omgitscookies

So back when I was getting bored with DragCave, I came across a link to UniCreatures. It's a fun site that's really grown since I had last logged into it months ago. There's also forums, though they aren't associated specifically with UC (Unifaction runs the forums).

In case anyone's curious, here are my need-to-be-clicked eggs and youngsters. It's also a good way to poke around the site, I think. :)

sixwordstories
Whether you're in the mood for a creative challenge or you're short on time or attention span, this semi-addictive community is perfect for those who find flash fiction way long. Once you get the hang of it, you won't be able to stop. The prince turned into a frog. The girl ran home to mother. Tough to write. Easy to read. It's a double threesome of fun.

dailyfoodie
Delicious, ambitious, and occasionally nutritious dishes make for an eclectic, all-you-can-eat feast. Whether you're searching for recipes for your next dinner party or you're jonesing for a late-night brownie fix, your cravings are sure to be well sated. A warm and inclusive community that welcomes all orientations, from carnivores to vegans, from gourmands to junk-food junkies. Guaranteed bias-free, food-positive, and pan-epicurian.

Another Fall Faire has come and gone, with me getting my requisite two Faire days in. It was an interesting way to wrap things up, however. Why? One very good reason.

Patty was sick. She had this really bad flu that had her throwing up since at least yesterday (that I'm aware of). She had absolutely no stamina to wear her gown and play the Queen today, so we had no Queen (just as they didn't yesterday). We went on without her; what choice did we have, after all? And it actually ended up going very well, all things considered. We all had a great time regardless, and things went pretty smoothly.

Plus, I'm looking at having a fun dress made for me. It'll be pricey, but well worth it, especially if I go off to Faires on my own.

So I promised everyone a story last night, replete with pictures. And here it is, now that I have said pictures.

Background: Last weekend at Faire, I had an Oracle reading done. (Oracle and Tarot are almost the same thing, from what I've read.) I thought the reading was really neat, and seeing as how I've only ever used tarot cards, I figured it might be fun to look into learning to use oracle cards as well. So I went online and looked at a bunch of different decks. Finding what seemed like a good one to start with, I ordered it from B&N's website.

Here's where things get amusing.

( Cut for pics )

(I do have a very funny story to relay to everyone as well, but it'll have to wait until morning, when I can get pics and stuff.)

If you ever go into a hospital (or in the case of this story, an ER) you'll see the majority of patients with IVs are hooked up to bags of saline. This can serve two purposes, as I've learned: 1) rehydration/fluid replacement, and 2) keeping the IV open. In some folks, an IV that isn't hooked up to anything will cause a blood backflow, which can lead to the IV clotting off and becoming unusable. The nurse then has to go back in and get a new IV started, which is a colossal headache when things are busy.

So I was CT runner tonight, and I went to pick up a patient from the ER to take for a chest CT. When I got there, I noticed her IV bag of saline was empty, and her IV had some pretty serious backflow (as in pretty dark red blood filled a good portion of the tubing). I hated to bug her nurse, since she had just gotten a new patient, but I'd heard that the patient I was taking was going to get IV contrast, so I wanted to make sure the IV was still good. At first, the nurse said to take the patient, that she would replace the tubing when she got back, then she changed her mind and decided to change it quickly before I took her (the patient).

Good thing she did. When she disconnected the tubing from the main "lock" part of the IV, something that I can only described as stringy, congealed, partially-clotted blood stretched between the two parts. It literally was the shape of the tubing it had been in. So the nurse switched out the tubing, tested the IV (thankfully, it hadn't clotted off), and sent us on our way, telling me she appreciated that I'd told her about the backflow. Otherwise, the patient wouldn't have been able to get the contrast, there wouldn't have been a CT scan done, and the nurse would have had to spend more time starting a new IV.

So yeah. All in a day's work. :)