Up and at it again (from journal entry 10-5-11)

6:34am
At Clara's early today because Samantha has a class at 7 and asked if I would come a little early and I didn't mind doing it for Samantha.

Today is my last day this week with Clara and we don't have any outing scheduled. Thank goodness. I'm hoping that this will be a pretty easy day.

Thank You Mother/Father God for this day. Thank You for life and love. Thank You for friends and family. I am in love with You, dear Spirit. How You live and breathe through me. How You lead and guide me. For Your protection, mercy, generosity, kindness, for all of who You are to me, thank You.

Thank You for Uraeus. I know that You are surrounding every step he takes. I know that You are a fence around him. Thank You. I thank You for his health today.

Fill me, High Spirit, with love and peace today.

Thank You for every breath You bless me with.

6:47am
It's raining! It's raining! I didn't stop by the store last night to get hot chocolate but I will tonight so I can have it in the morning. Especially since I don't have to wake up early tomorrow. I should say especially since I don't have to leave early in the morning because I always wake up early. Yes, I'm a morning person.

Last night, well about 3:00 this morning, my neighbors were fighting. They fight often. Other than them, the block is pretty quiet. Their apartment is across the small patch of lawn but with my window open, and it's usually open because I love the fresh air, I can hear them when they fight.

It makes me nervous when I hear couples arguing. And truthfully, I usually only hear him screaming come to think of it. This morning was the worst. His constant screaming and yelling, yelling, yelling. Finally someone went upstairs and knocked on his door. I thought at first it was the police because whoever was knocking was banging on the door with that cop kinda bang. But I guess they had to bang to be heard over the yelling. After whoever it was left the yelling started again. Then someone left, I think it was her. Whoever it was stomped down the stairs without saying anything (that's why I think it was her), then got in a vehicle and drove off.

I was relieved when I heard the car pull off. I said a prayer for them. In the prayer I prayed that it wouldn't esclate.

7:08am
Theodore Simon, Amanda Knox's attorney is on television now talking about Amanda's first night home. In his comments he said that if you got to know Amanda then you would know that she is too sweet and kind and no one as sweet and tender and as kind as she could ever do anything like what she was accused of. What disturbs me about his comment is that when a white woman, and of course a white woman from Seattle, is on trial, she immediately looks sweet and tender and kind in the eyes of the public.

Now I don't know Amanda and again, I hope she is really innocent. I send prayers and light to her and wish her peace in her life. I heard it reported that she is not seeking professional help. I hope she rethinks that because having been in jail for four years in another country and having been found guilty at first then not guilty on appeal, well, she just might need some help sorting all of that out.

7:34am
The Conrad Murray trial is not looking good for him. When Michael Jackson first died, I really believed that because of the possible stress on Michael's body and pressure he was under and whatever medical issues he had, then that could have been the cause of his death. And it may well have been but the prosecution is making a pretty good case for Mr. Murray's neglect and mis care.

Today they are scheduled to play a recorded tape of Michael slamming his family saying that they were only interested in him because of his money. The family has been at the trial everyday and will most likely be there today. If they play the recording I'm sure it will be a tough situation for them to sit through.

And why was Mr. Murray recording all these statements from Michael? And on each one Michael sounds so drugged up. What was he on and why did Conrad have a collection of the conversations?

7:45am
The voice actors on The Simpson's are asked to take a 45 percent pay cut or FOX network is threatening to take the show off the air. The actors are currently making eight million a year and the studios make billions. The Simpson's are the longest running scripted show on television. I think this is their twenty-third season. I'll have to check that out later. But, I mean, isn't there enough money to go around?

With the economy and lack of jobs being such a huge conversation right now, I don't think the American people have much sympathy for someone who is earning eight million a year to take a pay cut of any percentage.

7:56am
My new favorite commercial just came on. Two men and a woman came out of an office building and looked up into the sky with very puzzled looks on their faces. The woman said "What is that thing up there?" One of the men in the group said "It's senging me." The window cleaner responded "It's the sun." The announcer's voice came on and said "Get out of the office." Love it. And I can relate to it. When I lived in Georgia I had a job where I worked ten, twelve, thirteen hour days, six days a week. At the time the subdivision I lived in was very new and there was a lot of construction going on. I remember pulling in the driveway one day and I was stunned because they had built a whole house right next door and I hadn't even noticed. I hadn't noticed that and I was mostly having lunch at my desk. That's too much.

8:57am
The stormy conditions are expected to pick up over the next few hours. It's pouring now. Earthquake is at the Comedy Union tonight and I was going to go with Lynette to see him (she won free tickets on the radio) but this doesn't feel like a comedy show night tonight. Mostly because I would have to hurry up and go home and get dressed and rush to get there. And I don't feel like going through all that to go to the Comedy Union tonight. Instead, I think I'll go to the World Stage (my favorite place to be on Wednesday nights these days.)

Regis and Kelly is on and Clara is reading the paper as Regis is speaking in the background. This is her favorite hour, I think. Soon she will complain about the dye in Regis' hair.

9:07am
About ten hours to go. Uh ohhh, I'm counting down the hours already.

It bothers me when I relieve the night staff and it seems like nothing was done. I came in early for Samantha and when I changed Clara this morning she was soaked. I checked the notes and saw that the last time she was changed was at 9:00 last night. And no other time in the night. Then the laundry wasn't even done. She said that she didn't know we did her laundry. Then why didn't she ask? How did she think it was getting done? It's the little things that matter when you are caring for the elderly. Do the laundry everyday and the house won't smell like old lady pee pee house. Change and rotate her postion every two hours and you can prevent the bed sores from coming on her body. And then, she was still in the same clothes I took her to the doctor in. Her pants and sheets under her were soaked.

