Football, Cats, Children

This weekend was spent watching most of the top 10 teams lose in college - oh the glory of watching Florida lose to Auburn. Mike hit rewind 4 times in a row just to watch the kick sail through the goal posts. :) I guess if it can't be Tennessee, the Auburn is a good replacement. It just shocks me to see South Florida ranked SIXTH in the AP poll and KENTUCKY ranked EIGHTH!!!!! What is the world coming to? Mike keeps saying "Parity. I love it" over and over and over. It definitely looks like an odd football season. The family was happy over all this weekend though. Tennessee didn't play so they couldn't piss me off by losing. Auburn beat Florida. Georgia beat Ole Miss. Miss State lost to South Carolina, but my Dad was happy enough since Ole Miss lost. :) I almost hope that Tennessee loses all of the remaining games so that we can get a new coach. Sorry Fulmer. I have loved you for years, but we need new blood. Check out the firefulmer blog. I am scared that someone the Vols will do well for the rest of the season and we will be stuck. However, I want to see them win, so I am torn. Ahhh....the religion of football. Nothing like the SEC baby...

I now know that God is very smart. To know this, you only have to be around kittens for a weekend. They are SO adorable with those little sweet eyes looking at you. Their tiny little ribs shake gently while they purr. They curl up on your lap one minute, and they play in the cutest way the next minute. They look so cute as they arch their backs and play with a string. Yes, God is smart as he makes creatures so cute so people just can't resist taking them in. Of course, cats are nice too, but they are never as much fun as a kitten. :) Of course, if you look around, most animals are like that, and you can argue that people are too. :)

The kids had a good time this weekend. I went with the kids to see The Game Plan movie. It was very cute. I was in pain for the second half of the movie, so it was about an hour too long for me. However, it was very cute. I keep thinking that I have seen another movie that has the same basic plot before (little girl sneaks to another city while her mom is on a trip abroad so that she can find her biological father). The kids loved it. Michael said it was a "Must See Movie." Katie has also joined the blogosphere. Morgan is still writing in hers (check it out to see cute kitten pictures. I am so excited as it seems I find out about a new friend's blog every day! If you tell me about them, I will add them to my links section.

Unfortunately, I have a fever, so I guess I will have to suck it up and go to a doctor tomorrow. Not sure if it is kidney related or cough related...ick...Tuesday, Morgan and I go to the dentist. I hope I don't have to cancel as I have rescheduled too many times. I think the hygenist might hunt me down if we cancel again.

I haven't updated the stats in a while. It seems like the life saved part is creepy crawly slow. Come on, only 10 days?? It seems like when I was smoking, everything said I was killing myself much faster than 10 days after 4 months!!!

Amy - smoke free for Three Months, Twenty Eight Days, 8 Hours and 7 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 10 Days, by avoiding the use of 2888 cigs that would have cost me $493.42.

Thanks Heather V!

Heather V sent me the most adorable pajamas to get well in. They say Bug Off which is totally appropriate for someone from development. :) Squash those bugs! Thanks so much Heather. :)

Kittens are So Cute

Dana fosters animals for the humane society until they can be adopted. The currently have three kittens, so Katie brought them over when they arrived today. They are SO adorable. Of course, Morgan is already begging for one. I told her it was up to her mean Daddy Mike. See how he pays for comments like "It is only pain." Hee Hee. I crack myself up.

The stent is OUT

I am having awful pain, but the stent is OUT!!! I have been having the worst pain of my life for the last 4 hours, but after taking 4 pain pills, a flomax, an anti-spasmaticm, and 2 advil, it is easing up and I can act like a human again. Mike ended up pulling it out because I was chicken. I kept thinking that I might stop when it hurt and then it would be half done or break or something. So, Mike did it. He gets an A for the pulling of the string, but an F for his bedside manner. He said, "Just pull it. It is just pain. It will eventually go away." Not that I would wish a stent on anyone, I do wish he could feel it just once. Maybe I can talk TBU into making it a requirement? :)

1500 Hits!

1500 hits today! How exciting this blog stuff is. I have really enjoyed it. I have had a lot of people ask what statcounter I am using. It is called Statcounter. Now that Morgan has a blog, it is even more fun. She has had more fun picking out virtual animals to go on her site from widgetbox. See the friends' blogs section for a link. Mike has been a slacker about updating his blog. I guess when you are having fun in New Orleans, it is more fun to play than to blog. :)

Approximately 36 hours until the stent comes out. YIPEE! Today was pretty rough, so the countdown begins. :)

Morgan's team got their cheer uniform today for one of her teams. She looks so cute. These are the uniforms that are for the younger team. She was upset that it didn't show her tummy. Mommy wants to know if she can wear this one for both teams. :)

Today was picture day, and thankfully the blue hair dye came out of Morgan's hair enough for the pictures. There is still a little remaining, but I think it is subtle enough to not show in the pictures.

We finally shipped our Fall Release today! WOO HOO! I am so happy to have it out the door so that we can focus on the next one. This next release has all kinds of cool fun things in it. :)

I talked to my brother Mike tonight. When my sister-in-law, Deborah, answers, she tells me she has to go get a towel because there is an owl in their house. Apparently, it came through the fireplace and landed on the wall. The scary thing is that this isn't the first owl in the house! They are having a costume party the weekend I will be in San Francisco for the AAP conference. Should be a great time!

Speaking of the AAP Conference (American Academy of Pediatrics), Bond was selected to be the EHR to be used in the Pediatric Office of the Future booth! In this booth, they are trying to show all kinds of cool futuristic tools that can be used in medical offices today. Of course, since Bond is a state of the art browser-based EHR, it fits in perfectly. Microsoft is one of the sponsors. We were all cracking up when the first requirement was that all of the PCs must be running Vista. We wondered how many EMR vendors can do that? I think Bond is one of the few. I don't even think a lot of people use IE7 yet.

EMR Compare

As people try to evaluate different EMRs, I think it is a great thing that TEPR is providing the videos of the EMR Compare scenario from the TEPR conference. Check them out...

Click here.

I think it is interesting that many of the larger, older EMR companies didn't participate this year. Is it because it was recorded?

I really liked this article in Newsweek. He is even from Tampa! Good Doctors Spot Mistakes, Save Lives .

