Adam Thomas's Blog, page 32

My Sounds of the Season

I subscribe to Entertainment Weekly magazine.  Often, when some random, yet entertainment-significant person reviews current music  he/she states that the song being reviewed would be on ‘the soundtrack of said reviewers’  life’.   I began thinking of my album/CD collection, especially the ones I grab for road trips and then the staples I always keep in my car.  I then came to the conclusion that I could never have just one soundtrack.

This ‘Soundtrack of My Life’ concept is something that will require much thought, yet something I will enjoy thinking about.  Right now it’s less than three weeks before Christmas and I literally have nothing done.  So I decided to focus on Christmas albums/songs to keep in tune with the season.

When I say I have a lot of Christmas CD’s, that is an understatement.  I blame my mother.  Which isn’t a bad thing.  She has quite the Christmas cassette and 8 track tape collection.  And yes, she probably still has the original cassettes / 8 track tapes AND the devices to listen to them.  Can you tell where I get my techno-savvy from?

Anyway, I do recognize the fact that there are some really bad Christmas albums out there  performed by artists that have now business doing a Christmas anything.  That being said, I want to highlight my favorites – four albums, three artists, two songs, and … a partridge in a pear tree?

Four albums:

A Christmas Album   by   Amy Grant

http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-christmas-album-mw0000190155

Home for Christmas   by   Amy Grant

http://www.allmusic.com/album/home-for-christmas-mw0000088569

Christmas Portrait   by   The Carpenters

http://thetunetube.com/2014/11/carpenters-christmas-portrait-full-album/

  December   by   George Winston

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5qGUhWPi6w

Three artists:

Amy Grant is like the queen of Christmas albums.  And she should be.  I’ve never been a Christian Rock fan.  It’s like Country for me.  Though I am slowly getting into some cross-over Country.  Regardless, her voice is just amazing.
Karen Carpenter has always been a favorite of my mother’s.   What more needs to be said?  Her voice was simple, classic yet precise. A true raw talent.  Did I say my mother really liked her?
I saw George Winston in concert once.  I fell asleep.  But that’s kind of … a compliment?  It was a very nice, peaceful nap.  The only other thing I remember about the concert was that after every song he would stand, walk out from behind the piano and bow.  Quirky, but who cares.  Also, some of his songs can be ‘tinny’ – especially Carol of the Bells, but who cares.  There’s always the ‘next selection’ button.

Two songs:

“Some Children See Him” performed by James Taylor.  I’m a huge JT fan.  Yet when he released his Christmas album I was hesitant, thinking that he was one of the artists that should not do Christmas albums.  But, I was wrong.  It’ different and well done, especially this song.

“Do You Hear What I Hear” performed by Jim Brickman, featuring Anne Cochran and Tracy Silverman from Peace.  It’s simply beautiful.

Now, about that partridge thing … .

Well, it is hunting season AND I hear it taste like chicken.

I’m kidding – okay.

Enjoy

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Cyber deal – Kindle style

So, when your book is sold exclusively through Kindle – Kindle Direct Publishing or kdp select - Amazon offers various promotion ‘events’ for authors to generate business and exposure.  In the past, I’ve taken part in the FREE book promotion.  Nice as that is for the consumer, the author hopes that free sales will bolster others into actually buying.  Sometimes that happens; moreover, not.  Readers usually hoard the free books.  Some Good Reads or Shelfari users have thousands of books ‘on their shelf’ .

Kindle has another promotion called Kindle Countdown Deal.  During an allotted period of time, the book is discounted at various price increments.  Now, both the reader AND author can get something.  The reader gets a discounted book and the author actually gets a sale.

That being said – My Life As A Retail Pharmacist – A Fictionalized Memoir  is currently on such a deal.  Over the next 7 days – YES, SEVEN DAYS - the book is offered at a discounted rate.  So just   CLICK   that book cover  to the right.   Yes, it’s that easy!

Now that’s what I call  Cyber Deal!



Robert C. Bradshaw decided to list his book  In  Your  Eyes  on a similar promotion.   I agreed to advertise his special here, also.

Nice guy, eh? For his title, click the purple/blue over the title of the book.

Buy both – books are a great gift idea, too.

