehicles every two years and yet they STILL are unable to balance the budget, I should not be held responsible. Yet I am to be forced into taking days off without pay. And I sounded off about it on twitter, which apparently caught the attention of others.

So, the article came out and had to be corrected due to the reporter naming the hospital as my employer when in fact it is a bit more complicated than that. Many who work for the hospital are not state employees. I however do something very different from many working at the hospital and am considered a State of Maryland employee. Confusing? Yes. I still don't quite know how to describe how I work there yet am a different type of employee. Of course this error caused a ruckus amongst those who worked for the hospital and were unaware that they were going to be furloughed (they aren't) and forced to take unpaid leave (they won't).

So while I was pouring over my budget and realizing that I need to pony up just under $700 per month to cover student loans lest I risk my already degenerating kneecaps to Mario and Luigi from Citibank, I got even more upset about the whole matter. It wasn't until I was in line today at Walmart that I had a few things put into perspective.

I was in line behind a very nice young woman and her adorable little 14 month old. She had a rather large order, and was going to be paying with food stamp checks. Her large order was split up (being that I don't know how food stamps work, I am assuming they only give you a certain amount per check?) and she was very apologetic over how long it was taking. Normally my sceptical self would have seen the New Balance shoes on her baby and thought "yeah right, like you really need food stamps. Maybe I should go out and get them too!". Something was different here though. This lady was very sweet and talkative and very forthcoming with information (she was a single mom and her baby's dad wanted nothing to do with him) and the more I talked with her, the more I chided myself for being such a jerk. Such a quick to jump to conclusions and read a book by it's cover jerk.

Sure I am ticked that I could possibly lose up to $800 in pay due to Maryland's inability to plan for their financial future (might Dave Ramsey be of assistance?) but what do I really lose? The occasional jaunt to H&M to buy something that most likely will sit in my closet never to be worn? The unnecessary trip to Target? (Ok, I take that back, all trips to Target are VERY necessary). I may have to budget every penny and nickel in order to make my bills? All it really takes is a bit of discipline on my part really. I don't have to worry about how I am going to feed my cherub cheeked little munchkin. I have an education and a rockin' awesome job where I can pretty much make my way anywhere. I have it pretty good.

Martin O'Malley, you aren't off the hook though. Punk.

My (angry) thoughts exactly

I don't make alot of money. I am just beginning to pay back my student loans and I have yet to really start my life. So when I heard about the furloughs being brought against Maryland state employees (of which I am one) I was ticked. Didn't they just pass a crapload of slots that were supposed to bring in a Donald Trump sized amount of money for education, healthcare, Sheila Dixon's kid's college fund and other things? First and foremost, I did not vote for slots. But the rest of Maryland felt they were necessary and now I still have to pay consequences.

When I found this cartoon on PolitickerMD.com, I thought I should just go ahead and share.




(you can find the original page here)

In search of answers

Today instead of the normal crap that I might normally post, I have decided to use my blog as a vessel of sorts to try and bring to light an absolutely horrific crime that occurred here in Maryland over the past weekend.

Working where I work we often see very tragic stories unfold whether it be domestic violence, assault, gang violence or motor vehicle crashes. I work in research so our only chance to actually get to know a patient is if they happen to be enrolled in one of our many studies. Because of the nature of my work, I see each and every case that comes through the double doors to ascertain whether or not someone could potentially fit into one of our studies and help others later down the road.

I still remember my first week on the job and getting the opportunity to assist with administering chest compressions on a patient who was in arrest. I remember looking into their eyes and not seeing life. I remember looking at their arms all bruised and hooked up to I.V's. I also remember when they passed away and how deeply it affected me.

I came to learn to try and distance myself somewhat from the cases as some of them were just too tragic to comprehend. In just a few months I understood that hardened edge that many that have worked in the trauma resuscitation unit have come to adopt as their coping mechanism. It wasn't until Saturday that I was jarred back into reality and truly felt a sense of sorrow and a sense of wanting to be able to comprehend something so horrific and tragic as what happened to this young girl:

"Baltimore County police yesterday said they do not know why an unknown man walked up behind a woman in line at a Catonsville liquor store and slit her throat in a fatal attack Saturday afternoon.

The victim was identified as Aysha Dawn Ring, 24, of the first block of Chadnor Court, which is in a town house development west of Security Square Mall.