Still Hanging In There

I keep getting chastised for not updating the blog. I apologize, but I haven't really had any great news or stories to share. For those of you who are finding this blog because of a urinary stent for a kidney stone, I will definitely say three things definitively. 1) The new softer kind is MUCH better than the standard kind 2) Even the new softer kind is not fun 3) Having a cough while having a stent is not fun. If I had known that having a cough would be so painful, I think I would have rescheduled the surgery. Every time I cough, the stent is painful. You would think the IV antibiotics and the Levaquin I am currently taking would do the trick. Apparently not. I thought coughs were supposed to be better after stopping smoking? I am not sure how much longer I have to keep the stent. They said 1 - 2 weeks. Since the last one was removed too early at my insistence and the ureter was swelling and causing awful pain, I will not push this time. It is amazing the teaching tool that pain can be. So, I will have it out when they say to have it out. :) I tried to stay horizontal most of the weekend, but I was up a lot to get drinks and to pee. That is the worst part of the stent...you have to pee 4 times an hour and then it hurts every time you do.

Mike was out and about with the kids most of the weekend (Thanks to Gelee Beans for giving my child temporary hair dye in her goodie bag - could have gone the rest of my life without seeing my child's hair dyed blue). This Gelee Beans place does hair and nails for a birthday party. The girls love it. I wish I had thought of it. :)

Mike is in New Orleans this week, and he got to go to the Monday Night Football game where the Titans SMACKED the Saints. :) If you want a glorious implementation job where you travel to clients to get them to use the EHR, please check out the openings at Bond. At least one Tennessee team is doing well since the Vols look awful. I have officially joined the "Fire Fulmer" camp. I never thought I would get there, but as much as I have liked Fulmer in the past, I think it is time for him to go. We need some fresh blood.

As I have been talking to several people lately and have been a customer/patient where I needed a lot of assistance, I have thought the same things many times. I have also read several management and customer service books lately. Customer service is lacking in most places, and employees who are happy provide good service. I have to give props to the OR and Recovery crew at St. Joseph's Hospital. They were very kind and helpful. However, if you look in the dictionary at customer service, you definitely will NOT find Walgreens OR United Healthcare. I show up at Walgreens with 4 prescriptions. I tell them to look at my history, and they say they have to call. Meanwhile, they tell me that I owe 160 bucks for my prescriptions. Since I have LONG since met my deductible, I am perplexed by this (Lithotripsy, 2 CTS, Morgan in ER,and Kidney Stone office visit, surgery, and monthly prescriptions is WAY more than $2500). I wait on hold for almost an HOUR for United Healthcare. Meanwhile, Walgreens keeps telling us to come back in 10 - 15 minutes. Mark keeps driving in a circle and parking in the parking lot for 10 - 15 minutes. They keep saying come back. We finally realize that this is because they don't want to fill the Flomax. I have 4 prescriptions, but one of them for Flomax, which is technically for men but it is also used with kidney stones to help with spasms. Even though Walgreens has filled it for me at least 4 times in the past, they said they would have to verify it with the doctor. UGH...Finally United Healthcare tells me that a charge was reversed from my account to change the billing code and that the patient responsible wasn't put back on the account. Insane. They say it will be fixed in 24 to 48 hours. Finally, we just pay for the prescriptions on the promise that they will fix it within 7 days. Of course, we give up on the Flomax (I found some samples when I got home thankfully).

Of course, I think the hospital staff obviously enjoyed their job. They joked with each other, joked with my brother when they called him to tell him to come get me, joked with me, smiled when they got me something, etc. The Walgreens staff acted like they had never seen a presription for Flomax for a female in their lives and acted like it was such a bother to them. The United Healthcare representative was actually very nice and tried to help, but I was already over the top after having to wait for an hour on the phone. At work, I always try to emphasize customer service. I think it is the one thing that a business can do to gain loyalty. I think Bond has the best EHR out there, but I think we would make an even bigger impression if we provided such great service that clients said WOW.

From a management perspective, I think good managers need to find what motivates employees and what makes them happy. We spend way too much time working to not have fun. I think they key things are 1) Respect - everyone wants to be respected for the abilities and skills they have 2) Relaxed environment - I think people want to know that they can joke with each other and have fun at work 3) Room for growth - everyone wants to know that they can grow either by gaining additional knowledge or growing into new positions 4) Flexibility - Life continuously throws curve balls at us. I think employees who can respond to life's challenges without causing trauma or drama at work appreciate that. Of course, good pay and benefits are also somewhere in there but these are more set by the company standards than the manager. In return, I think employees who get these things will generally provide good customer service. I would love to hear thoughts on this.

Of course, thinking about this makes me think back on my previous managers. I won't comment too much about my current boss (lol) but he is very good at getting you to expand your skillset without causing you to feel nervous or insecure. He pushes you in a way that kind of forces you into a land of unknown, but then you are happy at the end of it. He has a great sense of humor and keeps us all in stitches most of the time.

In my last job, I had 11 managers in 8 years with most of those being in a 4 year period. For some reason, the Misys management strategy seemed to be completely opposite of what I considered to be good management (especially by JC). For a while, it was really great. Then, all of the sudden it switched to being a department that didn't value the people who worked the hardest and had the best skill sets. I think the best time I have ever seen people work together as a team was actually when Mike Pritts focused us on "Everest." We had analogies for every step of the way. We would say we made it to base camp or the different levels as we accomplished things like Designs complete, Code Cutoff, QA test plans written, etc. Everyone worked really well together to get to the finish line. The team had made it too, and then management decided to pull the rug out and "extend" the release schedule to add other stuff in. I think that was the beginning of the downslope. To take all of that positive energy and excitement and smash it was definitely not good for morale. Then, to bring in two people in management who definitely didn't make people feel good about their jobs was definitely not good. I have often wondered what would have happened if those changes had not taken place. I wonder who would have left and who would have stayed? It is very interesting the effect something like that can have on lives. As I hear people at Misys talk about the reorgs, most of the people who have had their reorg seem cautiously optimistic. It is the R&D crew who is stil anxious. I think it is torture waiting and not knowing for them, especially in light of the iMedica deal. I did have three really great managers while at Misys. I think all of them are still in management, so that is good. I definitely try to remember the good and bad experiences from there and try to do the good and not do the bad in my own management style. I certainly thank Misys for all of the experience I gained there.

