Displaced Beachbums

Last night, FG’s art teacher hosted a fun “Night of the Arts” show. FG put me on the spot when she showed me her classroom’s board which had their artwork ~ all 16 of them. She asked me to choose the “best” one which really meant I was supposed to pick hers. I couldn’t see any of the names so I decided to go ahead and pick the one I thought was the most artistic and, thank goodness, it was hers 🙂

She loves her art class and especially likes her art teacher. The first thing I thought when I met him was he looks just like a California surfer dude. Think Spicoli from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” I mentioned this to FG once we got home and she said one of her classmates already told him “hey, you look like a surfer dude.”    Too funny.

It got me thinking about how much some people remind me of other people ~ famous or not. And they don’t have to look like them but it’s something about their character or mannerisms. The actress I’ve been most compared to is Dana Delany. She’s best known for being the nurse on China Beach.  

Who do people compare you to?

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FG’s school hosted a Fitness Day yesterday. I volunteered to help out with one of activity stations and ended up spending 2.5 hours tossing balls, bending, and running around. I certainly got a good work-out and I’m feeling the burn today.  I kept waiting for FG’s class to come through but it ended up each class missed one station and it just so happened FG’s class missed the one I was at ~ Bummer! I did get to see her after the ‘Cool Down’ by the fire department:

 The “cool down’, which consisted of being sprayed by the big water hose, was no doubt the favorite part of the day for the kids. The range on the hose was quite far so all the adults (and their digital cameras) were running in the opposite direction!  All in all, it was a fun way to spend the morning.

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New cast 

FG got her new and improved cast today ~ it’s great! Thankfully, she only needs a cast around her wrist and not above the elbow. What a difference that makes. She gets re-checked in a month. The service at the Orthopedic Department today was outstanding. We were seen on-time and received quick, competent service. When the doctor heard how she hurt her arm, he said his son has been begging for heelys.

Later, as FG was getting her cast, we heard the following exchange in the next room:

Doctor: You mean you let your son wear heelys WHILE he still had a cast on?

Little boy’s Dad: Um, yes, his mom wanted him to try them on and he was in the kitchen.

Doctor: I’m having a disconnect here ~ while he STILL has a cast on?

Little boy’s Dad: unintelligible muttering.

Too funny. These heelys are getting a bad reputation in the Orthopedic world.

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For her birthday, FG begged for a pair of Heelys.  A lot of the kids wear them even though they’re banned from the school. Since that is all she wanted, I agreed with the stipulation that if we had to make a trip to the emergency room, she wouldn’t be able to use them anymore.  

Fast forward one month and she’s using her heelys on the sidewalk and, unfortunately, must have caught a pebble or something because she fell forward and used her arms to stop her fall. We spent SIX hours in the emergency room on a Sunday afternoon and it turns out she did fracture her lower arm near the wrist.  She has a temporary cast and will get a permanent one on Friday.

The whole emergency room experience was probably more painful than the break itself. They need some serious time management and customer service classes for the medical staff. Personally, I could care less about a doctor’s bedside manner ~ I want someone competent and efficient. No need to chat me up with useless talk but I think they should be able to tell you if it’s going to be a 4-5 hour wait. I would have sent FM home so we both didn’t waste our time sitting in the waiting room. I’m known for questioning everything and had I not questioned the first set of x-rays, they wouldn’t have found the fracture. Even though I SPECIFICALLY told the nurse that FG was complaining about pain in her lower arm, they requested x-rays on her elbow. UGH. I always wonder what happens to people who are too intimidated to question the medical staff. And yes, I have to put up with their condescending answers because they don’t like being questioned by lay people but that doesn’t stop me one bit. It only makes me resolved to make them make it clear to me. I’ve already told FM (who hates to question the staff) that if I’m too incapacitated to talk, he better step up and be an advocate for me. 

That said: I’m thankful that I have medical care and know that there are a lot of people who don’t have access to our kind of care. It could be a lot worse.

This will be FG’s fashion statement for the next week. She’s hoping for a red cast on Friday.

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