Category: Uncategorized (Page 7 of 48)

That old expression “strike three and you’re out” pertains to more than just baseball. My mom used it to cover a multitude of sins, or in my case, lapses in judgment, mistakes, and just plain foolishness. Recently, I’ve decided that this needs to apply to the health-care field as regards the universal, digital “chart” that everyone uses.
Maybe the chart system is just fine and dandy, and errors made are human. That’s totally possible. But in any event, errors can cause quite a lot of stress, and I, for one, do not need additional or unwarranted stress as regards my overall health.
It’s bad enough just getting old.
Strike one happened last year when I went for my annual physical. The perky nurse, many years my junior, administered the “Medicare wellness check-up.” This was a bit annoying only because I’d already filled out those questions on “my chart” (as instructed prior to coming to the actual appointment).
Then she said, “Well, I see by your blood work that your numbers look good.”
Hmm. I had not had any blood work prior to this visit, as they had not told me to do so. I informed her of this and she smiled, somewhat condescendingly, I thought, and “Said, yes, it’s right here. April 25th, you had blood work.”
I shook my head. “Nope, I didn’t,” I replied and then said, “is this another ‘Medicare’ check question?”
She looked at the computer again, and then realized that blood work had been the PREVIOUS year. So, who knows what my numbers were? (I mean, we found out – I went and had blood work taken the next day, but still).
Strike two occurred months later, and to my sister-in-law. She called the week after Christmas to find out some follow up that she had been assured would happen before the holidays.
A rather snippy worker in the doctor’s office (a different doctor than mine), said to her, “The doctor talked to you about this on December 22nd.”
My sister-in-law assured her that she had received no such call and was told, “It’s right here in the chart. I’m reading it right now.”
Sis found that note in “her chart,” but December 22nd was a Sunday. It’s possible she “forgot” that the doctor called her, but seriously, when has a doctor ever called a patient about a routine follow up on a SUNDAY?
This week, my husband received a voice message from Sabrina (not her real name) about his upcoming annual physical. Sabrina was clearly NOT hired for her phone voice. She had a high-pitched, breathy voice that alternated between uncertainty and incoherency. We had to play the tape three times to hear what time the appointment was supposed to occur. Finally, my husband called the office to confirm.
He was told to answer the Medicare wellness check questions in “his chart” online. So, he proceeded to do so, and in this chart he found a message that said “based on your recent blood work, you have high glucose.”
He has not had recent blood work. Unless eleven months ago is considered “recent,” and those results were normal, according to the chart. He attempted to contact the office again, but it was 5:05 p.m. and the office was closed.
Someone, somewhere, has high glucose, but it isn’t being addressed. Strike 3.
I’m scheduled for my annual in three weeks. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all works out.

Last week, I watched a video of George Carlin talking about redundant comments made on a recent airplane flight. He started with the safety talk: “in the event of an emergency situation…” His thinking was an emergency was already a situation, so you didn’t need to be told so. It was pretty funny and reminded me of an old boss I had once, who used to frequently use the expression “component part pieces.”
Aren’t components already parts of something? And aren’t the both pieces? It always made me roll my eyes. He would say things like, “Let’s be sure we include all the component part pieces.” My smart-aleck mind would think, “Why don’t we include the component pieces, but leave the parts out?” but I wisely didn’t say that out loud.
So I went down this rabbit hole in my head and started looking at the many ways we Americans use redundant speech. I didn’t have to look far, in fact, just going to my recipe book gave me quite a few unnecessary words. It started with a pie crust recipe – “combine these together.” “Combine” literally means “mix together.” Do we have to say them both? The next recipe was for cherry compote and told me to “reduce down” a mixture. “Reduce” literally means to make less, or “down.” Totally unneeded words there.
Isn’t a “result” always the “end” of something? So why do folks use the phrase “end result”? Is there a partial result of something? Or a beginning result? This is similar to “sum total.” The “sum” is a “total.” We’re using both for no reason (note that I did NOT say “both together” because again…redundant).
I enjoyed reading an article about taking vacations, and couldn’t help noticing that the author used the phrase “first started.” Can you have a second start? Or a “last start” to a trip? The same writer penned “final destination.” Well, I guess you can have a stop along the way, but a “destination” is typically where you want to end up, therefore it’s “final.” The poor writer gave the advice to “plan ahead.” Again, I don’t typically plan “behind” or “after.” The only way to “plan” is ahead, isn’t it?
Then I read a different article about going to a local amusement park. They used the phrase “added bonus.” Now, a bonus is something inherently added, so again, an uncalled-for adjective in that expression. The author of this piece said that the lines would call for waiting a “period of time.” As opposed to a “period of what,” I thought. This poor guy also said “increasingly more” which only marginally bothered me, because I actually think there can be increasingly less of something. Overall, however, it’s more word surplus to get the point across.
The amusement park article made me think of the ride operators who almost every time, say “Stay seated until the ride comes to a complete stop.” Is there any other kind of “stop?” Are there “partial” stops? “Incomplete” stops? “Half” stops?
I think we need to rise up and stop these superfluous words in our speech and writing. Did any of you catch the redundancy I used in this post? Kudos if you did, but if not, it’s not an emergency situation!