At the company I worked at prior to Misys, Medical Information Management Systems, my manager was a nurse who was very good at her job. I learned a lot from her. My next manager was the VP of Sales. He taught me a lot as well. At that point, I was just a nurse who didn't know much about the technology side. I definitely learned a lot from working there about management and about HIT. Additionally, the owner was a great mentor. He certainly didn't take no for an answer from the developers. :)

As for my management style, I think I expect a lot. I believe that people will give a lot to you if you give a lot to them. I always try to make sure that everyone knows how much I value their hard work because we definitely work hard at Bond. Being a small(er) company definitely brings some challenges, but everything moves at light speed compared to larger companies. We can make decisons and implement change in such a short amount of time. That is the best thing about my job. I see a manager as someone who clears obstacles to make everyone's job easier and more fun. I also think a manager should provide for educational growth and career growth where possible and where it is desired.

Since I am writing this in the middle of the night when I can't sleep, I had better to try again. Wow, that was a long ramble. I would love to hear your thoughts on management styles, motivations, etc. Please leave comments. You don't have to put your name.

NO More Kidney Stones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am still a bit out of it and not feeling too great. However, I wanted to take a quick moment to let everyone know that I am officially kidney stone free for the first time in almost 10 years. WOO HOO! I have the new type of stent. Unfortunately, I don't notice much of a difference so far, but it might just be because it is the first day. I am hoping tomorrow is better. Anyway, I just wanted to share the news and let everyone know that I am SICK of OJ! Can't the news talk about anything else? I will post more details later. Thanks so much to Mark and Heather for helping me today.

What a Day

Today was just one of those days where you wish that you had just stayed in bed. Nothing even in particular. It was just a rough day. For some reason, I am nervous about having the kidney stone removed tomorrow. I am not sure why since I have done this many times. Morgan just finished her homework at 10:45 at night. She had done all of her Math homework and her English worksheets. However, she had to do her "Spelling Contract." This means that she has to get 70 points a week doing things like writing the words 5 times each, creating crossword puzzles with the words, etc. Of course, she needs the computer for the ones she wants to do, so she didn't do them at the gym. The house looked like a tornado went through it, and I know I won't feel doing anyting tomorrow. The release is finally in the final testing phase, so I am hopeful that it will get QA approval tomorrow. I did find the Simoon game I used to love as a child that you can play online. I have put it in this post so that you can also play.

Mark is coming to get me tomorrow at 7am. Heather is coming to stay with Morgan until the bus comes. Thanks Mark and Heather!!! I should be home sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Krishan has been at Bond for three years

Congrats Krishan!!! THREE YEARS. Amazing. Also, congrats to Lee on one year and to Tony two years. :)

Kiosks and Bus Stories

I was scheduled for my pre-op visit at St. Joseph's hospital today. When I did the session with the nurse and anesthesiologist last week over the phone, I was assured that I would only be there for an hour at the most. So, I arrive at 11:40 (ok, ok, I was supposed to be there at 11:30). I get nervous as there are 6 people waiting at the admission desk just to be acknowledged. The first two don't speak English. Boy, is this going to be fun. Finally, I get to hand them my driver's license and insurance card, and I am given a paper to review. After about 20 minutes (thank goodness for the handheld Dash with email), I get called into the admission cubby. She reviews the address, phone, and information on every relative in my family (including my extended family I think). I sign the consent forms. After meeting her standards, she takes me to the next phase.

The next phase is not so good. Everyone is looking angry, and they are mumbling to each other. I can tell immediately that things are not good. The two people sitting closest to me have been there for 3 and 4 hours. I am thinking that this is NOT going to work as I have a demo at 2. It is now 12:15. Lovely. The lady comments that she has to be there at 5am the next morning and she isn't sure why she isn't just spending the night. I had to laugh as she had a good point. After hearing the two of them gripe, I realize that they haven't done the phone part. Whew. I stand up as I have now started to cough really loudly. The waiting room is looking at me.

This man is suddenly talking very loudly to the lady who checked me in. He is demanding his driver's license. She keeps telling him that it is missing. Apparently, the clipboard with his enire medical history AND his driver's license are missing. Well, if that isn't a HIPAA violation, I am not sure what is. They are frantically looking for this clipboard when I am called for my labs. The waiting room is not happy and I can hear people protesting as I quickly rush through the door. As the lady is getting me a drink, I ask the nurse if someone can listen to my chest because I have started coughing. The anesthesiologist comes over, and she asks if I smoke. I very proudly tell her that I quit 3.5 months ago. She tells me that coughing after quitting smoking is common, and she says people comment to her all the time and let her know that they are not sure why they quit if they are going to have a cough. That cracked me up. Like they weren't couging before. Yeah, right.

She takes my blood, and I give a urine sample. They have decided that I need to have a Chest X-Ray to be sure. I am freaking at this point as I know I need to leave to get back for my demo. I tell the lady that I can only stay if they can do the X-Ray RIGHT now because I have to leave in the next 10-15 minutes. They are looking doubtful. I tell them that I can come back, but I cannot stay past 10 - 15 minutes. Of course, if they say to come back, I am SO NOT coming back. They find someone to do the X-Ray, and I go with her. She snaps the two picstures quickly and tells me I can go. As I walk out, the waiting room is really heated. Someone is still looking for that guy's driver's license and paperwork. Oh yeah, the other weird thing is that they gave me the hospital bracelet today. I really don't want to wear it all day tomorrow. ODD.

I cannot understand why this process was so hard. They could very easily have a kiosk and patient portal. I could have completed all of the information they took over the phone from my house. If they scanned the license instead of attaching it to a cliboard, it would hae been returned to the patient right away. Orders could be generated based on the type of surgery being done. It just seems like they make its so hard.

So, I know you are wondering what all this has to do with a bus?! First of all, Morgan tells me that she has an essay due tomorrow. Nice. Then, she asks me if I know what child abuse means. Who "calls" it, she wants to know. I am not sure what "calls" it means, so I keep asking. As it turns out, the first few days of school, she was the only kid on the bus. The bus driver's assistant was telling some story about the past where her ex-husband was mean and abusive. Also, her teacher told the class about some girl who "acted up" even though she had a nice foster family and even had someone who wanted to adopt her. She had "called" it child abuse and was sent to a foster home. Morgan says, "I look like I am not listning, but I am very good at hearing things that I am not supposed to hear." I was cracking up. How honest...

