Posts Tagged ‘>hot links’

Normally I dread mandatory meetings for Volunteers, but I actually was a little curious when we went to one about Ebola. Volunteering in the ER is a little scary when you think about it. Volunteers are often the first to come in contact with Patients as they walk through the door. We’re like the “first responders!” I mean I’d like to be a famous actor, but not because I’ve caught Ebola, yikes!

How in the world are we supposed to know if someone has the flu or food poisoning or Ebola? Early symptoms are the same: weakness, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting.

Separating Facts from Fiction —

learn the facts

Charlayne says transmission occurs only through direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of patients who are ill from Ebola – or contact with needles or syringes that’ve been exposed. But what if someone sneezes on you? Does that count? Or what if you sit on a toilet seat that’s a little wet but you don’t know it till it’s too late?

Fear of the Unknown —

Niles says that the panic over Ebola reminds him of the paranoia around Aids in the early 80s when people were dying, but no one knew how you could catch it. That was before they knew about infected blood transfusions and all of the hows-and-whys of sexual transmission – so scary. Not-knowing is almost the hardest part.

Now people are really freaking out about Ebola — and with good reason (Did you see Contagion?) Imagine being on the flight where a coughing-hacking-guy announces to passengers, “I’ve got Ebola, you’re all screwed!” Imagine having someone take your temperature at JFK, or O’Hare, or Dulles Airport and then command you to, “Please come this way…”

Helping Patients with Ebola —

We’d all like to just live in our own bubble, but — if you have a family member or friend who’s exposed to Ebola, don’t you want to get him/her to a major hospital STAT? Wouldn’t you want to help? What if you were exposed? Wouldn’t you want someone to help you?

In our meeting they basically told us to “Purell” constantly + protect ourselves with gowns, gloves, face shield, mask, booties, shoe covers, leg covers if we “come in contact” – but the bigger question is: “How do you know when you’re coming in contact?” How can you help those who need it, if you have to put yourself at risk? Read the rest of this entry »

nothing’s gonna stop them now

During my Amazing Mom’s much-too-short life she managed to find the funny during the darkest of times, so unsurprisingly I raced out to see THE SKELETON TWINS opening weekend after learning that it’s about family members (Maggie and Milo) who use humor to cope.

It certainly didn’t hurt that it was a Sundance Best Screenplay winner — and then when I read that that Writer/Director Craig Johnson and stars Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader would be doing Q&As after some of the weekend screenings, the deal was sealed. Win/Win for me as I managed to score a ticket (to what would be a sold-out performance) at the Landmark in West L.A. where Johnson and Hader were planning to appear.  Big YAY!

SMART COMEDY

To me Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader are the “best of” modern-day SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. I’m devastated that now they only guest on the show.  But it’s awesome seeing them on the big screen where they shine even brighter. In THE SKELETON TWINS they take talent to a whole new level tackling layered, complex roles and dramatic situations (like suicide, career failures and adultery) with creativity and expertise.

People say that comedy actors are really smart (Lisa Kudrow/Vassar, Jenny Slate/Columbia, Sasha Baron Cohen/Cambridge) because their brains are so creatively quick. Watch any Robin Williams interview to see how his train-of-thought is light-years ahead of the rest of us. It’s not a skill one can acquire, COMEDY is part of the DNA for the lucky ones.  Lemme tell you after seeing Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig seamlessly dance back-and-forth from drama to dramedy — hitting every mark in every frame — I’m guessing that both of them are off-the-charts smart! Read the rest of this entry »

we’ve all got ’em

Life deals us HUMPS.  No one can escape them. No one gets off scott-free (even Tony Scott of Scott Free.) Some humps are kept hidden — like they were for Robin Williams. Others are out there for all to see — like for Gabby Giffords. Yep, struggles, challenges, humps are part of the human experience. The only alternative to giving up is facing them as best as we can.

Volunteering in the ER is an up-close-and-personal view of humans dealing with humps:  scary tests,  bad news,  challenging outcomes, embarrassing situations, and PAIN: Physical pain, emotional pain and the anxiety of waiting, waiting, waiting which is a pain in the ass. Oh and don’t forget the pain you get in your bank account when the hospital bills arrive… and arrive… and keep on keeping on.

Dealing with Pain —

facing fear

I’m amazed that so many people can handle humps with acceptance, grace and even humor.