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Here’s ACV in your eye

For the longest time I’ve searched for a distinguishing feature, I guess you could call it, for myself.  I’m a pretty basic guy.  Actually, I’m so boring it’s rather pathetic.  I don’t drink, smoke, gamble, or golf.  I don’t even watch sports unless one of my kids is involved.  Shit, even the annual ski trip has become … compromised.  Ugh!  Insert heavy sigh.

So, to spice it up a bit I wanted something cool – just for me.  Ya’ know, like that dude … any cool dude that has a signature drink or line or move – think James Bond with the whole Vodka Martini – shaken not stirred scenario*.  I realize I will never be that cool or even close.  However, I rarely think about it any more.  Like I’ve said before, there are days when my primary goal is to get through the day.  Thinking about my cool quotient is so far down my ‘to do’ list, it-will-never-happen!

But all of that is all behind me now.  Without realizing it, I have found my poison.  Unfortunately, I drink alone.  Fortunately, that’s not a bad thing and it’s not poison.  So, it’s all good.

Apple Cider Vinegar  with THE MOTHER – is the mud in my eye.

Apple cider vinegar is a type of vinegar made by the fermentation of apple cider. During the fermentation process, sugar in the apple cider is broken down by bacteria and yeast into alcohol and then into vinegar. Like other types of vinegar, apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid and it also contains some lactic, citric and malic acids.

When our bodies are operating at the correct pH level, disease and cancer are less likely to be present. The calcium in our diet is utilized to counteract the acidity of the vinegar. Since calcium is alkaline, it creates an abundance of alkalinity in the bloodstream in response to the acidity of the vinegar.

This is some good shit, man.  From weight loss and acne to diabetes control and cardiovascular benefits, the list is diverse and inclusive.  Better yet, I haven’t had a sore throat since I started my ‘thang‘.  Though, it is acidic.  Vinegar that contains the Mother can cause indigestion, heartburn, and damage tooth enamel. Boo-fuckin’-hoo

Usually 10ml to 15ml is diluted in water and sipped over a period of time.  Sippin is for sissies, though.  And those that have the time and energy to think that hard about things – primarily women.  I take mine like a man, bitch – one shot glassful straight up every day.  Grit teeth and inset manly grunt.

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/applecidervinegardiet/a/applecidervineg.htm

There’s a link if you want more information.  Not all ACV products have ‘the Mother’, which is a live culture base that is never pasturized.  Therefore,  it can ‘yield’ more.  I guess ‘the Mother’ really is an appropriate name, eh?

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUUq5mRCimo

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Life imitating fiction OR fiction imitating life

So, I was surfing the Twitter scene.  Okay, okay, I realize I once posted that my attempt to Twitter had failed.  However, I still ‘stalk’ it occasionally to keep current.  Wow, am I glad I do.

An old college mate* posted something interesting about a Walgreens pharmacist in Indiana who really fucked up over… love and HIPAA?!

The lawsuit alleged that a female pharmacist improperly reviewed the prescription history of the defendant and divulged that confidential information to her husband that had previously fathered a child with the defendant.  The husband/baby daddy then blabbed the information to a few others AND threatened to use the ‘confidential information’ in a paternity lawsuit.

This is some good shit, man.  I write fiction - my story also involves HIPAA, but totally higher road – and I can’t even think something like this up.  Maybe if I could I would be selling more copies, eh?

Anyway, my favorite part of the whole story is the following -

The pharmacist who divulged the information  “received a written warning for her unethical actions and was required to retake a computer training program regarding HIPAA rules.”

Unless you work retail you have no idea how funny and insanely stupid this punishment is.  Retaking a computer training program regarding HIPAA rules.  Are you fucking kidding me?   That’s like saying that  all available resources are working on the problem.  Moreover, I must side with my college friend when he stated that the burden of this ‘proof’ should be the responsibility of the pharmacist NOT the employer.  Though when I read the ‘punishment’, my opinion was challenged.

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2014/11/14/m-award-upheld-walgreen-pharmacist-shared-patient-data/19035783/

I realize this story happened in 2010 and the lawsuit/appeals is still in progress.  The integral part of my story happened in 2008.  It took me two years to conceptualize the incident, then another two years to write.  It went live on Kindle in July 2012.

So in this case, life imitates fiction.