I keep getting asked about how they "go in" for a stone. Here is a link to help explain. In summary, "In ureteroscopy, a surgeon passes a thin viewing instrument into the ducts that carry urine from the kidney. Once a kidney stone is located the urologist typically removes the crystalline mass with forceps or a “basket” instrument."

Ode to Kidney Stones and Quitting Smoking

We arrived home last night around 10:30. Morgan was pretty good about going to bed even though she was excited to see us and to be home. She was happy about her pink clogs I got at the Limited Too in Raleigh. We have no mall close to our house. So, we got our yearly shopping done on Sunday. Mike said it was the most shopping he had done in years. :) He carried a pink bag around the airport from the Limited Too. He looked so sexy with his bag. I think he might still have a dent in his shoulder where my forehead turned to concrete on the ride home.

I am so excited about being kidney stone free for the first time since 1998 (March to be exact). I was training on Medic Vision at the time, and I was 20 weeks pregnant when I had the first stone. I still remember the first time I had the knife through the back experience. I couldn't figure out what was happening and of course thought it was all to do with the pregnancy. I tried to make it go away by sitting in every position possible (including finally just laying down on the floor). Jennifer found out that the practice had an urgent care clinic, so we went there. The doctor told Jennifer and Mark that I needed emergency surgery. A kind woman from the practice took me and Jennifer in her car to the emergency room. She drove at least 110 mph through a construction zone to get me there. They take my information and tell me to have a seat. The woman from the practice isn't having ANYTHING to do with that, and she forces them to get me back immediately. I get to have the loevly pelvic exam, and a doctor (a pediatric surgeon) pops his head in to see if I am ok (courtesy of the practice). Uh, yes...I am great. Thanks. They do an ultrasound and quickly determine that it is a HUGE kidney stone. They give me demorol which completely freaks me out. I don't want it. I say I can take it. Finally, I surender.

Meanwhile, the guy next to me in the ER attacks the doctor who comes flying through the curtain and lands on top of me. They move me to the other side of the ER so I can be "safe." I later find out that Jennifer and Mark witnessed a fight in the waiting room as well. I am not sure "safe" is possible there. Regardless, the doctor tells me that he wants to keep me in the hospital. Of course, I am stubborn. I know this shocks you, but I am. So, I ask if there is any way I can fly home to Nashville where I can be in the hospitals I know with the doctors I know and the family I love. He says I can but he wouldn't recommend it. Ok, great. I quickly tell him that I am leaving. So, they sign me out and call Jennifer and Mark to come get me. On the way home, I need something to drink and eat so I can keep from getting sick. The only place we can find has the security window that prevents you from going inside. So, there I am on demerol trying to explain to the guy that the crackers I want are the 3rd one down on the second row in the middle of the store. It didn't go so well, but I finally got them. I took a cab to the airport at 5am and flew through Pittsburgh to Nashville. Of course, I thought I was going to die on the plane, and I kept hearing the doctor saying that he wouldn't recommend it. I do survive however and make it to Nashville. I get admitted and hope I pass the stone. 22 weeks later (after a stent that I insisted be removed after 2 weeks) I delivered Morgan. As they went in to remove the stubborn stone, they realize that it had broken up in labor. FIGURES... Anyway, that was in March of 1998. I am very hopeful that removing the ONLY stone I have in September 2007 will end the kidney stone nightmare of the past nine years. I am getting a little worried because I seem to be coughing (ok hacking) quite a bit. I am pretty sure that the anesthesiologist won't like that. I hope they can still get rid of my stone. I thought you weren't supposed to get the cough stuff after you quit smoking? Bummer.

Speaking of stopping smoking, I had a long conversation with my friend Lee about stopping smoking today. We were talking about how many people stop and start back. I shared my theory on the mental piece of it. I think you have to decide that you will never have one again. Until you decide that, your brain will deterimine at least 5,489 excuses as to why you should just have one. You are having a stressful day, your boss is mean, your football team lost, you are drinking with friends, everyone you are with is doing it, one can't hurt, right? I have played every game in the book. I have plotted and planned for hours on how I could just sneak one. Of course, once there was one, then it was ALL OVER. This quit, I truly understand that I can never have a single cigarette for the rest of my life. No matter what my brain says or what creative excuses I can come up with, if I have one it will all be over.

I was telling someone else over the weekend how it is so interesting how the things you do will make you want one. For example, when Mike returned from a trip recently, I had gotten up from the couch and walked outside without even thinking about it. Mike was standing there looking at me like I was nuts. As another example, I went to visit a prospective client, and I was digging through the glove box and my purse without even realizing what I was doing. All of the sudden, I realize what I am doing. It is an amazingly powerful drug. I also think you have to do everything at least once as a non-smoker to calm the urge. Silly things like going to happy hour, watching a football game, leaving a movie theater, and other common activities will give you a craving so strong that you feel like you are having an anxiety attack. To those who are trying to quit or who have just quit, hang in there, take a deep breath, rub your patch. It does get better. I can't say the cravings go away at 3 1/2 months, but I have a lot more experience fighting them than I did two months ago or even one month ago. :)

I had a great time in Raleigh. I forget how beautiful it is there. As much as I like living in Florida, it isn't nearly as pretty as North Carolina and Tennessee. Add to the flat scenary the boring same color stucco block houses, and it can get kind of old. I guess you adapt though because I notice the water everywhere here and don't really notice the trees and houses. When we were driving through Raleigh, I noticed the trees and the houses. :) We did a quick drive by of the old townhouse. I really liked that place. It was a great location with work and Morgan's school all within 5 miles. You didn't really need to leave that 5 mile area to go to work or school, to grocery shop, go to a bookstore, go to a nice restaurant, go to a movie. It was all right there, and the traffic wasn't bad either. We are getting this enormous mall by us, but I am worried because I don't think the Florida road crews have figured out any tips on smooth traffic flow so far. They seem to be really into the "thousands of people going in on a two lane road and thousands of people going out on a two lane road." Wouldn't want to have alternate routes!!! That would be convenient. :)

It pains me to say the word Florida. Even though I didn't expect Tennessee to be any good, I am distressed about the awful game (if you can call it that) on Saturday. For the first time in my adult life, I didn't even want to keep watching. I usually won't take my eyes off the game until it says 00:00. Hey, I lived through the 1998 championship run. I know miracles can happen. However, I think this year is going to be a complete disaster for Tennssee. Bye Bye Fulmer. It has been a great time(has it really been 15 years?).