About 4 p.m., Ring was waiting at the cash register inside Charing Cross Liquors, in the 5200 block of Baltimore National Pike, when a man approached her from behind, police said.

The man grabbed her and cut her neck with an edged instrument, possibly a knife, and then turned and fled from the store, police said."
(See entire story here, thanks to the Baltimore Sun who sent me their link)

To see this happen to such a young person is gut wrenching. To know that there are people out there who love her and at that moment most likely had no idea what had just happened to her was heart wrenching. To think that this act could be completely random is thouroughly bone chilling and horrifying.

I am hoping that someone will come forward with information. Any information. I am hoping that those of you living in Maryland might be able to pass this along to friends and family members in hopes of finding SOMEONE who knows who did this. Any information is useful information.

If you know ANYTHING, please call county police at 410-307-2020.

Maybe kitten kicker was a bit much

When asked by a "youth" why Obama isn't the best choice, I told him "Because, Obama kicks kittens".

Ok. Maybe this was a bit much. Besides, my efforts were not even directed in the appropriate direction as this "youth" can't vote. As in he has about 10 more years until he can vote. Sigh.

Instead I should have sought out an on-the-fencer of appropriate voting age, and when asked "Why is Obama the most ridiculously wrong choice it is laughable not the best choice for America?" I should reply in this manner.

Because Obama will kick your bank account until it cracks open, spilling its wonderful contents, and then proceed to spread it around.

**It is sad that I have to say this, however if you are going to comment, I need you to identify yourself. Anonymous comments WILL NOT be accepted. If you have a strong enough opinion on what is going on, you should be proud to stand up and support your ideas no matter what they are. I am interested in opinions from all sides. Thanks! -Charm City Chica**

Everyone loves a free ride

So tomorrow is the big day for many...election day! While I am both nervous and excited (seems to be the way I feel about alot of things recently) about what the outcome might be, at least I can take a trip around town and collect some lovely freebies before I am taxed to the point of having to find a comfortable refrigerator box to live in on the streets of Baltimore.

Here are a few of the awesome places trying to sweeten the deal on voting :

Come into any Starbucks on November 4th and let your fabulous barista know that you voted (for McCain) and they will "proudly serve you a tall cup of coffee...on them". Not into coffee? Well then I'm fairly sure you must be into doughnuts right? Lucky for you, you can instead head on over to Krispy Kreme!
Be sure to don your "I voted" (for McCain) sticker in a visible area (your forehead should suffice) and at participating locations (re - the one you have to drive furthest to) will give you a free doughnut. So now you have your free coffee and doughnut...but what about dessert? Well just head your fine self over to Ben and Jerrys between 5pm and 8pm and you will receive a free scoop of ice cream. I of course would suggest something of the chocolate and peanut butter variety, but of course this is a democracy (or at least will be unless Obama sucker punches his way into the oval office) and you can choose what you prefer. Of course my favorite is the free Chick-fil-a sandwich for voting. If your local restaurant is participating, head on over to pick up a free original chicken sandwich on November 4th. Again, be sure to wear that spiffy sticker you get for voting (for McCain).


I do hope you all get up bright and early and go vote. No matter who you vote for - the dude who will pick your pockets dry or the dude who will protect our military - it is one of the most important things we can do as Americans.

Climbing up onto my soapbox

I'm sure many of you remember the tragic Amish school shooting that happened around two years ago this month. This was something that chilled many to the bone and terrified others. Many of you also I'm sure have fresh in your memories the tragic crash of "Trooper 2" here in Maryland last month. Both tragedies hit close to home and both you will see are somewhat interconnected.

After the recent crash of our state medevac chopper, the Maryland State Police have come under close scrutiny by the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA. Suddenly, even after having 90,000 accident free flight hours under their belt, lawmakers want change. One lawmaker in particular who has a vested interest in a private medical helicopter company, Medstar.

Sen. John C. Astle would like nothing more than to see our renowned state run medevac system become privatized. What happens when privatization occurs you ask? If privatization were allowed to occur, Mr. Astle would be making beaucoup bucks with each flight completed by Medstar Health. This would also mean that the once free transportation service offered by the Maryland State Police helicopters from crash scene to hospital would now cost the patient or their insurance company money. Certain private medical helicopter companies would also be more likely to fly patients to their own facilities, i.e - Medstar medevacs would be more likely to fly to a Medstar health facility. Not such a bad thing you think? This is where the Amish school shooting connection comes in to play.

