New Technology!

Sorry I've been gone a few days. I've been busy crazy out of my mind. That may be an exaggeration. I do have the Parish Nurse Class overlapping with my 4 volunteer positions right now, and then this job thing as well. I have been overwhelmed.

 I wanted to go see my Mom this week-end but we have a church-related visitor coming for the week-end so I am home and plan to spend the day cooking and cleaning... If I can make myself out down this new phone!

 Yes, I have a new phone and I have a new blogging app and right now it is typing for me while I am speaking. Isn't that weird? It's not exactly perfect though.  It's  kind a like when word correct helps you text.  It is kind of fun, even if I have to make a lot of corrections. It types something about the infant with me... That would have caused some questions!

Here's a funny story (not).  I put this app on my blog and did an entire post with cute photos like this one...

Then, when I posted it I discovered I had apparently made a brand new blog and I do not even know where it went. 😜 So, I started over. At least it gave me the chance to use that funny face emoticon.

So, this is my second post today, and apparently I have another blog out there in blog land. If you find it, let me know.

I Hear Pretty People

Here's what I'm thinking about this evening...

With my new position at work, I am on the phone much of my day. I speak to nearly every patient that will be coming through our surgical center. One day I realized something interesting. When I am speaking to a patient, I usually develop kind of a picture in my head of what I think they look like. That's probably not too unusual. I expect most people do that. The thing that caught me by surprise was when I realized I nearly always envision each of them as being quite attractive. Is that weird?

I've been pondering this oddity. I know, everyone is beautiful. However, I picture people to look more like actors or models, not like the average person. You know what I mean, right? We really do have lots of patients who come through who are physically beautiful, but maybe not quite as perfect as I picture them on the phone.

One day, I was wondering why all my phone people seem so pretty to me.  I may be speaking to someone who hasn't showered in days, who has food stuck in his or her teeth or for some other reason would normally seem unappealing to me. Yet, as he/she speaks to me, my mind makes them all shiny and maybe even smelling sweet. Does that mean I am a person who has trouble accepting people as they are? I hope not. I'm going to put a different spin on it, because it is my blog and I can do as I wish and make myself seem as shiny and pretty as I wish as well. Because of that, I am going to guess that this phenomenon means I'm an optimist. Who knows what it really means...but I like  it.

Now, I'm wondering about the visually impaired. Do we all seem more beautiful to them? I hope so. It wouldn't make up for them missing out on beautiful sunsets or intricate flowers, but it would seem like a bit of compensation for what they miss.

And last, I am wondering if the same works in reverse. Do patients develop a mental image of how they think I look? I hope they picture me like Jennifer Garner!

Never mind. It doesn't really matter how they envision me. I think from now on, when I'm on the phone, I'm going to picture myself to look like Jennifer Garner.




P.S. to my family, I'm just having fun here. I like looking like me.

(photo from www.people.com)        

Bitter About Bitterness

So, here is the deal...

I wrote a post for today titled "Healing Bitterness". Doesn't that sound intersting? However, I did it from my phone and when I sent it to publish, it got stuck. AAAAAAAAALLLLL day long it keeps saying "publishing" but it never really did that. It is stuck. I can't access the post at all from my phone nor from my computer.

Perhaps I will rewrite it. Right now, I feel bitter about it and I'm going to wallow in that bitterness for awhile.

Sorry.

Who's Calling Please?

Yesterday, shortly after lunch, my cell phone rang.  I was driving so I pulled to the curb to talk.  I know, you didn't ask, but I thought this was a nice little opportunity to point out that safety move.

A funny conversation followed.  After I said my "hello" a lady asked to whom she was speaking.  I kind of thought since she called me she should know that but sometimes I've forgotten who I was calling myself so I was nice.  Truthfully, I thought it was someone from Hospice wanting me to cover a shift so my mind was off in a different direction, "Could I work a night shift with so little notice?"

I answered, "This is Susan."  Most of my friends don't actually call me Susan but it really is my name.  When I applied at Hospice they called me that because it was on my application.  Although I answer to a lot of nicknames (Sue Ann, Susie, Bubba, etc.) I am most used to being called Sue, except my relatives usually call me Susie.  I don't mind either but I really never liked being called, "A Boy Named Sue!"  The truth is, I think Susan is the prettiest so at this new job, I just let it be.  That is why I answered, "This is Susan."

