I'm Back: Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness Again

Last week a friend got me a stint overseeing clinical nursing practice among nursing assistant students. They were great. I felt good about the crop of people going into health care. What I learned is that I do NOT want to stand on my feet for 8 hours a day for 5 straight days ever again for any job. The old legs held up but the fatigue that set in at end of the week was cumulative and over bearing. The good news is I have eliminated the type of job I want.

Last week, my former company cut more people, more layoffs of good people who did nothing wrong who are joining me out of a job. I guess what gets to me is why some of this is done over the phone as it was tried with me but I insisted on coming in. This is devastating news to anyone. It needs to be face to face; respect is important to all human beings even in difficult times. I feel badly for my former co workers. I know what they will face: the grieving, the anger, questioning themselves and others. I still have difficulty facing this. The good news is we have a group of really wonderful former colleagues who formed both an online and offline community to help each other survive, and we will do just that.

Walter Cronkite died. I grew up watching him. An honorable man; lived a long life and was actually on RLTV a couple years ago doing commentary in his 90's. His death brought to the forefront how we miss honorable, trusted, factual, no pontificating news anchors. But that's the way it is.................

The good news: Top Chef Masters is a great program that is coming to an end soon. Do you watch it? Love it and can't wait for Top Chef and Project Runway to return. Yes, reality shows, at least some of them, provide a great diversion with little thinking.

My plan: if no job by Sept. 1st, am taking a course to change my focus and get a new job in new area; not as much "fun" but pays good and has good benefits. Cobra finally kicked in and the shock of the monthly payments is killing me. But at least I have a plan. Right?

And lastly, the most awful news: Paula Abdul not returning to American Idol? What will we do? Who will we discuss? I actually like Paula; just wish she would keep her mouth shut sometimes but then, some people say that about me also.

More to come..............