I Cheated - It Could Have Killed Me

Owen and I have an open relationship.
Neither of us has necessarily asked for exclusivity. I am far more loyal to Owen than he is to me. It would be selfish to keep him for myself; other people need him. Sharing him is something I accepted from the day we met.

Owen is my pharmacist. On Saturday, I had to fill a prescription for a less-common drug. Owen could have ordered the formulation I needed; he could have it all ready to go on Monday night, but administering the drug sooner was preferred by me and the doc who ordered it. Owen called several places nearby, but none stocked the medication.

After more phone calls, Owen found a pharmacy, on the other side of town, that could fill the prescription. I dropped the 'scrip off and returned a few hours later to pick up the order. As a new patient, I had to undergo the full registration process. The registration files allow the store's computer system identify possible interaction issues or allergies.

The new pharmacist reviewed the administration instructions, side effects, interaction safety guidelines and then handed me a stack of papers to take home. As we were processing the transaction at the register, he made a comment about having added flavoring to the suspension. "It'll be like a tropical vacation," he said.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" I asked.
"I added tropical flavoring to the suspension to make it more palatable," he replied.
"I have food allergies," I explained. "May I please see the ingredient listing?"

There it was, far down on the list, but there nonetheless: Coconut Cream. I am allergic to coconut. He was devastated. He'd gone from hero to villain in a flash.

First, he checked to see if it was real/organic coconut or an extract. If it was an extract, it was less-likely to be a problem because of the alcohol and fermentation process. If it was simulated, it posed no risk at all. If it was real, I would have an anaphylactic reaction.

He couldn't determine the potency of the coconut, so it was safest to make a new solution.

This wouldn't have happened if I'd stuck with Owen. Owen doesn't take chances with my orders. He knows. Owen fixed the dispensing problem I had with a regulated prescription. He once came to me in the dairy section to discuss a potential interaction problem with a new 'scrip. He takes care of me.

I vow not to step-out on him again.

Tags: [The Pharmacy]  [Owen Chaim]
[Drug Safety]  [Drug Allergy]  [Anaphylaxis]

Page Six Goes Blank - There's A Dirt Shortage

John Aeschliman, an agriculturalist from Washington, is renewing calls for sustainable farming methods as a top soil shortage threatens.

"Disappearing dirt rivals global warming as an environmental threat"

"The National Academy of Sciences has determined that cropland in the U.S. is being eroded at least 10 times faster than the time it takes for lost soil to be replaced." It's not just run-off from water, either.

Ethanol from corn is often touted as a solution to the energy shortage. Problem is, those corn stalks that are being considered for clean energy are the same stalks that provide food to microorganisms in the soil. These same creatures aerate the soil which prevents rain run-off and erosion.

The Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association, a regional farmers' association for no-till farmers is hosting its annual meeting this week. An initiative of PNDSA is the sale of carbon credits from no-till acreage. Land that hasn't been tilled retains carbon. "For every ton of carbon stored in the soil, 3.67 tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) are removed from the atmosphere."

Dirt farmers around the world are losing ground. Around the world! The Azerbaijan government identified desertification from erosion as a priority environmental concern in 2004. Azerbaijan!

I will do my part to save topsoil and you can too.
Send a check with your donation -payable to CASH (Concerned About Soil Horizons) to me.
C.A.S.H. -Funding Farmers' Fields of Dreams

Tags: [Sustainable Farming] [David Montgomery]
[Topsoil Shortage] [Joe Aeschliman] [PNDSA]
[Ethanol]

Album Artist's Cheat Sheet Tatters Reputation

Kristina Contes recently won a national scrapbooking contest but her title got taken away because of a scandal. Her name might be removed from the Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame. Full Story...

Ms Contes contacted the magazine to ask that the article announcing the winning entry identify her friend in the photo credits. Since Contes had not taken the photos herself, a violation of the contest rules, her entry was invalidated and she had to return the crown.

I guess the runner up will fulfil the duties of the deposed queen.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Can't resist - At least Contes didn't claim she'd been framed. She could have embellished the story.
Who knew? There's a scrapbooking hall of fame?

Reality Show - Coming Soon?- Hobby Wars
It might focus on the pressures of hobby competitions, strategies of The Sports Card Show and sacrifices made in the name of winning. Each episode might feature a different hobby:

• the advantages of using non-traditional language in the National Haiku competition, or


• Livestock Testing at the State Fair

There would have to be a special episode dedicated to Reading the Rules for Maximizing Elasticity: Bending Without Breaking.

Tags:[Kristina Contes]  [Creating Keepsakes]  [Scrapbook Hall of Fame]
[Scrapbooking]  [Hobbies]

The Good News Is That It's Not Bad News

I figured I'd suffer glares galore when I moseyed in late for my appointment with the breast surgeon to review the biopsy results.

