January 25th
Arizona was a great week. The weather stayed about 68 degrees, blue skies, and pleasant. The first night I got down there, last Friday, I met with a group of wonderful ladies from Three Way Action BBS for dinner and getting to know each other. Each was lovely in their own utterly unique way and I want each to instantly move to Seattle so we can socialize more often.
I stayed at Dad's place, in a nice quiet retirement mobile home park just a few miles from the conference center. Catsy is still down there in Phoenix, along with his lovely lady [who I'm certain will read this and email me with whatever affectionate pseudonym she would like me to use for her in this journal]. They'll be driving back to Seattle in a few weeks, and it'll certainly be great to have them in the neighborhood. She and I hadn't met before, and my first worth what it's paid for opinion is that they're very lucky to have found each other and I'm looking forward to welcoming her to town. They've been in Arizona while she's been in a school of luthiery. When they return here she will be looking to work in building and repairing guitars and other stringed instruments. Any of the Blue Blazer Regulars who could use such skills like re fretting your old guitar or discussing some custom work drop me a note and I'll hook you up with her. I've seen her work and it's some beautiful stuff. The workshop I was in was fascinating. From 8 a.m. til 6 p.m. for five straight days I was in non-stop lectures on techniques in pain management, even including banquet luncheon lectures every day. The other attendees were anesthesiologists, neurosurgeons, physiatrists, pain clinic medical directors, and such - I was the lowest trained person there. I was tickled to sit in on lectures with titles such as "Entrapment Neuropathies", "Intrathecal Neurolytic Blocks", "Differences and Similarities between Myofascial Pain and Fibromyalgia", and "Implanted Deep Brain Stimulation", and I felt like I was holding my own, keeping up with the big boys and girls. It's all far above the level of training I initially had in nursing school, but it's my every day environment at work now and it's so damn satisfying I just actually look forward to work most every day. The afternoon I left to fly home two things arrived. A sprinkling of rain on the windshield and George W. Bush. I'm certain the coincidence is purely symbolic.