It is official. Tennessee Sucks This Year

I think it is time for Fulmer to go. Sad.

steve at it again

mike and i wake up to three construction cones outside of our door. i don't think housekeeping likes us

Bill trying to recover

The post breakfast hangover. Bill is trying to stop the floor from spinning. The hotel staff keep giving us evil looks. I think Steve kept half the hotel up until 5am.

At Rudinos

Of course, in the middle of one of the worst droughts in history, we have a gathering at Rudino's Rooftop. The great thing about Rudino's is sitting outside on the deck, especially in the fall. So, you can imagine our surprise when it is POURING rain AND there are tornadoes in the surrounding areas. NICE. However, it didn't stop us from having a great time. We sat outside under the covered portion. Turnout was great even though several Misys people apparently didn't come over fear of getting into trouble. The ones who did come will remain nameless and will have their identity sensored in pictures and stories so that they don't have any problems. Steve has more pictures on his camera. My camera phone doesn't have a flash, so it didn't work outside on the deck. I will post others once I get his pictures.

After Rudino's, we continued the party until everywhere was closed. We came back to the hotel where Steve was busy taking cones from the parking garage and going up and down in the elevator. I didn't make it to 5, but some did...:)

Memories

Anyone who has traveled Southwest through Raleigh probably has been stranded in this bar at least once. I have mainly spent time there to smoke in the past. About 6 months ago, Travis and I sat there for hours waiting for a plane that didn't come. Our plane the next day didn't make it either and a 12 hour trip turned into 36 hours and a rental car from orlando.

Ahhh...Beautiful Florida Morning

I was preparing to leave for Raleigh, and it made me reflect on living in Tampa vs North Carolina. I was so opposed to living in Florida before we moved here. As I was checking the back door to make sure it was locked, I took in the back yard view. You certainly can't complain about that!

This picture was sent from my phone straight to my blog! How cool is THAT?? I am so glad I was born in this time period to see the amazing technology boom.

Stinky, Icky Ashtray

I was taking a picture on my seldomly used back porch (as of June 2nd when I quit smoking), I realized that my ash tray is still there (yes it is a pot). Some kind of weed is growing in it now. I think I think I will plant a nice plant there now as a symbol for me to remember. I still can't believe that I quit. Amazing.

Waiting is HARD

We have been waiting on MRI results from Tower Diagnostic for 6 LONG days. Each day, the physician who ordered it has called Tower (well since Monday) trying to get the results. Each day, they are told that it isn't transcribed yet and to try tomorrow. Well, today, I decided enough was enough. I called Tower, and they said to call back tomorrow. I asked for a manager or physician. She grunted and put me on hold. When she comes back, she is MUCH nicer and is apologizing left and right. So, it turns out that they sent the study to the warehouse without ever reading it. OOPS. Imagine how bad that could have been in so many cases (appendicitis for example). She calls me back three times in the next 45 minutes before they close to let me know that she is working on it. The last call informs me that it will be read tonight and dictated tonight. So, we should FINALLY get the results tomorrow morning.

The physician who ordered the test does not have an EMR yet, but they just merged with another group who already has one. Even though the office seems to be well run, you could imagine the panic as they thought the report was sent to the wrong person or the paper was missing. One day....

Today found 3 showstopper issues targeted to the release. It looks like it probably won't ship until Tuesday or Wednesday. Hopefully, the extra testing and fixing will be worth the wait. It is amazing to me how much development is turned out a year at Bond.

Of course, Morgan waits until 8:30 to tell me that she 1. forgot her planner with her vocab words in it and 2. She has to turn in work for the vocabulary words tomorrow. LOVELY. Of course, being the patient and tolerant mother that I am, I calmly (and in a very quiet voice) told her to call one of her friends to write them down. It is hysterical listening to her on the phone? She doesn't know the words so it is funny to hear, b? t? v? d?

Industry Fodder
Can't believe this article in the St Pete Times. Someone is not good at proofing...Although there are easier words to spell.

Sun and Microsoft becoming friends? As Bond and Sun have a partnership, I find it interesting.

(Ok, this isn't really industry fodder unless you travel) Have you heard of IBoardA.com? You can email your Southwest itinerary to them. Then, they automatically check you in 24 hours prior to your flight. No more worrying if you will get an A (well, until everyone uses this site I guess).

I am too tired to post any more. I need to get some sleep so I can be bright eyed and bushy tailed for the reunion tomorrow. Who is ready for a drink? (Hint - I AM!)

HELLO! Comments please! GO VOLS! Looks like my VOls are 7.5 point underdogs. I think they do well as the underdog though. I will never forget being 18 point underdogs in 2001 when we won at the Swamp. All you could hear after the game from the Vol fans was 18 points! 18 Points!

Multiplication and Rice Creeper Treats to e-Prescriptions and Consultants

Ahh...multiplication tables. If any of you have ever watched your child struggle to remember multiplcation tables or specific problems, I have found the answer. I found the book, The Times Tables. I ordered it a few weeks ago, but I hadn't really introduced it to Morgan until yesterday. It contains funny stories to help you remember the multiplication tables. For example, each number has a picture (two = shoe, three = tree, four = door). Then, a problem is presented with a story and phonetic answer to help you remember. As an example, Morgan's favorite was 4X4 or Door X Door. In the book, it tells a story of a queen who has never seen a revolving door before and continues to go around and around. She gets sick so door x door = sick queen. Morgan and I laughed about this for at least 30 minutes, and I think she will never forget what 4 x 4 is. She went through the WHOLE book yesterday. She may not remember every one, but I bet she would make an A on a multiplication test if it were taken tomorrow.

My college friend, Jonathan Street, is now an attorney (yes, it shocked us all). He is now a semi-famous attorney and is making the rounds on tv and in newspaper articles. Click here to learn more. Make us proud Street!!!