Like –

• The 85-year-old grandfather now without quality of life thanks to an operation gone wrong, stuck with two long tubes coming out of his kidneys, rushed into the ER by paramedics after he tried to slit his wrists.  As his daughter tries to explain to police officers interviewing him that he just got bad news, the old man cracks jokes — (“May I borrow your gun to finish the job off?”) (“Not now Dad, they’ll have to lock you up!”)
• The 90-something great grandmother who suddenly discovers she has lung cancer with 3-6 months to live — (“It is what it is, guess I can go off my diet now.”)
• The Teen surfer disappointed when he learns his broken leg will keep him out of the water for the rest of the summer, who suddenly grins at me — (“Think I can drum up some sympathy sex?”)

Read the rest of this entry »

living the dream…

Volunteering in the ER is Icky-Sticky.  A plethora of Private Parts in Private Matters with Doctors asking questions — that trust me, I don’t need to hear. Curtains fly open as bare-assed Patients bend over in a Peep Show — that trust me, I don’t need to see! Bodily Fluids and Functions are F-ing embarrassing — even when they’re coming from someone else’s body.  Especially when they’re coming from someone else’s body.  It’s a lot to deal with…

Things Get Awkward When You —

• Chaperone a pelvic exam and the doctor says, “Spread your legs.”
• Feel nauseous as a Patient throws up in the emesis basin you just handed him.
• Ask a Transvestite if he/she prefers to be entered in the computer as a male or female.
• Hand over an ice bag to a doctor you’re trying to help and the cap comes off spilling ice all over him.
• Ask an Old Geezer if he needs help getting undressed and he says, “Yes.”
• Accidentally offer to dispose of a big bag of hypodermic needles, and then realize there’s no safe place to put them.
• Hit your head on the cabinet in the Patient’s Room and realize you’re bleeding more than the patient is.
• Have to tell a Patient you’re not a Nurse after she’s described her medical condition in embarrassing detail.
• Must pretend like you don’t smell anything, when it’s an obvious “Code Brown” situation.
• Enter an exam room just as you overhear a Man’s Voice say, “You’re about to feel a prick.”

Read the rest of this entry »

rom with real com!

Perhaps it’s due to the afterglow from my summer fling with Jorgen, or maybe it’s the best comedy of the summer, but either way I find myself totally into Greg Poehler’s fresh fish-out-of-water half-hour, WELCOME TO SWEDEN.  Sweet, charming and understated so it actually feels real, it’s a welcome relief from those loud, actor-y, in-your-face comedies that hit you over the head trying too hard to be funny. (It’s exactly the kind of project I relate to — would love to be called in for a guest spot, hint-hint!)

A Sweet Set-up —

In this sweet summer treat, single-camera comedy, successful Accountant, Bruce (Greg Poehler) leaves his self-absorbed celebrity clients (like Will Ferrell) and his narcissistic boss (sister and co-producer, Amy Poehler) in the dust as he impulsively moves to Sweden to live with his hot girlfriend Emma (Josephine Bornebusch) without exactly working out the details. The relationship is tested as he navigates his way through foreign everything, while trying to prove his worthiness to doubting potential in-laws, Emma’s parents: Therapist/Mother-without-filters, Viveka (the wonderful Lena Olin who steals every scene),  and stoic, hard-working Dad, Birger (Claes Mansson.)

Pushing Boundaries —

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sweet memories

Still feeling jet-lagged and a little devastated after my tearful adiós (well actually adjö) to my summer fling,  Jorgen. Yep, my gorgeous Swedish Architect was just what I needed to temporarily block out unrealistic thoughts of closed-off Dr. Crush, memories of ER screamy-meamies with yucky bodily fluids, and the drought of summer auditions, ugh.

Jorgen taught me about art at Madrid’s Reina Sofia Museum, 70’s architecture and hippie style in Ibiza, and toured me through the Gaudi Cathedral and Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona.

Sipping Spanish wines in between sweet kisses, we dined by candlelight under a gazillion stars in Ibiza, and ran barefoot through the sand under the moonlight (ahhhh…)  And though my stomach had a few issues (I’ll spare you the details) the Spanish food was ultra-fresh in that European way, beautifully assembled and muy delicioso.

First stop, MADRID —

Bar Tomate – Open from 8:30 am till midnight (2 am Thursday, Friday and Saturday) is casual hip and hopping, serving maybe the yummiest tapas I had the entire trip. Maybe my senses were intoxicated because Bar Tomate was where Jorgen and I met (on my first night in Spain.) Then… every night that followed was absolutely dreamy… yes, DREAMY! Read the rest of this entry »

… and they feel good!

Uh-oh, tomorrow is FATHER’S DAY. No worries, there’s still time to whip up a Dad’s Day Mix.

Here ya go…

17 Songs for Cool Dads

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