*Thomas Halterman started a wonderful software tool to facilitate the patient/pharmacist/ prescriber  interaction.

http://www.outcomesmtm.com/about-us.aspx

 

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“The wales have aligned.”

The title of this post was a direct quote from Mr. Winston.  I’m not really sure who ‘Mr. Winston’ was, or still is for that matter, but he was referring to the Grandest Meeting 0f the Corduroy Appreciation Club that was held on Friday 11/11/11 – the date that most closely resembled corduroy – ever.

The Corduroy Appreciation Club? Why am I blogging about something that happened three years ago? Does the rain in Spain (really) fall mainly on the plain?

Yes, there is such a club.  It IS a November tradition – corduroy day, 11/11 that is, and it’s just fun.   Lastly, I have now clue and could give two shits about the rain in Spain thing.  I was just messin’ around.

One last thought before I continue.  I was wanting another ‘November’ holiday/tradition to compliment last years  Novembeard  post (11/25/2013).  I’m thinkin’ this works!?

Anyway… , some back story.

The exact time when I first learned about the Corduroy Club is unclear, but details surrounding my learning about said Club definitely are  not.

One day I arrived at work wearing a pair of corduroy pants.  Yes, I owned corduroy pants, okay.  I usually only wore them to work.  Anyway. In an attempt to make small talk, the manager at the time – side note: this is a man that should NEVER attempt to make small talk – commented on my clothing choice, mentioning that it would be good attire for 11/11/11. Since I never want this man to continue talking, I didn’t ask any questions, yet he did continue on, rambling on about the Corduroy Club and the Grandest Meeting.

After he left we rolled our eyes, questioning the validity of everything he had just said.  “Do we look that stupid?” was the collective response.

The next day  a technician verified everything  and provided even more information.  From then on it was a free-for-all.  We had a blast.  We work retail pharmacy – our lives are that dull.  So something mindless and silly can get you through even the worst of days. Consider it the pharmacy version of water-cooler talk.  When word that ‘the Grandest Meeting’ was going to be held in Chicago our gears for a road trip started spinning.  When we realized that the previous years ’meeting’ was held at some street corner in a seedy part of New York City, those gears stopped – thankfully.

Some time past, but every now and then the topic resurfaced.  It was fall in Northern Michigan; corduroy and flannel are a staple.  A few of us had been wanting to get out.  We were all married with kids – what more needed to be said.  So we decided to use 11/11/11 as an excuse.  It WAS  corduroy day.  That was reason enough.

So, we went out and had a great time, sportin’ some ‘roy and drinkin’ some brew.  The goal was to stay out until 11:11 ON 11/11/11, but I don’t think that happened.

It didn’t matter.  Our ‘wales’ had aligned.   All was good.

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Rapcliffe

Okay, this is something I’ve never understood.  How on earth do singers with accents sing without accents? I should’ve made this into one of my ‘random, burning  questions’, but I’m starting to think that category might be stupid and I recently posted one.  So, I didn’t.  Besides, I really like this title.  The reason will be obvious soon enough.

Iggy Azalea, the pop/rap sensation from Australia, The Beatles,  Adele and countless other British talents talk in their native tongue but sing in perfect English.  I realize that sounds stupid, especially since their native tongue IS English.  But  it isn’t.  If you take my approach on life in general,  don’t think that hard about it – you’ll be fine.

So, I researched the topic like all good writers do.  Really, I just typed in the words ‘why do people with accents … .’ Not only did Google finish my sentence, it answered my question.  Since the answer was so complete and would lose a bit in translation, I just cut and pasted.*  The author of the below definition was not identified.

It’s a complex issue, not easily explained in print, rather than with vocal examples, but here’s a start. Accents show up largely in (1) the rhythms and tempo of speech; (2) voice quality; (3) the “melody” of speech, the musical pitches, a feature known as “intonation.” First the matter of intonation. If you speak English, then you know that your voice goes up in pitch for a question and down for a statement. Such patterns of intonation occur not only at the end of a sentence but all the way through our speech, and they differ from language to language and dialect to dialect. Because singing forces the melody pattern to comply with the music, the nuances of intonation disappear. Next, voice quality, a second marker of accent. Singers tend to use a voice that accommodates musical skills rather than the voice qualities characteristic of a language or a dialect. Therefore, the vocal marker of a language or a dialect is masked, or even lost. Finally rhythms. As with voice quality and intonation, the rhythms and tempo are dictated by the music, and in singing, those markers are entirely lost. Note that some cultures have music that matches and reflects their spoken rhythms, their intonation patterns, and their voice qualities. But a Brit singing “Western” music will lose the identifying markers of accent.