Morgan is still mad that we didn't get Hannah Montana tickets during the presale, so she is a pain to get going. Did you know that you can join the fan club to buy tickets early? We did that, and we still didn't get tickets. :(

I went to Tampa Bay Urology. Dr. Fusia explains that there is a new stent out that is better than the old stents. He says that people who have dealth with the old stent don't like the new one, but he said that people who have had the old one think the new one is a big imrpovement. Additionally, it can be done as an outpatient. :) So, next Thursday it is. According to the CT scan, this is the last stone I have. I can't even imagine life without ANY stones. So, next Thursday, it will be history! Thank goodness my deductible is met for my HSA policy. So far, I love the HSA/ins policy from United Healthcare. I am interested to see if HSA's catch on. Anyone have good or bad experiences with HSA plans?

We come a little closer to the release today. We assigned 3 issues today to be investigated and/or fixed. Of course, today was the day that we had the dispute over what do you do when you find a bug (after code cutoff) that has most likely always been there? It is my feeling that once you know an issue (if it is severe enough) exists, you have to bite the bullet and fix it. Of course, priority became the next discussion. :)

A HIMSS study discussed staffing challenges in healthcare. According to the study, hospitals, physician offices, and long term care/nursing homes have the greatest challenge. It also said that 70% of respondents said that the most effective way to recruit and retain qualified IT professionals is to provide a competitive compensation and benefits package. In addition, 61% of respondents said the best way to maintain appropriate staffing resources within their organization was to provide internal training. 31% said they would use consultants when possible.

Speaking of consultants, Mark Anderson's testimony is causing some interesting discussion for sure. The transcript can be found here. I think this underscores the state of the market. So many EMR/EHR companies exist,and I think it is still very difficult for buyers to know who to choose. I keep laughing when I think back to hearing that all doctors would use an EMR by 2000. :)

Finally, all 50 states allow e-prescribing. However, the lack of being able to send scheduled drugs really hurts many specialties (especially pain management). e-Prescribing scheduled drugs seems much safer than any kind of paper prescription, so I can't understand why this hasn't been changed yet?

Only 3 more days until the Tennessee-Florida game. GO VOLS!

Still smoke free...Amy - smoke free for Three Months, Ten Days, 10 Hours and 6 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 8 Days and 12 Hours, by avoiding the use of 2458 cigs that would have cost me $419.64. Congrats to Kelly for making it 5 months!!!!!!

By the way, Bond is hiring. Click here for openings.

Don't forget to leave a comment!

Make it stop

If I could wave my magic wand today and make three things (ok, really four) stop, I would...

1. Stop us from having to even think about another 9/11
2. Stop my body from making kidney stones (including getting rid of the rock I currently have)
3. Stop people from having their feelings hurt over the Misys Reunion shirts
4. Stop the Florida offense from scoring! (It is Tennessee/Florida week - what did you expect???)

On 9/11, I am amazed at how much this day brings back memories. I will never forget staring at the TV and wondering what was happening as the news tried to piece together what happened. Hearing it go from a small passenger plane to a commercial plane to multiple planes to multiple airlines to multiple sites was intense. I distinctly remember wondering if I should go get Morgan from preschool. Of course, we were in Tennessee at the time, but it didn't seem that crazy at the time to wonder if she was safe. I remember using AOL's AIM to keep Medic/Misys co-workers up to date as they didn't have easy access to a TV.

Many years later at Bond, I meet Luke who worked in the World Trade Center at that time as a contract employee for another company. It was the last day of his job, and he decided to stay up late to watch Monday Night Football and sleep in a little later. As a result, he got to work later than normal (He is ALWAYS at work early). So, as he is waiting for the elevator, the first plane hit. I often wonder how many people have similar stories. I remember hearing about people who weren't supposed to be on the flights but due to a last minute change in plans, there were on the flights. I also remember people who missed the plane or changed plans to not be on the plane at the last minute. It is amazing how one simple decision in life can alter it so - even to the life and death point. On a smaller scale, these decisions occur frequently. Some little small thing like going into work earlier or later can impact the rest of your life. One little game of I Never, and I got to know Mike. Wonder what I would be doing had I gone to bed early? Thank goodness I was a partier that night. :) For another Tennessean's post about 9/11, see here.

2. The kidney stone trauma. So, lithotripsy apparently isn't an option. As I am walking across the living room floor last night, the pain was so great and so suddenly strong, I literally fell on the living room floor. Morgan had to help me up. Thank God for pain medicine, or I would have certainly been at the ER last night. The pain comes and goes but it has been pretty horrific in the last 24 hours. Of course, the big reunion is this weekend, and I am not having anything done about it until that is over. So, I might as well suck it up, get more pain meds, and hang in for another few days. However, I really wish I could stop these bad boys from occurring. It is difficult to explain, but they are life altering.

3. The t-shirts. Somehow, what started as a fun little activity, has been posted all over the internet. The shirts certainly weren't meant to upset anyone. I am thankful that I had Jason Cline as my boss because I don't know that I would have left Misys if it weren't for him. I can honestly say that he was the worst management I have ever seen, but he did make me mad enough to leave. I try to remember sometimes what life was like before the big move to Tampa. It has only been 2 and a half years, but in some ways it really seems like another lifetime. It is definitely one of those life altering decisions. As opposed to moving to Tampa as I was, I really do like it here. I love Raleigh, and I am excited about going back there. However, Tampa isn't bad. We have settled in here pretty well. Anyway, for anyone who reads this, the shirts were all in fun, and I am sorry if I hurt any feelings. As I said somewhere else, to me it is like college football. This saturday, I will sit with Florida fans (I know, feel sorry for me) and watch the Tennessee/Florida game. I will be decked out in Tennessee gear with my Rocky Top playing phone. I might even have a t-shirt made mocking Florida. On the other side, I am sure the Florida fans will do the same. If they didn't, a lot of the fun would be removed. It is the team pride and spirit that makes college football so fun. To quote my brilliant husband, "It is great to be arch rivals on Saturday and best friends on Sunday." So, I will be wearing my Bond gear. What other teams will show at the Reunion? :)

I have to add ONE more. I would ensure that the Tennessee Defense could STOP the Florida Offense so that Tennesseee could win the big game this Saturday. By the way, it appears that the Misys Reunion is at Rudino's Rooftop at 6pm and the game watching will be at Blinco's for the 3:30 kick off on Saturday. I am sure that one night will include a trip to Rum Runners for old time sake. :)

Leave me comments!!! For some funny UT/Florida week content, go here and here. Go Vols!

