Ink Master

I know a lot of people eschew television.  I am sure the reasons are varied.  For us, it is the combination of a lack of time to watch it, a lack of interest in watching very many shows, and the prohibitive cost considering the other 2 factors.  If it were, say, $20/month, I am sure we would still have cable and not just use an antenna.  Honestly, I bought the Roku thinking we would use that, and I rarely do.  Thankfully, the cost of the Roku and the cost of the antenna were negated by just one month of not having cable. 

My point, and I do have one, is that in spite of the fact that we watch little TV (wasting our down time on the internet instead), I see some positive effects of it.  Now, I want to be clear, there is a lot of crap on TV that I cannot imagine has any positive effects.  If you glean any life lessons from Keeping up with the Kardashians or The Real Housewives of (insert city here) or find anything redeeming in the Bad Girls Club or Toddlers in Tiaras you let me know.   But, sometimes we just want to be entertained (hello football).  Sometimes, however, it can change how you view things.  

Case in point: food.  I have learned more about food from TV than almost anything else save eating.  I know far more about preparing, cooking, and presentation (not that I have mastered any of the 3) from shows like Top Chef and No Reservations.  From the latter and from Andrew Zimmern, I have learned to try (and I succeed far more often than not) foods outside of my comfort zone.  From this, I have learned to like a much broader variety and am always clamoring for something new and different.  This palate expansion has also expanded (to a lesser degree, but still significantly) Tia’s palate.  I may not like all the things I have tried, but I have tried them because they have been demystified on TV. 

So, in a roundabout way, I can credit (blame?), TV for my new tattoo.  I have long found them interesting, but the idea of walking into a shop and trying to pick an artist or a design was frankly intimidating.  Plus, the actual tattoo itself seemed like it would be painful and bloody.  Ultimately, it was neither (well, barely both actually).  The show, Ink Masters, led me from conceptualization to realization.  It demystified the process in the same way as the cooking shows did.  It gave me some ideas on what to look for in an artist, how to pick a shop, and what the process would be like.  It alleviated my fears.  

So, this past Sunday (nigh 2 days ago) I found myself in a chair with someone jabbing an ungodly amount of small needles into my arm.  It felt less like needles going into your arm and more like they were scraping across it.  The tattoo gun is so rapid that, after the first few seconds, you don’t notice it much more than a tingling sensation with rare blips of minor pain.  Following the tattoo, it feels raw…..almost sunburned (and still feels that way, though less, today).  Evidently over the coming weeks it will dry and peel and then, it will just be there.  For now, it is just a strange site.  It’s as though I expect it to wash off one day in the shower.   But, I am very pleased with the result. Now the next question is, will I want another?

Pic to come once it heals up.    

Random thing to remember on a shitty day: A patient of mine’s sister called yesterday to ‘see I was working today, because they were going to cancel otherwise’ as they ‘had a tough experience the last time in.’ This same patient had already transferred clinics due to difficulty accessing her veins.  I had the good fortune of being successful on my first try.  I am evidently the only one who has had this success.  So, with much trepidation, she came in for her medication and I was able to get her again on my first attempt.  After which she said, ‘I hope they are paying you what you are worth’ and wanted to be certain I would be there on her next apt.  Her sister hugged me and thanked me.  It feels good to have that positive feedback.  God knows if I will make it 3 for 3 the next time though!  

generic update

Trying to tie up a bunch of disparate events with some overarching story line that binds them together nicely like the better episodes of your favorite sitcom, but failing due to a lack of a roomful of writers so I will just go bullet point style instead. 

-          If you aren’t watching Breaking Bad, I am sure you are a lot more heart healthy than I because it feels like someone is sitting on my chest while I watch it.  Utterly amazing.  Both sad that it is winding down and impatient to see how they pull it off.

-          Sun River was a pretty darn successful family jaunt.  Cars = ability to stop and stretch at random intervals.  Plane = cramped with unhappy and very squirmy kiddo (same for dad).  So, while the theoretical 3.5 hour journey took more like 5 hours inclusive of stops, it made for a happy baby and happy parents.  As for the place itself, it was really nice/strange.  An entire planned community down to the stores, trails, and recreation center.  Massive undertaking I am sure, but quite lovely results.  I think Q will enjoy it more when he is a bit older.  For now, he just really liked playing in the sand and probably enjoyed the water feature at Wilsonville Park more than the massive waterpark like SHARC (link) rec area.  He also was not a huge fan of the lava tube.  Dark and cold is not for Q. 

-          Night Terrors = Holy shit!   Quinn got his first one of these and oh my god it was terrifying….perhaps more so for us.  He just screamed for the vast majority of an hour and refused to open his eyes.  Like he was in a trance.  How come there are no such things as night joygasms?  Same reason I wonder why dementia is always negative (people stealing from you, poisoning you, etc) vs amazing (thinking you are drinking cocktails in the Carribbean, thinking your ham sandwich is a perfectly cooked steam, etc). 