That being said, let’s get on with the title AND reason for this post.  Daniel Radcliffe recently appeared on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.  A segment of that appearance is just a click away.  And believe me, you will want to watch this.  Harry Potter can rap, dog.

Get er’ done, HPot.

Peace Out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKdV5FvXLuI

 

*I feel compelled to clarify something.  I did ALL the research for My Life  As A Retail Pharmacist – A Fictionalized Memoir.  For the pharmacy scenes, I live that shit every fucking day of my unfictionalized life.  For the legal stuff, I did my homework.  I wanted that trial to be as plausible as possible.  And, I succeeded – on both counts.

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I finally got somethin’

But it ain’t pretty OR what I wanted.

I’m referring to my I ain’t got nothin’ post from June 03, 2014.  Furthermore in  You should write a testimonial , posted August 13, 2014,  I trash talked testimonials and stated:

I want people to review my work, hopefully favorably.  My 100th post was supposed to be celebrated with another five star review to commemorate my … blah, blah, blah.  But that never happened.  However, if I had received a marginal review  I would not have posted it.  Why would I?  But that marginal review would be there on Amazon or Good Reads for all to see.

And, it is – unfortunately.  Even worse, it’s not just a marginal review -IT’S A REALLY, REALY BAD ONE.  I’m talkin’ ONE STAR review bad!

 One Star,October 23, 2014

TashaN
This review is from: My Life As A Retail Pharmacist – A Fictionalized Memoir (Kindle Edition)



Expected a lot more from this book and didn’t get. Not on my list of must reads

A few things before I continue -

 I’m not sad that my cutting and pasting abilities, or lack there of, were unable to c/p that fucking ONE STAR.  But I decided to highlight it in orange.  It’s almost Halloween AND it’s way scary!
I think TashN has too high of expectations – probably on everything.  Maybe she should read the Underachiever’s Manifesto?!  Then we’ll talk, eh?
Her review wasn’t even a complete sentence.  It was a fucking fragment – try writing an entire novel, bitch. With my luck, she probably has and it’s a New York Times Best Seller.

Childish reactions to review are now complete, on with my post.

I know my novel is NOT a one star review.  Yes, there are a lot of people who probably disagree with what I’ve written, the way it was presented or the language I chose to include.  The anger/tone of my words could make someone having a bad day discard the underlining humor, viewing it as abrasive.  The next person could read the entire book in one setting and love every word.  So, be it. However, if there are any of you out there – the love every word type –  and you haven’t written a review yet - PLEASE DO IT NOW. I need it to up my star average and my self-esteem, for that matter.

Why, you might ask, I am blogging about something I would rather hide?  Ugh! I don’t know.  I’m really not that big of a person.  But, I couldn’t NOT mention this.  I think it’s funny and … blog worthy.

That’s all I’s got.  Though I do recall a famous author experienced something similar.  On the day he/she received major accolades – Pulitzer Prize nomination accolades - for a particular body of work, the author also received a rejection letter from a publisher.  Go figure!

By the way – I haven’t and probably won’t include this review on the review page of this blog.  Take that TashaN!

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The underachiever’s Reunion post

I’ve decided to take an underachiever’s perspective on this post.  My intention was to create something amazing - beautiful words flowing, lovely sentences that  move the reader  and … blah, blah, blah.   Well, it ain’t gonna happen. I’ve started and restarted a number of times to achieve my goal, only to be disappointed. My ramblings about how wonderful the weekend really was turned out to be just that – ramblings – that were borderline readable.  Then I realized the brevity and poignancy of the MasterCard moment post regarding the reunion was probably more perfect than anything else I could create at this moment.  So I will leave well enough alone.  However, I do want to touch on something that’s related to ‘reunions’ and kinda’ funny.

 ”You haven’t changed a bit.”