Greeter and Tennessee WINS!

This is Morgan's current Big Cat. We haven't heard from anyone to know if she will get a new one. The picture was cute though, so I decided to post it. :)

First of all, the most important thing, Tennessee WON! I know, it was only Southern Miss, but after losing the home opener I was sad. Since they play Florida this Saturday, I needed at least one relaxing game with a WIN! The rest of the family teams didn't do so well...For those of you who don't know, my dad went to Mississippi State, my mom got her master's at the University of South Carolina, my oldest brother Mike went to Auburn, my brother Mark went to Georgia, and I went to Tennessee (of course the best). As you can imagine, football season can get pretty heated. For the most part, we all cheer each other's teams on though and it is fun. Since evil Steve Spurrier (I am pretty sure he will be the one puttin stents in people in hell) prepared South Carolina well enough to beat Georgia (Mark cares a whole lot more than my mom about football and I can't stand Spurrier), the first game to finish was not good. Next, Tennessee is losing to Southern Miss. As I repeatedly chant, "This can't be happening, this can't be happening, this can't be happening," Tennessee starts to win and doesn't look back. Whew...they do remember what football is. I was starting to wonder. :) Next, we notice that USF is beating Auburn. Mike is actually cheering for USF (I mean I know they are the local team and all but we are talking family and SEC!!!). Of course, I have to call Mike (he isn't quite as into football after living in CA for 13 years) as he doesn't even know that the game is on much less who is winning. He turns it on, and Auburn starts playing beter (coincidence?) By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE! He must have stopped watching though as they lost. Oh well. At least Tennessee won. Mississippi State did beat the powerhouse of Tulane (by 21 points!!), and Ole Miss lost to Mizzou so my dad was extremely happy. So, I guess 3 out of 5 won but it was a surprising 2 that lost. Oh yeah, Mike's team, BYU, lost but they put up a good effort. Of course, Mike and I disagree on whether BYU plays in a real conference, but so far I am not getting to make many arguments with how the SEC has done. :( On another Tennessee football note, the Titans beat the Jags. I am hoping that it is a good omen going into UT/UF week. Since the Vols haven't beaten the Gators since I moved to Tampa, I think it is time. I can't handle another year of Gators gloating. Please Vols - do it this year. In order to do that though, please read the dictionary to learn the definition of tackle. :)

I was a greeter at Church today. Too bad this job doesn't pay because it is the perfect gig for me. Talk to people as they arrive and make them feel welcome. If they have questions, try to answer them or find something who can. I CAN DO THAT!!! :) I had so much fun. I was starting to get a complex about it because I have been on the schedule to greet two times in the past few months. Each time, something bad happened that prevented me from going (Last time it was Morgan's trip to the ER). I am so glad I got to go this time. I even got to go to the traditional service. I love the traditional service with the choir and hymns. I have adjusted to the comtemporary service since Morgan likes the kid's service that is at that time, but I still prefer the traditional. As Mike said, the contemporary one is a bit too much like a rock concert for me. :) Maybe we are just getting old.

The gym is having a Casino Night October 20th in Tampa (don't worry, there is a cash bar). She is selling tickets that are $25 (includes dinner and play money to gamble with). Let me know if you want to join in the party!

Also, on a more important note, Morgan is seeking sponsors to help pay for this insanely expensive sport of cheerleading. If anyone is interested in sponsoring Morgan in cheerleading, all sponsor donations are tax deductible. :)

Also, don't forget to leave comments!!! I want to hear from you!

Beach Day

Morgan's cheerleading group, the Florida Wilcats, had a Beach Party today at Fort Desoto Beach. Nothing like 100 cheerleaders running around!! Of course, we were late. I don't think we are ever on time. We went to Pubix on the way to get chicken, fruit, potato salad, chips, and drinks. I think our checkout girl shared a brain with a gerbil. It was painful, but we finally made it out of the store with our groceries.

Mike brought his big canopy to the beach which was wonderful. I just can't get used to the beaches here. They are beautiful to look at, but the sand isn't very soft and has shells all in it. Then, when you get out into the water, there is seaweed stuff all over the place. ICK... We had a great time though. The cheer coaches flipped the girls into the water, and it was amazing fun to watch them flip and twist through the air. Of course, quite a few girls smacked the water pretty hard. OUCH...that leaves a mark!

At one point, there were 7 girls under our canopy building a big mountain. I just couldn't understand why in the world they were there since none of the girls were Morgan. Then, another mom told me that Mike said it was ok. Mike swears he didn't say that, but regardless, we had a mountain. I was just amazed that people would just go under someone else's canopy and build a big annoying mound. We moved the tent after that to get back on flat land, and all was ok again.

They assigned big sisters to the smaller girls at the picnic (known as Big Cat/Lil Cat). Morgan looked forward to it all day. She even made prepared pages in the car on the way there that just needed her big sister's name filled in. So, they announce them, and Morgan's is named Klarissa. She is 16, and she was NOT excited about having Morgan as her lil cat. In fact, she didn't even say a word to her until she told some other girl, "I didn't want a 9 year old. I wanted a little kid." Poor Morgan. She was so disappointed. She tried and tried to talk to Klarissa, but she just didn't want anything to do with her. So, being the cheer mom, I went and asked for another Big Cat for Morgan. She said she would see what she can do. I really hope she gets another one.

I logged onto Histalk tonight, and I noticed that pictures of the t-shirt are now posted. Mike says I should sell the shirts with different companies on the back. :) Anyone interested? :)

Leave me a comment...my counter is going up but I have no idea who is reading...You can also use the Chat box...:) GO VOLS! I am filled with glee that Michigan lost again. Now, if only my Vols can win it will be a great day.

By the way, I haven't updated the stats in a while...
Amy - smoke free for Three Months, Six Days, 4 Hours and 34 Minutes, while extending my life expectancy 8 Days and 4 Hours, by avoiding the use of 2357 cigs that would have cost me $402.24.