Back when the shooting occurred, several medical helicopters flew in to transport the critically wounded children to trauma centers. What many didn't know was that there were two instances where privatized medical helicopters failed those children. One little girl was loaded onto a Medstar chopper and FLEW OVER a close by pediatric trauma center in favor of a Medstar health center which was further away. To add to that, the chopper actually STOPPED FOR GAS along the way. Another little child bled to death on the way to a Medstar facility after flying over the same pediatric trauma center. Would that child have been saved if they had gone to the nearest pediatric trauma center? Who knows. But there is always a possibility. (Think of the Golden Hour theory which was pioneered by R Adams Cowley himself.)

I will let you pick your jaws up off of the floor.

My point here is that privatization isn't necessarily the way to go. With our state medevac choppers, the flight paramedics and pilots fly to the most reasonable facility whether it be the closest due to time or to our trauma center due to our expertise on head and spine injury. THEY DON'T CHOOSE WHAT IS BEST FOR THEMSELVES, THEY CHOOSE WHAT IS BEST FOR THE PATIENT. And that my friends is the difference.

Time to climb back down off of my soapbox. It is so sad when a system that is copied closely in other states due to its great efficacy is now being slammed and lambasted. Interesting though how it is lawmakers with a vested interest in a private helicopter company isn't it?

What are your thoughts?

How to raise an honest Munchkin

As adults and parents, we often find we use the little things in life to try and teach our children (or step-munchkins) how to be upstanding and productive citizens. In other words, we don't want to be responsible for raising the next Ted Bundy, OJ Simpson or some other sort of bottom feeder of society. (Of course if you ARE looking to raise a con artist of some sort, then by all means check out this book)

I like to try and teach Munchkin to have a sense of respect for other people and their belongings, no matter how small or mundane they may seem. To some, that old beat up item may actually be something that brings great joy.

Please imagine my not so gleeful surprise when I came into work today and found my once cool and unassuming "mini-kitty" which once looked like this:


Now looks like this:




As you can see, my once awesome desk prop is now 600 times it's original size. Sigh.

So I did what any person would do, and emailed the office. Here is what I had to say:
-------------------------------------------
Subj : Curiosity killed my cat?

Hello,

I see that the curiosity of someone over my “grow a pet cat” was too much for them to bear and I found my poor innocent cat drowning in a pool of water on the middle desk of the CCR portion of the office. I have to say that I’m not too happy about this. I like having little things around my desk to add to the fun and by all means if you wanted to grow your own pet, I would have gladly referred you to where you could purchase your own. Granted it might not have seemed like much to the cat-drowner, however the whole thing, package included, added to it's kitsch and I would greatly appreciate either a replacement or an apology.

Thank you to those who enjoyed looking at my little “pet” but respected that it belonged to someone and was here for the enjoyment of all.

P.S – For those who were kind enough to keep their curiosity to themselves, the cat indeed did grow to be 600% of its original size.

(You can find such an item/replacement here.)
--------------------------------------------

So the moral of our story here is teach your kids right in the beginning, and they will grow up to respect the belongings of others and refrain from the drowning of poor, innocent, fake cats.

The perfect combination

If you are an Etsy addict as I have become and you just so happen to live in Charm City (or even if you don't!) you really must check out the Baltimore Etsy Street Team. Here you will find local artisans/jewelry makers/crafters/clothing designers/independant businesses, etc. all in one place.


Those closest to me know that I have a penchant for all things bird and owl, so when I saw this posted on the front page, I immediately did a quick fund check in my head to see what I could spare. I found this, by Cuore to be my utmost favorite (and alas, sold out!)


And once again, I can prove that a handmade/crafted bag is so incredibly much better than spending your hard earned money on some overpriced Coach bag. Check this out by Garden Shop Boutique:


**P.S - Thanks to Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction for their little blurb on Charm City Chica!**

Cherche la bouche

"Narrator: Here in southern Texas, they have an additional problem...
Crow: Texans."

I decided earlier today that I wanted to get a burrito from California Tortilla up the block from the hospital and since I didn't feel much like getting ganked, I took my co-worker with me. We decided to wear our lab coats since it was still kind of drizzling outside, and we didn't want to get too wet.