Since I have never attended a class reunion in my life  - Yep – never. I hated High School and the majority of the people that attended.  So, why on earth would I want to socialize with them at timely increments?  I correspond with the select few that I want to maintain contact.  The others – who really cares?  With college, this was never an issue.  But  the distance was – over 500 miles.  It always complicated my potential attendance.

However, a good friend of mine has attended numerous reunions over the last few decades and was troubled by the ’catch phrase’ she often heard – you haven’t changed a bit .  Actually, she was quite insulted, quipping that she most certainly had changed over the years.   And, more importantly, embraced the change. Going into the reunion weekend, I too knew I would probably hear those words.   So, when I did, my reaction wasn’t nearly as severe.

Is that bad?

I really don’t think so – for me at least.   I like me.  Yes, I have annoying traits, everyone does.  But as far as annoying traits go, mine are usually rooted with good intentions.  I still fuck up quite a lot, but oh well … .  Also, I’m relatively updated.  I’m no fashion magnet by any means, but I clean up quite well.  Oh, I did catch a lot of shit for being ‘multi-media’ challenged.  If that’s the worse thing someone can condemn me for, so be it.

I could continue, but the one thing I have learned – and changed – over the years is to know when to stop.

That’s a good thing.

 

Though I do have one last ‘addition’ to the MasterCard Moment that truly is  priceless - doing 21 push ups in the end zone after The Iowa Hawkeyes scored their third touchdown. 

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Another MasterCard Moment – Iowa style

I traveled to the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA this past weekend for my twenty-fifth College of Pharmacy Reunion.  Yes, I said twenty-fifth AND, yes, I am that old.  I wanted to create the perfect post possible to commemorate the occasion.  However, it’s been a crazy week and I simply need more time.  But I never want to neglect ‘the blog’.  When I first started, I was told that ‘the blog’ should be attended to at least once a week.  Since time is clearly NOT on my side right now, I will attend to my blogging duties the MasterCard way -

cheapest gas:                                            $2.95/gal in Grand Rapids, MI – that’s cheap

most expensive toll:                                  $3.60 in Aurora, DeKalb AND Dixon, IL - that’s a lot of money

bottled water at Kinnick Stadium:           $6.00 – that’s a Holy Shit!

reconnecting with college friends:           priceless

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No Refills

Ahh, the government finally did right and gave us retail pharmacists something to smile about.  Though it will probably be more of a headache at first, but just knowing we get to deny people their hydrocodone refills will be satisfying enough.  No more excuses about why said prescription went missing, was stolen, fell in the toilet, was washed down the drain … .  The list goes on and on.  You get the idea.

I’m referring to the legislation that changed hydrocodone – better known as ‘Norcos’ – from a class III narcotic to a class II.  By doing so the medication can no longer be called or faxed into pharmacies, refills are no longer available, AND the street value has probably just increased – substantially!

Unfortunately, there are those patients that use hydrocodone for its intended purpose – pain management.  For those patients, it’s inconvenient and unfortunate.  For the remaining 99% that not only refer to their medication as ‘norcos’ – which is so fucking annoying – but gobble the hydrocodone up like M&M’s,  sucks to be you, eh? Not! No sympathy will be felt by any pharmacy employee – anywhere!

I could rant on, but won’t. Instead I will sign off with this article  sent from a ‘brother in arms’ who is probably enjoying the new legislation  more than myself.

“In America, a pill bottle full of prescription benzos or narcotics is 700,000 times more likely to fall into an indoor plumbing receptacle than all other medications combined. Meds to treat high blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol are prescribed with ALMOST as much frequency as narcotics and benzos, yet are almost never lost down sinks or toilets. Our aim is to find out if these chemical compounds have some magnetic properties or another explanation for their affinity to porcelain and metal pipes. Our numbers don’t lie — there has to be scientific reasons for this incredible disparity.”

The entire article is a click away – what’s even more comical are the comments.  Readers actually thought this was a valid study.  Maybe those that did had just ‘accidently’ flushed their ‘norcos’ down the toilet.

http://www.gomerblog.com/2014/10/nih/

P.S. – there’s a great picture of a toilet included in the article.  Unfortunately my limited cutting and pasting skills prevented me from posting it here.  Sorry!

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