The Layout

FINALLY...Morgan got her back layout. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a back flip where the body is straight as you flip. Morgan has been working on it for a long time, and I am pretty sure that it cost me at least $1,000 for her to get this flip. WOO HOO! Onto the next expensive trick which I think is a full (twisting flip). I took a video with the cell phone, but it didn't turn out very well. I will try to get a better one next week.

Work was pretty good. The release is getting closer. I got my CT results back, and I have a 4mm kidney stone. Bummer. Unfortunately, the Urologist doesn't think that Lithotripsy will work, so I would have to have it removed and then get a stent. A stent is basically like having a straw inserted from the bladder to the kidney. Personally, I think it is what happens if you go to hell. They stick one of these stents in and make you do jumping jacks or something. Forget death row...just make people have a stent. They are awful (did I mention that they are very painful?). So, I think I will try to wait it out in case it breaks up (HA HA).

I am so glad college football has started. Even though we will be at the beach all day tomorrow, there is just something in the air during football season. GO VOLS!

Rules of Concerts

My parents are in San Francisco visiting my brother and sister-in-law. So, they fly from Nashville to San Francisco and go to see Vince Gill and Amy Grant (who are from Nashville). Morgan says, "Grams is going to a concert??" I am cracking up while she is talking to Grams on the phone, and I can hear Grams laughing through the phone. Morgan says, "Let me give you some rules about concerts in case you don't know. First, don't dance wildly. Second, don't sing if you don't know the words. Third, sit down if you don't know what to do." Great advice from a newly turned nine year old.

Today was an eventful day. I found out that my shirts had images that need to be higher resolution. I am still working on that so I can get them here by the reunion. Apparently, the shirts are generating some attention as my page counter went up by 200 in less than 36 hours. I hope everyone knows that the shirts are all in fun. I was surprised to read about one of them on histalk. Wow, twice on histalk. I am moving up in the world.

We are busy trying to get a new release out, so of course Travis asks me every hour on the hour when it will be released. I am getting very good at saying, "Look there is a spider!" with different examples. :) Seriously, I hope it will be next week.

Mike found his Medic ad. It is hysterical. If children are around, please lower your volume. Remember, this was when a company-wide contest was being held for the new product name. CLick here to enjoy. Make sure you aren't drinking anything or it might come out of your nose. Mike now has his own blog as he just couldn't sit back and watch me have all the fun. Life should be really interesting when we are fighting. :)

Happy Birthday Mike and Michael!

As birthday season progresses, Mike had a birthday today and my step-son Michael had a birthday today. Michael is now in the double-digits, and Mike is 4 and a half decades old as the kids keep telling him. He got the royal McFall treatment from "his favorite brother-in-law." A birthday just isn't complete until you hear Mikeo sing happy birthday. Mike and I were trying to picture him hiding behind his closed office door while singing. Too funny :)

We all went to Sam Seltzer's for dinner (Michael's pick). Kids eat free, so that was nice. Mike ordered Ribs and Wings for an appetizer, and Katie ate half of the wings and Morgan and I ate half of the ribs. Poor Mike. Katie and Morgan both had the kid's prime rib. I don't think either one of them had gotten it before, and they were initially mortified by the "sauce." After learning it was au jus, they liked that "juice stuff." Michael got a huge steak, and I think he was happy. Mike seemed to enjoy his Prime Rib also.

We had a great time at work today laughing about the Misys shirts. Unfortunately, the James Bond image was copyrighted, so that part had to go. :( The shirts have been ordered though and should make it for the reunion. :) As I am trying to explain the Misys shirts to Mike (he is not quite getting the humor), he reminds me of the "commercial" he recorded when Medic was trying to come up with a new name for its Practice Management software. There was a naming contest. Of course, Mike's "commercial" wasn't PC, so it was never submitted. .

I am still perplexed at the fact that not much buzz is going around after the Misys-iMedica announcement. I thought it would be a pretty interesting news story in the the industry, but after a quick burst of attention when announced, it seems to be getting little to no attention now. Is that because people are just tired of the Misys drama? Is it because people don't think it is very exciting? Will this become an industry trend? What does the market think about one company reselling another company's product? How will Misys compete with iMedica? Will it be easy for other vendors to sell against the combo? I would be intereted in your thoughts.

Misys Reunion

I am not sure if my kidney knows it, but it is causing me a lot of pain. This stupid stone is not making me happy. I called the uorologist and they are getting me in to have a CT on Wednesday afternoon.

The Bond crew is preparing for our "Misys Reunion" that is on Sept 14th. We can't wait to see fellow Bond employees, other smart people who left Misys, and the poor souls who are still at Misys.

To get into the spirit, we decided to make t-shirts to wear. The first ideas were 1. Muck Fisys and 2. F Misys and 3. Fear and Loathing in Raleigh (I still don't get this one but I guess it is something with a movie). As we discussed, we started with "the grass is greener on the other side." We are ordering our shirts tomorrow. It should be fun. I had a preview here, but somehow the link was getting passed around Misys less than 6 hours after posting. Now that takes all the fun out of it. :) So, I created a new shirt for Misys amusement. :)

FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's football time in Tennessee!!!!! I miss John Ward. I am so excited that it is finally here. I love college football, and January to August is a very painful time. The day starts out wonderfully. Michigan loses to Appalachian State!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!! Have I ever told you how much I despise Michigan (otherwise known as Heisman thiefs)? Anyway, Georgia starts out well. The Tennessee Cal game starts ok (what is up with those weird people living in trees?? Why do these people make fun of Tennesseans???). Anyway, they have this one running back who can slice our defense all day. It is dreadful. In the 3rd Quarter, it appears that Tennesssee is getting it together. NAH...that was just a tease. Michael and Morgan were so cute. They were both dressed in their Tennessee shirts, and they cheered and cheered for Tennessee. Mark and Krishan were also here to watch the game. Krishan kept forgetting that his review is coming up soon as he said we needed a new defense. Tony finally showed up at the end of the 3rd quarter with some lame excuse. So, they lose the opener. It has been a really long time since they lost the opener. It is so depressing. I now know why teams schedule easy teams for the first game. I guess someone forgot to tell Michigan that! HA HA...

Anyway, my kidney stone is bothing me greatly, so I am taking pain medicine. THANK GOD for pain medication. Hopefully, by the next game, Tennessee will figure out what a defense is and my kidney will remember what normal activity feels like.