As we were walking down to the burrito place, we saw some inner city folks packing up their wares (re - vending machine food) for the day. The woman suddenly (and very snarkily) yells "Hey, look at the interns!". (We of course are not interns, but I suppose we were too young to look like bonafide researchers)

I came dangerously close to yelling back, "Hey, look at the street vendor!" to which one of two things would have occurred :

1) I would have been stabbed in the neck
2) I would have been shot point blank in the eye

Hard as it may be, you have to know when to keep your yap shut around these here parts. Gotta love Baltimore.

Trooper 2

It is truly a sad day for us here in Maryland, particularly those in the trauma center/state police family. Earlier this morning one of our Medevac choppers, known to us as "Trooper 2" went down in a wooded area shortly after lift-off from a crash scene with two injured on board. Unfortunately four of the five on board did not make it, including the pilot, the flight nurse and another EMT along with one of the injured from the auto crash. I woke up to this horrifying news after I read about it in my morning ritual of scanning Fox News.

This news truly hit home for alot of us here at the trauma center. They weren't on their way to us, but on their way to another hospital. We have had pretty bad weather the past couple of days, and it is rare that they will fly the helicopters on those days unless absolutely necessary. It is quite the risk to all involved.

I was invited to fly along with Trooper 1 for a day (since I work in the trauma center) and of course that was my first thought was that it were friends I had made who fly Trooper 1. But we have met all of the troopers so far, some we have gotten to know better than others. These are some of the hardest working people, obviously risking their lives to save others. It just really intensifies my feelings on how people drive, and the personal safety precautions they take to ensure safety for themselves and for others. I find it to be such a selfish act to drive drunk, drive aggressively, drive recklessly, ride scooters/ATV's without a proper helmet, not be on the lookout for motorcyclists, etc. These are the crashes and injuries we see come in all the time in the trauma center, and most times they are flown in to us via our Trooper choppers. People need to think for a second before they hop behind the wheel after having "a few beers", or before they speed up on that wet road and try to pass the person in front of them who is going too slow. And while there is a helmet law here in Maryland, there is no law governing those who ride scooters, mopeds or ATV's. You don't know how many times I have seen a person come in with severe head trauma from riding these without a helmet. Most times those riding the scooters, etc. are not wearing protective head gear. It only takes a second folks. A second to make the choice between safer living, or injuries and worse.

Please keep the families of those aboard Trooper 2 in your thoughts and prayers. And think longer before doing something that could potentially harm yourself or others around you.

Maryland State Police Aviation Command - Trooper 2

Kung-Fu time

Narrator: Here is a good time to point out a few facts about eggs.
Mike: Stop throwing them at my car.

I left you yesterday with feelings of disillusionment about how my brother was falsely accused of an act that never occurred and was never even investigated. I also left you with a feeling of redemption and pride when I told you about how our state senator was going to take care of things for dear young Cesaro.

I don't want you to think that the entire military is this way. The military as a whole is great, honorable and mighty. But we have to remember that we are still dealing with people here - and at a very basic level people can be jerks. And sometimes you need to go above the heads of those jerks and have someone put them in line.

You must also remember that I am a sister who is fiercely protective of her brother, and not really one who likes to sit back and watch injustice of any kind being tossed around. So I am happy to inform you that wheels are in motion and things are being done to investigate and exonerate Cesaro. Pretty freaking amazing eh? It also feels good to know that he has someone as powerful as a state senator in his corner fighting for him. I could maybe understand everything if the AF had actually taken the time to investigate and accept all of the proof Cesaro had offered up to them to prove his innocence. But they didn't. I'm not quite sure what they were hoping to accomplish, or how long they would have taken had Sen. Mikulski not stepped in.

I may not have voted for her in the election, but I am very grateful to her for all of her help.

You gotta fight. For your right. To serve this country?

"Crow: I thought it was deep...
Joel: What did you think, Servo?
Servo: I thought it was pathetic.
Crow: So deep, we should've been wearing boots"

Although I am not military myself (I have neither the guts nor the glory) I have strangely found myself surrounded by military men both in my immediate family, extended family and the man I plan to start a family with. My grandfather, two uncles and an aunt were all enlisted Air Force when I was a kid, although this didn't really mean much to me.

It wasn't until my younger brother (we will call him "Fush") joined the Air Force ROTC in college that it began to mean something to me. Fush went to an expensive private engineering college up in Hoboken, N.J and found ROTC to be a great way to help him pay some of his college loans. So he commissioned into the Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant and went on his merry way. I then met Mr. Hot Pilot who just so happened to be an Air Force Major who graduated from the Air Force Academy. The idea of a military-ish lifestyle began to move itself to the forefront of my mind when I realized that I will someday soon marry this man and be a military wife. However I also knew that his being an officer would make our lifes much more "cushy" than the ordinary enlisted man's life.