The other day I spent all day doing my typical Saturday things. I ran errands, I went to the bank, I cooked a big meal, the whole bit! My hubby didn’t seem to notice that I kept talking about church and Sunday School “the next day.” He went along with it, the entire day.
Normally, that would be fine. The problem was, it wasn’t Saturday. It was Friday. Or maybe Thursday. In any event, it was not Saturday.
I would chalk this up to being retired, but I’ve never confused days in my retirement previously. The sad truth is, I’m getting older. And I have even more evidence of this fact than merely confusing my days.
One big evidence is my increasing (and disturbing) word confusion. I simply use the wrong word. For example, the other day, it was raining. I wanted my husband to get some ice cream from the garage freezer and I said, “Honey, can you go get the umbrella?”
It happens so many times a day, I can’t even keep an accurate account. By the way, he did fetch me an umbrella. Which didn’t get the ice cream in the house, but…
I can’t keep track of my phone. For a couple of decades now, my phone is either (a) on the counter, (b) in my pocket, or (c) in my purse, in the special pocket just for the phone. Lately, it turns up anywhere. It could be on a chest, in the bathroom, or, as happened last night, IN my dresser drawer. Does it walk there itself? Perhaps a house elf hid it away. At any rate, I certainly did not put it there.
Intentionally, at least.
Don’t even get me started on skin. My skin is a road map leading directly to “old.” There are pop-up red spots, bruises, wrinkles, and skin tags. All in weird spots and they appear for no apparent reason! My sister-in-law just returned from Florida and she summed it up perfectly, “I don’t know whether I got a tan, or just more liver spots.”
Being old means I have absolutely no recollection of names. At all. Doesn’t matter if I’ve known the person for 20 years. I can run into them in a place I don’t typically see them, and their name completely escapes me. I end up responding “hello, you” instead of using their name, praying it comes to me in a flash.
These days, it doesn’t matter if I see them in a place I normally do. I have frequent colander-brain when it comes to names. I hope I do not lapse into the annoying habit of calling people “hon,” but that is a definite possibility in my future.
Of course, I go into a room and realize I have no idea why I’m there. That’s not a new thing. I often go back to where I started and usually that helps me remember. But now I’ve added a new twist. I’ll be telling a story and about two-thirds of the way through, I have no idea what the point of the story is. Or was supposed to be.
I never used to nap, unless I was sick. Now, I have trouble sleeping through the night, but if I sit in a chair longer than fifteen minutes, I’m dozing!
And who’s been putting my keys in odd places? This isn’t funny. And as soon as I remember what day it is, I’ll figure out what store to go to to get…what am I getting, again? Oh, that’s right: OLDER.

Recently, I sent a text to a family member with a “thumbs-up” emoji in response to a comment he had texted me. My phone, which has clearly decided I am a dimwit and frequently need help in completing any task on it, took the opportunity to direct me to a website page of telephone etiquette. The first line of this page indicated that a “thumbs-up” emoji is viewed by those receiving it as passive aggressive.
Passive aggressive? How in the world is that emoji viewed as any kind of aggressive? I was stunned. I immediately sent my family member an apology, saying I certainly did not intend to convey any kind of discord, let alone aggression.
He responded: thumbs-up emoji.
Okay, now I’m totally confused. I returned to the “helpful” article to discover what other phone etiquette errors I have been making lately. My discoveries were disconcerting, to say the least.
First, it’s imperative that we do not leave voice mail messages. I have no idea why this is so, since leaving messages on phones has been happening since answering machines were invented (in 1931, but commercially available in 1949). They are polite and often extremely helpful ways to communicate. But, they are seen as redundant, because most people don’t listen to them. Well, so they say. I listen to them, as do all the folks on my contact list.
Admittedly, that’s not a large number of people, but still. Clearly, not everyone finds voice mail to be archaic. The article went on to suggest that a video message would be preferable.
Video message ?! I don’t even Facetime, unless it’s a dire emergency or required by someone’s disability. Not only do I not like it, but I don’t know how to leave a video message, so I won’t be doing that any time soon.
When they invent the face screen that Jane Jetson used, then and only then¸ will I consider leaving a video message.
The rest of the list from the article includes:
• Although it may be tempting, avoid texting or accepting calls during face-to-face conversations (because you have to be told that’s rude);
• Avoid discussing personal topics in an area where others may hear you (well, that’s a given);
• Avoid using inappropriate pictures for a person’s contact photo (no idea how to add a picture);
• Be mindful about what you tag people in on Facebook (no idea how to do this!);
• Don’t talk/text and drive (it’s the law, right?);
• Put your phone on silent mode in theaters, restaurants, plays, performances, etc. (they had to tell us this?) and
• Always text before calling someone. Why? To be sure it’s a convenient time, I presume. Which, by the way, is making me do two things to accomplish one thing.
Here’s an idea: if it’s not a convenient time for you, don’t answer. I will LEAVE A VOICE MAIL. Or! I can text you what I wanted to ask or say, and you can send me back a thumbs-up emoji let me know you received my message.