Close Meditations of a Visual Kind

Is... not the greatest today. Been off from Hospital for a week to accomplish much work on the Ranch, and succeeded at most things on that list. Amongst other things, LittleJon Deere Tractor Growliebeast now sports a new front right tyre, and is quite happy about it. More on that in a bit, as it will figure with a portion of the State of the Artist on Art.

Yesterday I started feeling some gut level disturbance, and during the night up several times emptying out the old GI tract. Woke up this morning with a low-grade fever, been resting most of the day. Helps that it's been a rain day. Yesterday we got rain too, but I pushed myself to get two moderate chores done in the House which will improve overall live-ability. Replaced the ceiling fan in the Library/Tube Room, and assembled two small drawer cases which fit underneath our coffee table. The latter two will help Herself organise some of her crafts work supplies, since she does a moderate amount of that work on evenings while watching Tube.

On a heavier note, working, we moved some hay roll bales into the Goat Paddocks. This is the part which will contribute a tad to the Artist side. Teasing? Yes, because more later.

I also meditated on something on Saturday evening while indulging in a Hot Soak Tub. Herself doesn't join me for these, usually, as she says I am actually par-boiling myself. I say I am boiling away my troubles and tribbles. While doing so this time I listened to my Celtic Music playlist, and though about voices. Or Voices, if you will.

One of my co-workers does not like instrumental music, prefers by far and away music with lyrics. Specifically, lyrics in a language zie understands, as well. This rules out most opera, for example. And while I listened to my Celtic playlist, some of which pieces the lyrics are in Gaelic and I speak not a word (well, OK, a very few words) of Gaelic. It's the Voices I listen to. And each musical instrument provides a Voice. All those Voices, combining together to express joy, agony, sorrow, bliss, love, hatred.

I dabble with music. It's been years since I've played any of the instruments (only a couple) that I dabble with.

That's part of the art, and the other part is both Art and Ranch related (here we go folks!) Getting an intact tyre back onto one of our tractors gets a major tool back into the work stream. If one is raising grazing or browsing animals, one is also providing them, periodically, with hay. Purchasing hay is like anything else; the larger the quantity, the better the price. Big round hay bales are usually less expensive per unit of weight than the square/rectangular bales. So we like to buy that way.

Now, one of these big round bales weighs in around 500 Kg dry (do the math, Yanks, or just get over it and learn the metric system like the Whole Rest of the World). Rolling them by hand is quite a workout. Fine if one really wants to burn off those calories, and part of the reason ranchers and farmers need heavy equipment.

LittleJon Deere is a compact tractor; his 3 cylinder diesel is rated to 26 horsepower which is, curiously enough, the same horsepower rating as Harrison Ford 8N. Harrison is physically much larger, and more massive. And still in a tractor coma.

LittleJon Deeres owner manual clearly, quite clearly states not to use this compact tractor to lift large round hay bales. I like to think I'm not stupid, my Grandfather once taught me that ignorance is correctable but stupid gets you dead. I've got a pretty good track record for not being dead so far at three score years and a bit, so I like to think, I'm not stupid.

Crazy is another thing altogether. Hellooo, note the user name on the blog, folks!

And after careful, thorough reading, there is absolutely nothing in the user manual about this...



Moved three of those puppies in about 15 minutes. Now, the credits read one thing. The actual cameraperson is Herself using her iPhone. She watched the little short and mentioned next time, she's going to leave the phone in 'Landscape' orientation. Good plan, I think.

Also done, in free moments over the past week, prepped six images for prints and two sets of business cards for printing. Running out of time for the Autumn festival season to start. Need to get to work on that.

Tired this morning, and what a hook that line is to bring you into reading here eh? Still, that's the way it is, after working until 21:20 yesterday evening. Nearly a 14 hour shift. Good news, all with my current service, so a 'comfort zone' of sorts. Other good news, it will be five and three-quarters hours of overtime. Bad news, there's no rest today because it is a Weekend Night Shift day. Oh Well, gainful employment is gainful and so why am I moaning?

Two (not so) Mysterious Packages arrived yesterday, as previously mentioned. I've eyeballed the outsides of the packages and there is no damage visible. One is about 1.3 metres (4 feet) long by 30 cm square. The other is about 60 x 60 x 60 cm (2 ft/side). Both are lighter, at least to us, than the Point Of Origin implied in their description, though their desire to reclaim their space is pertinent. Objects inside will be a bit smaller than the exteriors, but not much. I will open said boxes after feeding teh Ranch this morning. Tomorrow will be a good day to start getting used to the contents, as the weather forecast is for rain, and potentially severe thunderstorms. Therefor, Houdini will be happy if we spend some time together in Studio 318.

A Clue For You, if you are playing the Guess What MadShutterbug Is Being Mysterious About. Looking at the B&H web site for a necessary accessory which I know is not in either box.