The voice on the other end sounded confused as she asked, "Susan who?"  Now, I know that when someone calls and asks your last name you probably should not give it out.  This lady, though, didn't really sound like a salesperson or even a stalker so I gave it.  When she next spoke, her tone was still confused but relaxed and I recognized it!  It was my Aunt Michelle!

My aunt was confused because she had been talking to a technical support person.  We all know how much fun that is!  She'd already answered many, many questions and then was cut off from the person who was "helping" her.  At that point she heard her phone dialing and there I was.  Surprise!  It was kind of a nice surprise for me.  I enjoyed having an unexpected conversation with my aunt!

Cell phones do funny things.  One time I was calling Maria and got a stranger.  At the same moment she received a call from another stranger.  Somehow two calls had crossed!

Even before cell phones most of us had weird phone calls.  One time I had spoken with an older  woman from our church.  That conversation ended and maybe 30 minutes later I went to use the phone.  Someone was on the line but talking in the background!  It turned out that the older woman hadn't quite set the phone in the cradle and we were still connected.  Someone was visiting her and I was then an eavesdropper!  I yelled and yelled to Evelyn but on her end I was a voice too tiny to hear.  I had to hang up and give up using my phone  for awhile.  Every now and then I'd check and yes, Evelyn was still visiting.  Eventually, after her company left, she noticed the phone and hung it up.  Who would've thought that connection would've held on so long?!

And then there are the wrong number funny  moments.  I loved the one that happened to my Mom years ago.  Her phone number was similar to that of the local bus company.  Once, in the middle of the night, she sleepily answered the phone.  Someone asked, "Do you go to Denver?"  Confused, she answered, "Sometimes."

How about you?  Any funny phone stories you'd like to share?

Hello? Hello? The Final Hang Up

 Bode is still chewing and eating anything he can reach.  It is still driving me CrAzY!  However, some good has come of it...

Yes, that is my phone.  Yes, I said this was a good thing.  If you are confused, please click here.

Thank-you for stopping by. Feel free to use my photos but please link them back to my blog. I am honored if you wish to share content of any of my posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc. as long as it is linked back to my blog.

Hello? Hello?

I have the world's cutest phone, don't you think?

It is a KIN.  According to my son, it was first marketed to teen-age girls.  Hmmm.  But it is just so cute!  I get compliments from strangers!  I liked the idea of it because it can use Wi-Fi to go online for free, without the extra monthly cost of smart phones.

But, sadly, it is also the world's dumbest phone.  OK, so it is possible that I think it is dumb because I am NOT a teen-age girl.  It is actually quite likely that the problems I have with it are largely operator error.  I've texted messages to people I didn't mean to text.  Like the time I meant to ask our daughter to pick up our mail when we were out of town.  Instead, I texted that request to a friend who lives in a neighborhood quite a ways from our home.  Although she was surprised by the request, she was going to do it!  I have some really great friends!

My phone also drops calls, usually long distance ones.  It is infuriating!  Last night, I had the address book part of it accessed to my Mom's listing because I needed to doublecheck her phone number.  That's a funny thing.  Using a cell phone, sometimes I forget people's phone numbers because I rarely need to know them now.  I just click on their name and my phone dials them.  However, last night I just looked at her number and then dialed on our land line; I just wasn't in the mood for dropping calls, etc. 

I had been talking with my Mom a bit when she got the "beep" and she said, "Someone's calling me."  She then saw that the second call was coming from our town.  I offered to just hang up so she could take the call but she declined.  Our towns are only a few hours apart and she sometimes has medical appointments here, but she doesn't really have anyone that should've been calling her from our town.  She said I was the only one who called her from here and I chuckled and said, "Well, it's not me!"  

Finally, I pulled my stupid cell phone out of my pocket and, you guessed it, I had pocket-dialed her from my cell phone while talking with her from our land-line!  It was me interrupting my own conversation!  It made us both laugh, a LOT.  I guess anything that brings laughter can't be all bad, right?

The good news is, I only have until September 2012 until I am eligible for a new free phone!