Emotional IQ Test

http://www.utne.com/interact/eiq.html

I scored 120.  How bout you?

Just in Case

You’re having a not so great day, or even if you are.  See anybody else who looks like they need one?

Smart Moves at Work

Here’s the flyer I have pinned up in front of my desk. (see link below)  Wish I could just copy it into my blog but it’s a pdf.  This would be good for obsessive bloggers too.

http://www.healthworks.com.au/publications/booklets/b-bitop3.pdf

Deep Thought:  As the snow started to fall, he tugged his coat tighter around himself. Too tight, as it turned out. “This is the fourth coat crushing this year”, said the sergeant as he outlined the body with a special pencil that writes on snow.

Today I am grateful for:The Funk Brothers

Siblings

Here’s my favorite childhood photo of my two gifts to the world, plus what they look like now. The little one grew to tower over the older one at 6’7″, but she’s still Big Sis. Both are walking, talking, working, and have Excellent Souls today. And they both won prizes this week – Big Sis for a comedy standup routine in front of 40 or so friends, and Little Brother a trip to Vegas with his girlfriend from a job contest. It makes me feel good to think of them both having fun. Now I better go have some myself.

Deep Thought:The tired and thirsty prospector threw himself down at the edge of the watering hole and started to drink. But then he looked around and saw skulls and bones everywhere. Uh-oh, he thought. This watering hole is reserved for skeletons.

Today I am grateful for:Firelogs

Dark Days

It won’t even be winter yet for over a month, but this morning it’s grey and raining. At 7:30 a.m. I’ve started a fire in the fireplace (which is a godsend to me in this season), opened the kitchen windows out to let in the fresh rain smell, and watched my 5 cats fall into their extended morning slumber in various favorite spots in the house. I have no outdoor plans today, except maybe a quick trip to the library, and this is good because some kind of tummy discomfort started yesterday evening, waking me during the night with pain dead center. Probably something I ate. I’m sure this will abate to nothing if I relax at home all day. But it’s a sign of my age, I think, that I can’t just leap out of minor ailments like I could just 20 years ago. Lots of time for reflection on a day like today, good for writing more on my autobiography where I’ve reached age 18. Lifetimes ago. Holidays are looming. Thanksgiving already planned and for once this year I won’t be cooking. Then the saving for Christmas, with already limited funds. Decorating, planning activities that cost next to nothing. And then just a few days before that holiday Winter will begin in earnest. We’re overdue for big snow this year in Portland, which I love and dread because I have to drive up a steep hill to work in it. But this morning, it’s just the beginning of the long season of night, time to hunker down, get real, and find reasons to be grateful to sustain myself through it.
Deep Thought: If you’re a horse, and someone gets on you, and falls off, and then gets right back on you, I think you should buck him off right away.

Next to Last Darkroom Class

Winding up this batch of family photos.  God I always feel like a train wreck after I get home from class.  It’s very intense.  It’s like Thanksgiving dinner.  You have to remember when you put which photo in which pan of chemicals and when to move it to the next, and in between you’re firing up more photos in the enlarger, scampering out into the light to peer at your negatives to make decisions which one to do next, and finally grabbing them out of the last water bath to hang on the line to dry, and then putting them in the drying book to keep the slightly damp ones from sticking to anything.  You have to be hyperalert for a straight 3 hours in semidarkness while dodging 10 other people doing the same thing in close quarters.  Whew.  I’ll sure be glad when I have my own darkroom some day.  But hey I signed up for advanced darkroom class in January.

Deep Thought:  As we were driving, we saw a sign that said “Watch for Rocks.” Marta said it should read “Watch for Pretty Rocks.” I told her she should write in her suggestion to the highway department, but she started saying it was a joke – just to get out of writing a simple letter! And I thought I was lazy!

Found this on a forum and thought it was very good:

Do you ever experience anxiety? When anxiety appears, is it free-floating or is there a specific person, place or thing that triggers its emergence?

Anxiety can only occur when you choose to leave the safe haven of the here and now. Before long you may get caught up in your fertile imagination and the catastrophic ideas it holds.

Staying in the now is paramount. Once you have trained yourself to actually witness the anxiety and remain objective to it, immediately its power over you will diminish.

Once you are able to free yourself of memories and anticipation, what is left for you to fear? Try to remain in the gap which occurs between having your attention on one thought and yet not quite being attached to the next one. Carefully step into this gap and attempt to stay there for as long as possible!

Be ever aware that the past and future exist in the mind only and you are able to observe your mind, therefore you are not your mind. Reality exists only in the now.

When you awake from a nightmare you immediately realize it was only a nightmare but while you are trapped inside it seems very real indeed. Start seeing the nightmare (or the dream for that matter) for what it is. Wake up!

The life energy that was previously used to suppress and wage war against those persistent negative thoughts and fears, can now be freed up to energize the true self!

You must be disciplined enough (and it will come with time and practice) to disassociate yourself from destructive thoughts.

While using the technique don’t fight or wrestle with your thoughts. Don’t try to avoid seeing them, rather attempt to view them in a dispassionate manner. Detachment will eventually lead to freedom from that which you are presently a slave. No special knowledge or advanced training is needed to accomplish this goal. You already have all that you require within.

Give up the futile striving of the ego that continually fails you and return to the inner self. There is really nothing else that needs to be done. You have already arrived; there is nowhere to go.

Although you exist as a person within the material world, that which is within you (the observer) and witnesses all that occurs, is infinite. Realize this and bring it to your morning meditation and other moments of solitude. That is your true self. Pursue this diligently and with patience and sincerity. Refuse to judge your progress, as that is evidence that your ego is still involved.

