Message

Back in 2004, I was headed toward pharmacy school. I had taken some prerequisite classes and scored fairly well on the PCAT. In the meantime, Caleb was sick and we were at Primary Children's most of the time.

While we were with Caleb we were exposed to some wonderful (and some not-so-wonderful) nurses. One of our nurses on the ICS unit was Kathleen. I don't remember at all what it was that made Kathleen so great. I know she was easy to talk to, and that I always felt like Caleb was her favorite. I know she was always willing to answer questions. I know she cared. And before I knew it, I wasn't headed to pharmacy school anymore.

I'm working on a Master's in nursing now. I've had a nursing license since 2006. This past summer during my unemployed period I had an interview at ICS in Murray and while I was down in the lobby I thought about Kathleen. I called PCMC and found that Kathleen still works there, albeit in a different role than before. I asked to be transferred to her extension and got her voice mail.

In the message I told her how I felt about the care she had given our son (not that I expected her to remember us necessarily) and that she was my inspiration for going into nursing. I hope she got the message. I hope she remembers our family. I hope I can be like her.

A Song For My Coworker

I told my coworker Gloria I would write a song for her as a thank-you for doing me a big favor a couple weeks ago. So, last week during Alison's book club I wrote most of this one. It was supposed to be a fugue when I started it, but I just sort of wrote whatever I felt like writing, as usual. So, any professional music theorists out there, please don't be too critical. I am, after all, a novice. Anyway, I think it's catchy and I like the result. Keep in mind that the program I used does not do gradual changes in dynamics or tempo.

Still Awake

It's past midnight and I'm still awake. What is it about being home after a swing shift that makes me want to stay up,as if I've been cheated out of time to "relax?" The thought of cuddling up to my wife and falling asleep is extremely appealing, and yet here I am.

Composition

I have found lately that my piano playing talent has improved, which I think means that I am supposed to perform sometime in the near future. Anyway, this has unexpected benefits, such as the fact that I come up with random little bits of music sometimes. This one is from one day in October when I was playing with the boys. I have never embedded code from my composition program before, so I hope this works. It's called "Impromptu Tip-Toe 10/26/10."