-          Work = Same old shit.  Just trying to persist until OHSU takes over.  Though, the most recent negotiating stances are not looking too hot (link).  Will be interesting to follow it from afar, but they are going to a mediator, which is the first time this has happened since the strike in 2001 (which lasted about 2 months). Main obstacle seems to be the retirement funding.

-          Meanwhile at Legacy, they did another survey of the field and are bumping us another 2% and then, in January (should I still be employed by Legacy and not OHSU), another 2% for having my BSN.  And, I ought to be eligible (again, if I am still employed with Legacy) for something when my anniversary comes up in March. None are big jumps and none will certainly put me any closer to my goal of retiring in….well, now really, but totaled they are certainly very nice indeed.

-          Sign I am getting old: I am super excited about a new Mazzy Star record.  Evidently the last release from said artist was 17 years ago when I was finishing up high school.  Sigh. 

-          Sign I am getting old #2: I am way more amped up for 3 books from my favorite authors coming out within 2 weeks of one another than I am about any movie, concert, or show this past year.  Hope this is a geeky trait I can pass on. 

-          Not missing TV yet.  Still able to catch Breaking Bad online along with my current favorite (or at least currently airing favorite) reality show Ink Master.  At least until Top Chef returns.  Plus, throw in Parks and Rec to complete the TV set.  Other than that, don’t really follow anything else.  Feeling more and more like a cultural nomad. 

-          Psyched for Sunday.  Will see if I feel the same way after. 

Fees fees fees

The thing about money is that it is highly confusing.  The more you have, the more confusing it gets.  Or in the words of the immortal Jay-Z, "Mo money, mo problems."   Of course, I would love to know what kind of problems the amount of money he has might be.    

When I was really young, it was making sure I had gas money and maybe something to go out.  If I didn’t, then I went nowhere.  As I got older, it was as simple as balancing my checkbook and making sure bills got paid on time.  Then, when I got married, it was trying to figure out how to balance 2 differing views of finances (thankfully not wildly different), putting money into retirement, and shuffling multiple accounts to pay bills.  Now it is all of those things plus money for Quinn’s college and trying to oversee our investments, you know the ones we pay someone to oversee.  It starts to feel overwhelming and things start to fall through the cracks some.  Mostly it is the investments. 

What we are learning is that our advisor did a good job getting us to pull together all our debt and investments, make sure we had adequate insurance coverage, and had open discussions about our finances.  What she was poor at, was actually investing our money.  Our returns have been pretty much flat and the fees wiped out what monies we might have made.  Those ‘fees’ end up being somewhere north of $3000K annually without any real clarity as to where and why.  We just kind of assumed it was standard practice…and are only now finding out that isn’t necessarily the case.  Sadly it took something as innocuous as Tia filling out an online survey that has led us down the path of changing with whom and how engaged we are with our finances (In the survey in question, Tia just mentioned that Erin had forgotten to do things on occasion that she said she was going to do and it turned into something much much bigger than it should.  This also explains why we have no interest in continuing with Ameriprise, even with a different advisor).  Truthfully, it feels like one more thing on an already growing pile, but I suppose we will need to carve out the time somehow.   It is kind of important after all. 

So, now we sit on the precipice of another meeting with another advisor where we will try hard to explain our position, monitor an active toddler, and decipher the financial speak that permeates but rarely seems to find permanence in my mind.  And hope that this time it works out better.  At least we didn’t figure this out many years down the road. 

Speaking of down the road, it is looking more and more like moving will occur sometime down the road too.  The reality has been eye-opening to say the least.  Ultimately, there is no ‘inexpensive’ place to live in Portland and the surrounding areas.  The property taxes and all the addendums to them that Portlanders love to support (hello Art Tax) are onerous, but not much more so than elsewhere.  You are still going to pay about $1000-$1100 per $100K in home value.  And the homes are all about the same as well, save a few pockets where premium prices predominate (and those aren’t areas we live in nor can or want to afford to live in).  West Linn, Milwaukie, Oak Grove, Eastmoreland, Tigard…and on and on, are all about the same.  If you want 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and somewhere near 1500-2000 sq feet, you are going to pay between $250-$350K.  And, if you are near the bottom of that price point, it is likely the house is going to need updating, so you might as well not bother.   Sigh.  For now, it is looking like private schools will be the way to go.  Though thankfully we are many years from that.  

Work is finally (at least theoretically) going to slow down some.  We officially disengaged ourselves from the Park, and the Hood on Tuesday.  They are now in the hands of OHSU.  As for this clinic, still no word.  Maybe eventually…maybe not at all.  All possibilities remain in the air.  In the interim, keep showing up until I hear otherwise. 

Quinn is starting to enter his ‘shyness’ around strangers phase.  It is kind of cute really, since it generally involves him running to either Tia or I to ‘hide’ or be picked up.  Big change from his usual social butterfly self.  Will be interested to see how long it lasts. 

Off to work another day.