It has been estimated that we have anywhere from sixty to seventy thousand thoughts daily. The problem arises when it is discovered that these thoughts are often of a self-defeating nature and we already thought them yesterday, last week, last year, even in the last decade! Begin to rid yourself of these often destructive, habitual thoughts by practicing this technique.

When all the false ideas you still hold about yourself are gradually given up, the true self will be revealed. You can still continue with all your daily duties and responsibilities while allowing yourself time to meditate and get centered daily.

Currently reading – The Los Angeles Diaries

Now here’s a great bathtub book.  Short fast chapters with riveting word pictures.  This is a memoir about a real Hollywood writer whose life is a mess – suicides of both siblings, alcohol and drug abuse, divorce, economic ruin, mother an arsonist.  And yet – he finds his way out into the light through the power of the pen.

Currently Watching – A Mighty Wind

Even if you didn’t live through the 50′s and 60′s, you will be charmed by this gentle funny look at folk music with Chris Guest’s usual brilliant crew.

 

 

Deep Thought: 

I think someone should have had the decency to tell me the luncheon was free. To make someone run out with potato salad in his hand, pretending he’s throwing up, is not what I call hospitality.

What Can You Do? Be Involved in Your Health Care

1.   The single most important way you can help to prevent errors is to be an active member of your health care team.

That means taking part in every decision about your health care. Research shows that patients who are more involved with their care tend to get better results. Some specific tips, based on the latest scientific evidence about what works best, follow.

Medicines

2.   Make sure that all of your doctors know about everything you are taking. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, and dietary supplements such as vitamins and herbs.

At least once a year, bring all of your medicines and supplements with you to your doctor. “Brown bagging” your medicines can help you and your doctor talk about them and find out if there are any problems. It can also help your doctor keep your records up to date, which can help you get better quality care.

3.   Make sure your doctor knows about any allergies and adverse reactions you have had to medicines. This can help you avoid getting a medicine that can harm you.

4.   When your doctor writes you a prescription, make sure you can read it. If you can’t read your doctor’s handwriting, your pharmacist might not be able to either.

5.   Ask for information about your medicines in terms you can understand — both when your medicines are prescribed and when you receive them.

• What is the medicine for?
  
• How am I supposed to take it, and for how long?
  
• What side effects are likely? What do I do if they occur?
  
• Is this medicine safe to take with other medicines or dietary supplements I am taking?
  
• What food, drink, or activities should I avoid while taking this medicine?

6.   When you pick up your medicine from the pharmacy, ask: Is this the medicine that my doctor prescribed? A study by the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences found that 88 percent of medicine errors involved the wrong drug or the wrong dose.

7. If you have any questions about the directions on your medicine labels, ask. Medicine labels can be hard to understand. For example, ask if “four doses daily” means taking a dose every 6 hours around the clock or just during regular waking hours.

8.   Ask your pharmacist for the best device to measure your liquid medicine. Also, ask questions if you’re not sure how to use it. Research shows that many people do not understand the right way to measure liquid medicines. For example, many use household teaspoons, which often do not hold a true teaspoon of liquid. Special devices, like marked syringes, help people to measure the right dose. Being told how to use the devices helps even more.

9.   Ask for written information about the side effects your medicine could cause. If you know what might happen, you will be better prepared if it does&emdash;or, if something unexpected happens instead. That way, you can report the problem right away and get help before it gets worse. A study found that written information about medicines can help patients recognize problem side effects and then give that information to their doctor or pharmacist.

Hospital Stays

10.   If you have a choice, choose a hospital at which many patients have the procedure or surgery you need. Research shows that patients tend to have better results when they are treated in hospitals that have a great deal of experience with their condition.

11.   If you are in a hospital, consider asking all health care workers who have direct contact with you whether they have washed their hands. Handwashing is an important way to prevent the spread of infections in hospitals. Yet, it is not done regularly or thoroughly enough. A recent study found that when patients checked whether health care workers washed their hands, the workers washed their hands more often and used more soap.

12.   When you are being discharged from the hospital, ask your doctor to explain the treatment plan you will use at home. This includes learning about your medicines and finding out when you can get back to your regular activities. Research shows that at discharge time, doctors think their patients understand more than they really do about what they should or should not do when they return home.

Surgery

13.   If you are having surgery, make sure that you, your doctor, and your surgeon all agree and are clear on exactly what will be done.

Doing surgery at the wrong site (for example, operating on the left knee instead of the right) is rare. But even once is too often. The good news is that wrong-site surgery is 100 percent preventable. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons urges its members to sign their initials directly on the site to be operated on before the surgery.

Other Steps You Can Take

14.   Speak up if you have questions or concerns. You have a right to question anyone who is involved with your care.

15.   Make sure that someone, such as your personal doctor, is in charge of your care. This is especially important if you have many health problems or are in a hospital.

16.   Make sure that all health professionals involved in your care have important health information about you. Do not assume that everyone knows everything they need to.

17.   Ask a family member or friend to be there with you and to be your advocate (someone who can help get things done and speak up for you if you can’t). Even if you think you don’t need help now, you might need it later.

18.   Know that “more” is not always better. It is a good idea to find out why a test or treatment is needed and how it can help you. You could be better off without it.

19.   If you have a test, don’t assume that no news is good news. Ask about the results.

20.   Learn about your condition and treatments by asking your doctor and nurse and by using other reliable sources. For example, treatment recommendations based on the latest scientific evidence are available from the National Guidelines Clearinghouse. Ask your doctor if your treatment is based on the latest evidence.

Deep Thought:  What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we’ll never know.