Yesterday I cooked her breakfast, lunch, dinner, gave her her morning and evening medication. Changed her several times. Washed her, dressed her and got her outside on time to get in the van to go to the doctor. Went with her to the doctor, waited with her outside the hospital to get in the van to come home. Lifted her by myself over the bar to come into the garage. The Access driver would have helped me but I forgot the gate key so I had to wait for somebody to come out of the garage first. The driver waited as long as he could though. Then Clara's niece came over with about twelve full bags of groceries which I unloaded from the car and carried into the condo and made the trip back and forth from the condo to car to condo then put the groceries up. Then Samantha asked me to come in early so she could get to class on time and I got here earlier than she asked and nothing was done. I like Samantha, but damn. Seriously, at least change her clothes and change her briefs this morning.

Okay, I didn't intend to go there but while I'm on one. I'm just coming off of being irritated by another night caregiver. Clara's mattress on her hospital bed in her room is uncomfortable to her so I took a few thick quilts and covers and folded them in half to give her more padding. With as much time as she spends in bed I do have a concern about bed sores. Which are very very painful. Anyway, the day after I put the covers on Clara's bed I came in and saw the fluffy covers and thick quilts on the bed in the guest bedroom. And Clara was sleeping on a throw cover and sheets in her room.

Really, and I'm being very serious now, if you have a friend or family member in a rest home, in the care of a caregiver or in a hospital, then you should be very sure that you or someone is popping up often.

This is a field where you really have to operate on a high level of intergrity. No one is watching over you. If I closed the door to Clara's room with her in it, then watched TV all day in the living room, the truth is that no one would know. No one would know if I just ignored her all day long. Now, I wouldn't do that because I wouldn't do that. But I have worked in this field for many years on and off and there are caregivers who would.

Okay. Breathe Jaha. Take a deep, deep, deep breath.

Now let it out and talk about how ridiculous Nicole Alvaraz's testimony was on the stand yesterday at the Conrad Murray trial. She is the mother of one of his children and was on the stand because the prosecution called her because she was one of the people Conrad spoke to on the phone while he was in the house with Michael. Also it was to her house that Conrad shipped the Propenalj???? (I don't know how to spell it) bottles that he said he was weaning Michael off of.

She was acting like it was an audition tape for a reality show. Hopefully you saw it, if not, Google it and check it out. Maybe I'll talk more about it later.

Okay, now is later. She was all giggly and wide eyes and acting awestruck about having met Michael. And maybe she was, but the trial, where his family is sitting there, was not the place. She talked about her being a professional actress and how she spends her day meeting casting directors and taking care of her "instrument." When asked to explain that she went on to say that an actor's instrument is her body. Now, if you didn't see it, then picture the whole...audition done in sparkly eyes and laughing voice. It was pretty bad.

10:47am
Eight hours and thirteen minutes to go. So far a pretty easy day. I took the laundry down this morning when I got here. It's already dry and I brought it back up. I'll fold it later. Clara and I are watching The View.

They are talking to Sarah Woo, she is the Chicago school teacher who forgot her lunch one day and decided to purchase a school lunch. She was greatly bothered by what the students were being served and that they only had between nine and thirteen minutes to eat the overprocessed food. She ate the cafeteria food for a month and took pictures of the food with her cell phone camera and posted them on her blog everyday (yay blog). She got over a million hits and of course people wanted to know who she was but she posted blog anonomously only identifying herself as Mrs. Q. Good for her! She has finally revealed her identity and published a book...they just showed it and I forgot what it's called, but it's not hard to find. Look it up.

11:03am
This rain is really coming down. I said a prayer for those outside and in traffic today.

11:25am
Eyewitness News.
Rain.

Freaking media hype. They were putting out blurbs saying that they were going to play a recording of Michael talking about his family and saying that the only reason they supported him was because of his money. Now they say that that's not on the tape. Why put that out and have his family even hear that blurb?

3:55pm

4:07pm
Eyewitness News:
Palin will not run for president in the next election.
Nancy Grace feels that Amanda knox should still be in prison.
New tub for seniors commercial.
Empire carpet commercial. (Buy two rooms get the rest free.)
Eyewitness News:
Rain.
Massive search for armed and dangerous employee in Sunnyville.
Amanda Knox is home in Seattle.

C: Help!

Missing baby (sad)
Something?
Gov. Jerry Brown.
Los Angeles county has plastic bags for sale for .10c a piece.
Which is the best restaurant to take your kids to?
Tiger Woods has new endorsement deal.
Michelle Obama's designer has clothes for sale at Target.
El Pollo Loco $5 deal commmercial.
Scana commercial.
Ross fall dress event commercial (grand opening Saturday)
Tempupedic matress commercial.
Another El Pollo Loco comercial $10 whole chicken.

Eyewitness News:
Weather.
Rolex deal for Tiger Woods.
Chesecake Factory number one restaurant.
Golden Coral best restaurant for children.
Child accused of killing another student. Said he was gay.
Something commercial.
Commercial with cute song.

I am dangerously bored.

Bev Mo .05c wine sale.

C: Look at that! I hope they bought enough groceries! Look at the storm out there!

That made me smile. I don't know why. But it did.

Aww man! Just heard that Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple) passed away today.