Now enter my youngest brother (we shall call him Cesaro). He is was a fresh-faced 17 year old with the world at his feet when he graduated high school. I begged and pleaded that he go to college. It took me 10 years to earn a bachelor of science and by gosh he was going to do it quicker than I did! But he was bored with the whole collegiate scene. And he was proud of his older brother, Fush. I could see it coming from a mile away.

You see Cesaro is alot like me in many ways. I like to force life to happen at breakneck speed - hence a disastrous marriage at the seriously young age of 20. I also changed my mind (and my college major) so many times that I didn't graduate college/find my career of choice/meet the man of my dreams until I was much older. I don't necessarily regret my choices as I realize that there were things in my life and in Mr. Hot Pilots life that had to happen. And when he graduated college I was only 16 and it would have been VERY ILLEGAL. (I LOVE bringing that up to him from time to time, hehe!) But I digress. Cesaro wanted to be a missionary for a while. Then he wanted to be a police officer. All the while he was flirting with the idea of a career in the military. So he decided to enlist in the Air Force. Fush warned him that it was a bad decision. Mr. Hot Pilot (a big guy on campus with AF) warned him against it. Everyone told him to get a degree and THEN go ahead and go in as an officer. Better pay. More respect. A better life. But I knew he wouldn't listen. And so off to basic training (at 17 mind you) he went. To make matters worse, he decided to join Security Forces in order to hopefully further a law enforcement job in the future.

Fast forward 6 months. Cesaro has had his main graduation and has now graduated from tech school. He graduated top 10% of his class and received the coveted distinguished graduate (DG) award. (Awards are a big deal in the military I am finding) But see, there was one little problem. Cesaro was in a squadron of a few losers and jerks. Losers and jerks who liked to drink underage, and mess around with other mens wives and go AWOL at liberty. Cesaro kept his nose clean and didn't associate with this handful of losers. But the losers decided to try and clear their name a bit by dragging Cesaro into the fray. Why lets get the DG in on our lunacy! Fabulous idea! So the week before he is to return home and then proceed to his first assignment, he is brought up and told he is going NOWHERE. They are investigating a report that he went AWOL as well. Only no one is investigating. And no higher ups are willing to take Cesaro's physical proof that he did not go AWOL. They are just expecting to get Cesaro to sign a form admitting guilt so they don't have to do a darn thing and can just sweep it under the rug. Cesaro fights back. Mr. Hot Pilot and Fush offer advice to fight back. Mr. Hot Pilot is pissed. My dad decides enough is enough when his phone calls go unanswered and we find that Cesaro's file has been lying in a pile on some Captain's floor for THREE WEEKS. So what is a father to do? He goes above the Air Force's head and goes right to our Senator, Barbara Mikulski. Believe me when I say HEADS ARE ROLLING. People are getting in trouble left and right. And it screams of victory.

You see, here you have a kid who was determined to serve his country the best way he knew how. He worked hard and did all he was supposed to AND THEN SOME. And he gets pooped on by the people he is so determined to fight with for our freedom. It is true there is a lack of respect for the enlisted folks of our military. I'm not sure how many people realize that. Now they are trying to kill my brother's career before it even has started. But Cesaro is fighting back. Fighting for his right to serve our country. And it should never be that way. It isn't the entire military that is this way, just a select few people that want to be lazy and brush over the injustice that has been done. Senator Mikulski has just begun their investigation into this mess, but suddenly wheels are moving.

Amazing isn't it? I will be sure to post updates on the progress.

Nobama 2008!

"Oh, so radioactive immediately equals bad to you?" - Crow




(source : http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/page/10/)

One bad@$$ Mami!

"Man, I've got so many threatening letters to write tonight. " - Mike

Who knew Sarah Palin was such a badass? Even my skeptical military officer boyfriend was blown away by her last night. And then McCain. I must say, it is awesome to finally have a good reason to get excited over this whole election.

Much to the chagrin of my family I'm sure, I disagree with Palin on her take on sex education. Being a community health science major, and knowing what I know about health education, I still feel it is crucial to inform teens about ALL aspects of sex and sexuality. Comprehensive sex ed. But if that is my only disagreement, I think we are doing good.

Friends don't let friends vote democrat.