Oh, and ETA: First mobile bill after the upgrade to two (2) Smart Phones with data plans for both, including upgrade fees (which I must check into, as I am fairly certain I should be getting the upgrade 'free' but not positive): $154. This is not extreme, yet, as I say it includes some 'one time' fees. It also includes some 'data expenses' from the prior plan with NotSoSmart Phone, primarily some text messages since texting wasn't included on the old plan. We did not exceed either data use nor text use on the new plan for the better portion of a month.

So, wait and see what the next bill looks like. Should be at least 1/3 less than this.

Meeting Marathon Wednesday.

What is it about the middle of the week that it is become the Day to schedule meetings? And the Third Wednesday of teh Month? The Worst.

Well, it's done. I'm brain fried. Smell that? Fried brains. Yup.

1Yr9Mo13D

That is all.

I am tired. Meeting Marathon Wed Nes Day opened up a can of whup *ss on me. I am pushing the accelerator and the engine sez, Wha?

I. Go home now.

I can haz shiny new PC at Hospital.

Also, I can haz catch-up on installing work-related software & settings which were tied to old PC IP address. *G*

I can haz that tomorrow, because now I can haz go to Senior Nurse Retreat, and make presentation.

You've reached madshutterbug's LJ. madshutterbug is not available at this time, as he's in an All-Day Class. Please leave a message.

Beep

Not sure if I'll show up on LJ tomorrow; I am taking the day off work because Saturday will be some more training classes, though that's for a one-off project. Do you think I should tell Houdini that BossStaysHomeDays are going to be weird again? Or let him find out on his own?

That is all.

Yesterday proved a good day, spending clinical time in the OR. I did manage to miss spreading Hippie Birdbaths for nurse_tabby, yesterday, so they're a day late. Being she's a fellow nurse, I'm gonna guess she understands. So, today, Hippie Un-birthday, nurse_tabby!

Thunderstorm last night, just around sundown. Knocked the power out, though not for a length of time. Still, we're good.

Smudge BorderCollie woke me up at 01:00 barking about something, which set his brothers off. Not sure what he was barking at, as all quiet outside, all chickens roosting contentedly, goats sleeping, cows... didn't check them, but they were all present before the storm started. Usually they don't wander after dark. Before it's dark, yes, and trouble later but not after dark.

Quieted down fine after I did my checks. However, could not get back to sleep. Then when I did, disturbing dreams. I've often mentioned here it's unusual enough for me to even recall dreaming, much less content. I do not call these dreams nightmares. Disturbing yes. Very unpleasant things happening to dogs, not our dogs (though one briefly started me to think Mudge, only it wasn't her), nor do I know who did the unpleasant things. Just... yeah.

My iShuffle needs to be charged. No music today. Oh well.

Taught 2 classes this morning. Yea.

Slept through the alarm. OhNoes.

Since you already know I taught 2 classes, made it to work on time even waking up a bit later. Yea.

Thought I'd lost one of my thumbdrives. OhNoes.

Found it. Yea.

Found it in the pocket of trousers I'd washed and dried already. OhNoes!!!!!

Good news; if you find such a thumbdrive after it has well and truly dried out, it appears to still be working. Yea!

So far for today, the Yea's! are ahead of the OnNoes! by one.

Edit: Nope. Got a call from Herself. Mamma Mudge Bordercollie just died. She was a grand old girl, and we will miss her.

The OnNoes! are definitely ahead now. ::sighs

Today I feel like a flounder. Or at least like I'm floundering, despite the concept that I'm supposed to know what I'm doing. Now, I do know what I'm doing because we're getting ready for Integrated Testing on this project we're working on, the Interdisciplinary Plan of Care. I know what I'm doing on the following points:

- Anything on that Plan related to Nursing
- What we're doing, specifically, is writing a script. Do this, Do this, Do this.

Where I'm feeling like a flounder is that Interdisciplinary part. Interdisciplinary means, in this instance, various and sundry professional disciplines which provide some aspect of care to the patient, namely and to whit: Nutrition, Planning Services (discharge planning), Rehab (PT, OT, Speech), and Respiratory. I feel like a flounder because two of those services have their own, dedicated areas of the on-line charting application. As a member of Nursing, I don't have access to those areas of the application. Thus, I've no idea what their screens look like, what data fields they need to fill in, other than the Plan of Care.

Isn't that special?

The bad news is, we (the Nursing Systems Analysts) are responsible for preparing six of these scripts.

The good news is, my two cohorts are feeling quite just as Flounderish.

The very good news is, once we dissociate from the concept that This Scenario Must Make Sense, and assume the concept that Testing Must Touch Everything, being a scriptwriter becomes a bit easier. And for the parts where we don't know the Screens/Data Fields?

Service: Enter Data in All Appropriate Fields on All Appropriate Screens.
Service: Add Appropriate Problems.
Service: Select All Outcomes and All Interventions for Selected Problems.

::blink::blink::

Now, do this six times. For two 'record touches' per day of testing.

We may be here all night.