Equinox/Estara Update

Here is my update. After finishing 2 wonderfully sunny days off. I am ready to reflect:

I've been at my new floor almost 3 weeks. It will be okay once I know everyones's name. This floor is less centrally organized than my old one so the RNs are down the halls from my desk and I don't get to bond with them. I wish I could have had a honeymoon period where all the dysfunctional dynamics just flow over your head. But since I've been in the building 10 years and worked on this floor '98-'01, I am familiar with what functions and what dysfunctions on CaRe. I am going to have to let go of my crazy expectations that people TRY to do their job well.

When I stop by my old floor everyone yells, "Marty!" like I'm a rock star. It feels very good to be loved and missed. Morale is down over there especially among the Coordinators who have to work harder and faster since 2.5 of us were cut from the budget.

CaRe (Cardiac-Renal) has two desks and the one I am at today is more quiet and secluded. Allows me to email so I am grateful. I like my schedule. I work mostly day shifts (7am-330p) with a few evenings (3pm-1130p) for variety. I work every other weekend on the day shift. I was worried I'd have to switch weekends and re-arrange plans for the whole year. And vacations appear to be easier to schedule here.

What are my plans for the year?
-April 5 My nephews are being baptised. I am Donovan's godfather.
- May 23 My group, SoulPlay is doing a show called "Sighs Matters"
-June 5-7 In DBQ for my Mom's 75th B-day
-June 17-21 UpNort for Faerie Spirit Gathering. The retreat I help plan every year.
-July 1-4 Family at Backbone State Park
-7/30-8/2 -InterPlay Leaders Conference in Raleigh/Durham
-Aug 2 - George's baby due.
-Aug 7-16 - Lammas Gathering UpNort at Kawashaway
-Sep 25-27 20-year Clarke College reunion


Movies I am looking forward to:
May 1 - Wolverine
May 8 - StarTrek
May 15- Angel and Demons
July 1 -Public Enemies
July 17- HP & The Half-Blood Prince
Oct 16- Where The Wild Things Are

My priorities right now include:
-losing some of the weight I've gained over the Winter
-transforming my 3 broken bikes into one that works
-mailing all the books I'm giving away thru BookMooch.com
-finishing my photo album project out on my sun porch
-walking by the river daily to see the buds birthing

I hope you enjoyed this update. I learned a lot about myself in the writing. I'm thinking about blogging a list of books I recommend.

Sorry for the delay. My fans have been clamoring, so I am back. Special thanx to Ang and Shall who did the "clamoring." Been quite a month. On Feb 4 I was notified in a rather intimidating meeting that my job was being cut. I was offered a transfer, so I am grateful to have a job. But I have worked on R5Med for almost 8 years because of the WONDERFUL people, so for me the emotional impact is what I am dealing with. Financially, I'll be making the same amount and have an equivalent schedule.

On March 2 I start working on the CARE floor (CArdiac REnal). I worked there from 1998-2001.

I wrote the above a few weeks ago, while I was working. No wonder they got rid of me.  I am on my new floor now for almost two weeks. More soon. Just wanted to get this out there for my loyal readers. Both of them.

Obama Was My Third Choice

Watched the Inauguration with a few friends today. A few stalwarts who have been in my living room for election night, debate nights, and Obama's acceptance in August. We all had plenty of opinions and each had our moments that felt most monumental.

I have waited my whole life for a non-straight/white/male president, but during the primaries I felt so conflicted. Rep. Dennis Kucinich was my favorite Democrat. (I don't often think of myself as a Democrat.) When it comes to left/progressive politics he is usually out there with me.  I am always realistic about his chances, especially with our political/media atmosphere. But he is who I want to vote for president, if I am voting Democrat. My second choice was Sen. John Edwards. As an anti-racist, feminist it was hard for me to back neither the first woman, nor the first person of color running successfully for a major party. But Edwards is always on the side of economic justice, where few major politicians ever stand. He announced his candidacy in New Orleans, if you remember, and he had me from there.

But I see Obama as a very wise and savvy leader who will find ways to move all of us into a new understanding of what it means to be American. I do like some of his cabinet appointments. Having a Secretary of Energy who is a scientist whose career has been spent developing renewable energy sure beats a FEMA Director with a background in Arabian horses. I do have a long list of tasks I'd like to see Obama work on in the next 99 days, but so does everyone else.

Leftovers

You may heave heard on national or international media that it is a little cold here this week. I am spending my day inside, but want to resist the urge to complain about the weather. Now that I've been in MN for almost 20 years, I know there is always a reason to talk about the weather, so you can look forward to those posts in the future.

I've posted one of my collages. It is entitled "Leftovers" since that's what it is. I did a series that I call "Men of EW" because it was made from pictures I ripped out of Entertainment Weekly. Those were all 7x7 inches and were cut square or diagonally with straight lines. Except for one that I did the same size but cut like concentric circles using portraits of Russell Crow and Denzel Washington. "Leftovers" is 8.5 x 11 and made from all the pieces I had left. I wanted to see if I could take what I had and make something out of it. Unlike the others I had no inspiration or plan when I sat down to this, just the challenge of using only what's available.

Lately I've been making collages for myself or for gifts to friends and they are too big for my scanner, but if you want to see more of "Men of EW" I can post them.

The Oscar "Race" is on

For years I have spent the long, dark, cold cold months of January and February in the warm, dark womb of movie theaters. As a child in Dubuque, IA I would watch the Oscar ceremony with awe until the end when the best-picture nominations would  be announced. The awe came from the fact that most years, none of the five movies would have made it to Dubuque. As I grew and matured, I vowed, like in many overly-dramatic, coming-of-age movies that someday I would see all five nominated movies before Oscar night. Living in the Minneapolis makes that a little easier, but it can be a tight race. 

To qualify to be nominated, movies have to be released on a certain number of screens in NYC and LA by December 31. There is often a rush of releases that then have to trickle across to the heartland.  And since there are only so many screens in Minneapolis, most of the movies that were nominated for the Golden Globes had not shown up here yet when they were announced. Now they are all here at once and I didn't request a vacation to see them all this month. Most will be here only a few weeks unless they break out of the arthouse and into the googaplex.

The Oscar nominations come out January 22 and the ceremony is February 22.  So I have to start my quest blind. I use the Golden Globe nominations as my guide until the various ceremonies and critics' best lists come out. One new companion on my journey is Entertainment Weekly's  list of "25 movies you have to see before Oscar night". Sounds like it was created just for me, but it really puts the pressure on.  When the list came out on Jan. 9, I had only seen 4 of the 25. Now I am up to 6. Perhaps this weekend I can go on a rental spree for those films that actually came out DURING 2008.

Intro and Welcome

All dressed up and now nothing to say. It was sometime in 2007 that my friend Jenny at work first suggested I blog about my movie reviews and all the other thoughts and opinions I am always pouring forth. Numerous times since then I have composed in my head important and ground-breaking revelations that needed to be shared with the world. Now that I am all set up, I don't remember a one.

But soon, very soon, I will be back here reviewing award-nominated movies, going off about the religious right, raving about the newly expanded Seward Coop, promoting the proper use of hyphens, sharing the joy of InterPlay, decrying the decline of journalism, hyping the next comic book movie, complaining about MN weather, giving a shout out to my Bruther Girlfriends in the Rad Faes, or rambling about the newest little thing to stumble across my stream of consciousness.

Welcome! Let me know you're here and what you'd like to hear.

- MarT redWing