Home- And Away - And Trying To Get Home Again

I think I forgot to post these picts the other day.... It was on Saturday and I put some of those tomato trellis things in another of my tomato plants because it was getting bigger. I also was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the cucumbers that I put in are growing. And, then, we have the row of roses that dad had put in the front of the garden after they visited Amish country a few years back. Apparently he wanted to live in an "Amish Paradise" and so he took their ways - of gardening at least. Although, he did sport hats.... just not those black flat tops - and never any big ol' sideburns.... Ha - can you imagine dad with a crew cut and bushy sideburns! SO not Amish!

But, I digress.... Today I pulled out of Huntsville after one whole long day there. I could complain more, but I actually can't as this trip I had a nice car, a great hotel and I basically sat around all day yesterday waiting for tests to run. This big hospital system was starting up a new processing area and had installed 6 new instrument washers but they were using my soap so they needed me to come in and make sure that the dilution ratios and time and temp and all were correct. I always go the extra mile to cover my butt and so I run washer verification just to have proof that all the perimeters are aligned. A washer verification comes in a variety of shapes and forms, but the basic premise is a piece of metal, coated with a protein synthetic that mimics a soiled instrument. There is usually some type of process challenge involve which would represent a worst case scenario such as instruments stacked on each other or crevices which would make something harder to clean. To prove that a washer is performing correctly, the metal plate should have become completely clean after a wash cycle. If there is remaining protein on the plate, we can usually kind of "mystery solve" back to a point where we can indicate if a washer arm is blocked a detergent is not flowing properly or some other such thing.

Unfortunately, running these tests take time as you have to first install them in the racks on a washer with instruments that are ready to go through. Then, you have to actually run a cycle with the instruments - this usually takes about 30 - 40 minutes. Yesterday, the washer use was scattered as they were just starting up the facility and they had to transport soiled cases in from off-site. So, I got two washers here and a washer there. The morning and afternoon was loading, waiting, documenting -- loading, waiting, documenting - loading, wait...... you get the idea....

For the past week or so I've had this massive tension knot in my neck on the left side and yesterday it had become so annoying as to keep me from turning my head completely to the left without pain - so I YELPED... That is, I went onto Yelp and looked up "Massage". I found this place close to the facility I was at and got in at 4 and I discovered the best massage I've ever ever had! Sometimes, you get a massage and you just feel really good pressure but its coming from the person's fingertips. But, this wonderful woman - it was her whole hand! I can't even describe it, but it was this perfect, even pressure that was amazing. And even better, she really took time to concentrate on those pesty tension knots she found and by the end of the hour - voila! I could actually turn my head completely - amazing!

So I scooted on back to the hotel afterwards - passing SPACE CAMP! I don't think I had my blog before when I went and visited Space Camp - but I didn't feel like I missed that much so I just snapped a shot as I zipped past on the highway.

And then today, Wednesday, I went back to the facility and checked things out and then left a little later for the airport. But first, I stopped by a big Barnes and Noble on the way out. The group of CA students that are visiting and helping with the Int'l outreach ministry have been awesome so I wanted to get them all a little something to remember Chicago -- or Waukegan as the case is. One of the students is an English major and so I was telling them all the highlights of our area and I told him that Ray Bradbury was from Waukegan and he looked at me politely like "just smile and nod because she's an old person who likes to talk about things that I have no clue about".... SO - as a fellow English major, I could not let him leave our state without introducing him to one of the best, and weirdest, authors that ever took up a ballpoint! I figured I'd gift him a Dandelion Wine and then tell him that when he moved on to the second one (which I'm confident he will ) it should be Something Wicked This Way Comes, although Farenheit 51 is a definite classic - I just don't like it as much -- I mean -- they BURN books! :(

So anyways, I stopped by this bookstore and I was looking for good old Ray and I started to panic because I couldn't find him and then I finally went down the aisle enough and - bam - there he was and I was so proud and happy....

I found my book, got my coffee and jumped back in my Mustang, crossing the mighty Tennessee River - headed back to good ol' Birmingham, y'all!

I sped back so quickly that I beat the rain and now I'm sitting in the airport, watching the rain patter down on the glass ceiling here in one of the world's most boring airports.... keeping my hands folded in prayer that we will actually leave at 5:30 to get back home as the weather has been slamming us down here and I know its been slamming the good old windy city as well...