The good news is that the computer was down, so His Assistant hadn't generated the Daily Patient List.
The bad news is that the pathology report hadn't been sent to the office yet.

Technically, the office wasn't open yet, so I figured I'd be shown straight to an exam room - there'd be no time to flip through a magazine in the reception area.
The good news is that I was.

The faxed report was received within 10 minutes of the request being made by His Assistant.
The good news is that it was now the first page in my chart.
The bad news is that she took the chart out of the room.

The doctor came in and I lectured him on customer service expectations. "When I take my vacuum cleaner in for service, I expect Claude to diagnose the problem, order any replacement parts and repair the unit," I began.

"Claude's customers don't expect to be involved in ordering the parts, arranging delivery, or scheduling the bench work. The operating procedures behind the service don't involve me. I know that it's taken care of because he consistently delivers quality service."

Of course there is a difference between a physician and appliance repair, but the Service Management Process is the same:

• the doc completes a requisition for a diagnostic test or procedure (Order)
• he should be matching up the incoming reports from his health care associates to the requisitions (Receiving)
• then reviewing the completed orders with his patients (Customer Pick Up/Shipping)
• Outstanding orders should be followed up - 'When will this report be available?' (Expediting Standing Orders)

The pathology report declares the mass is benign. (Yay!)

But,

It's not necessarily nothing to worry about. (Aaw!)

But,

I don't have to worry about it in the near term. (Yay!)

Looks like forwarding that email paid off!

Sweeping Up Detritus, Cleaning in the Corners

I was vacuuming under the blog topic production table and found these among the debris.

Jackson 5 Reunion Tour?
In November 2007, Jermaine Jackson announced that the quintet would hit the road with a Reunion Tour in 2008. Jermaine Dupri, Janet's beau, announced that the brothers would appear on stage for the first time since 1990 at his private New Year's Eve party at Studio 72 in Atlanta.

The Jackson 5, featuring brothers Tito, Marlon, Jackie, Jermaine, and lead singer Michael found fame in the 1970s with hits I Want You Back and ABC. Later, youngest brother Randy joined his brothers onstage and the band was renamed The Jacksons.
I don't think the warm up reunion happened in Atlanta; I doubt there will be any Jackson Tour soon.

(Photo: The Jackson 5 & Randy with The Summers 5 et. al, ca. 1972)

Biddell Wins Project Runway Canada
I started watching Project Runway Canada's encore broadcasts in the wee morning hours. One Canadian designer would take away $100,000 to start his/her own line and receive a feature in Elle Canada.

I saw just 4 of the 11 episodes, and caught the announcement of the winner during the prime time finale. Because I didn't watch the entire 2-hour finale that featured the designers' collections at L'Oréal Fashion Week (I flipped it back just in time to see the judges' comments), I was shocked that judge Rita Silvan was moved to tears by the embodiment of hope that Lucien's collection exuded.

PRC was hosted by Iman. Brian Bailey acted as mentor to the contestants and the other judges were Shawn Hewson and Rita Silvan.
I know who Iman is (from I Am African and she's married to David Bowie). The other pros on the panel? No idea.
Crying over an evening gown? I don't get it. Up until now, my fashion runway exposure primarily came from Zoolander.

Project Runway Season 4 premieres tonight with host Heidi Klum. Emmy nominee Tim Gunn is back as mentor.

Gladiators Ready
The Writers' Guild of America's prolonged strike is good news for Hulk Hogan. Hogan returns to prime time television as host of American Gladiators. NBC announced AG as a possible mid-season replacement in October. With shows forced into hiatus from the lack of scripted material, NBC slotted the Weekend Warrior vs. Athlete remake in early.

Hogan was pursued to host not just because of his WWE success, but also the success of his VH-1 reality series Hogan Knows Best (2005), still the highest-rated debut of any VH-1 series.
Questions: Will the Challengers dodge tennis balls as they run through the obstacle course, or has this challenge been updated à la The Running Man?

Is it true that people are pre-ordering the action figure dolls?

American Gladiators debuted last night. A new episode airs tonight.

Tags: [Jackson 5]  [Michael Jackson]  [Jermaine Jackson]
[Jermaine Dupri]  [Reunion Tours 2008]

[Project Runway]  [Iman]  [Biddell]
[Lucien Matis]  [I Am African]  [Heidi Klum]  [Tim Gunn]
[Derek Zoolander]

[American Gladiators]  [Hulk Hogan]
[W.G.A.]  [WWE]  [Hogan Knows Best]
[The Running Man]  [Richard Dawson]