August Week 3

Monday August 13, 2001

Christy got up at about 0430 and cleaned the house, she does that occasionally, not sure why, insomnia I guess. 

 Monica and Cindy had Dental Appointments... I took them and "B" to the dentist's office, I had "B" because we were going to continue on to Devereux to get the rest of his stuff and pick up his medicine...Monica lucked out because they already did the work on her teeth... she needs an appointment to put a crown on her molar though... Cindy did well, it was only a cleaning but she usually has a hard time with even the idea of being at the dentists, I was surprised.

We got to Devereux at about noon, we packed up "B"'s stuff at the dorm and then he rode his bike over to the lunch area... I drove and was waiting... when he showed up about 15 kids went running over to him and gave him hugs and kisses, it made me feel good to see that... he really was well liked there, I am a bit anxious to see what happens when he goes back to Acton School... he won't get that sort of reception there... two of the teachers were there Shalon and Jan, Jan was very effusive in her Praise of "B", and Shalon seemed genuinely sad to see him go and happy to see him move on at the same time... poor kid, She got my e-mail so she could send "B" messages... There was a message from her when I got home... sweet...

Tuesday August 14, 2001

I had my Cardiology Appointment today, I am OK, Doc said should make it through the week... I am trying to get some one to prescribe some medication to mellow me out a little... Prozac or something, I am concerned about stress. The Cardiologist is reluctant to give it out... he says he has never prescribed any of those medications... he says I should see Dr. Kodel, my GP... damn... I am tired of being stressed out and I am tired of getting angry... I think my anger is under control pretty much but I don't like the feeling... I used to be able to go for four or five years without raising my voice, with these guys it's down to four or five hours... 

 I finished put the floor tile down in the dining room, I had to leave a row by the back wall undone until I can get a new sliding glass door for the back...  I pulled the wainscoting and old drywall off the lower part of the wall... I will leave it that way for a while till I get the front porch built... I should be able to start on that this week... I hope... Christy will be home to watch the kids... I can't get anything done if there isn't someone here to watch the kids for me... especially Autumn... 

They sent Christy's dad home today, he is wearing a heart monitor...I think they will put a pacemaker in eventually, if he had been Dick Cheney he would have had that $30,000,00 bionic heart monitor/pacemaker/defibrillator years ago... 

Wednesday  August 15, 2001

I took Autumn to her Therapy today.. I was met at the door by Autumn's Occupational Therapist, Jamie (Janie is the PT) Jamie told me that she couldn't see Autumn today because the 6 month review wasn't completed and they didn't have a current prescription  from Dr. Appel and Autumn couldn't be seen without a current prescription... Janie said they hadn't received an approval for PT either... I took a deep breath. I took several deep breaths... Autumn couldn't get OT or PT because their administrative processes dropped the ball... the therapists are supposed to fill out the forms with their recommendations, submit the forms to their supervisor for approval and the Supervisor is supposed to see to it that the forms are sent to the attending physician (Dr. Appel in Autumn's case) for a new Prescription. Janie got her forms in on time but didn't get a FAX back from Appel's office...  Theresa at Appel's office  FAXed the prescription three times but "They got lost" according to CCS... I gave Janie Theresa's office number last week but apparently she didn't get through to her... well... This whole business is bureaucratic idiocy... Autumn is not going to be cured of Cerebral Palsy, her need for therapy isn't going to diminish any time soon, the fact that CCS has an arbitrary policy to submit forms every 6 months shouldn't have any affect on the services they provide Autumn. The Therapists at CCS are all carrying a significant case load and the Administrative bureaucracy should be there to provide support not impose unnecessary work... I could understand periodic reviews to mark progress and making changes in the objectives of the therapy but having the therapists start from scratch every six months and submit the same form they filled out at intake like Autumn was a new patient is overkill... 

Updating the forms with a new prescription should be on an as-needed basis... if no change to the old prescription is needed the Dr. and Therapist shouldn't need to submit a form to substantiate the fact... it is time wasting  for everyone.

Once a child is admitted for services by CCS their therapy should have nothing to do with bureaucratic processes... the administration of the proper paper work needs to be transparent to the clients... an appointment canceled because of arbitrary rules around the handling of forms is carrying bureaucracy too far... the priority should be service to the client, not  adhering to time constraints arbitrarily imposed by bureaucrats not directly involved in treatment.

If the Therapists can't complete their paperwork by the arbitrarily imposed deadline then:

All I know for sure is that driving my daughter 32 miles for the therapy she needs only to be turned away because some arbitrary paperwork process hasn't been completed on time is at the very least,  irritating and unprofessional. And furthermore,  if the client is taken to task for not calling to cancel an appointment or for showing up late then the it would seem only fair that the therapist should call the parents and let them know that their child can't be seen today because of an administrative problem...

Monica... was trying to show up Calie...she said "Do you know your 12 Commandments?!?! Huh DO YOU!!! Do you know the story of Jesus and Goliath?!?" Huh... Do ya... Huh!. Christy had to leave the room she was laughing so hard...

Christy got an e-mail from her friend Judy Ross in Colorado... she just got remarried... very cool info, Judy is a good friend of hers...the best part is that she will be coming back to the Antelope Valley for a visit in the spring... 

Thursday August 16, 2001

Autumn's Therapy is canceled today, I took the kids to the movies, we tried something new... Mike went to see Planet of the Apes (Didn't like it), Christian and "B" went to see Osmosis Jones (thought it was great), Calie and DaMoke went to see The Princess Diary's )Thumbs up) and Cindy and I went to see Legally Blonde (Cindy liked it I thought it held about as much suspense as the tide but it was a good kid movie, predictable and up beat... good actors doing there best with a fluffy script)... they all started within 20 minutes of each other Mike and Cindy & I got out at the same time, Calie and DaMoke about 5 minutes later... the boys were supposed to be out eight minutes later... after about 40 minutes of searching I finally found them, "B" was wandering around almost in tears because he couldn't find me or Lumpy... I found Lumpy in the back of a theater watching Princess Diaries... what a gerbil... when I spotted "B" I was on my way out to the lobby to call 911... I was really getting concerned... now I am just angry.

Christy took Autumn to Jack in the Box and then out for an ice-cream.

Friday  August 17, 2001

The cops came up the driveway again... this is the fourth straight night... the cops are getting lost trying to find the lady living behind me... she and the fella living due East of her are having some sort of spat... the kids say they heard the guy yelling (appropriately) Coo Coo noises at her for about an hour... it's about the most entertaining thing we've seen up here since they bulldozed the hippies out of the house back up the canyon.

I have a flat tire on the car... I took it in with 5 of the kids... what a pain... my kids are like chickens, there is no way to keep track of them, they are all over the place... it's worse than herding chickens it's like herding kittens... what a pain... I paid off the car, bought some screen for the windows that the kids had poked holes in and bought the little darlings each a pair of shoes...

Saturday  August 18, 2001

... Today is Christy and my 19th Wedding Anniversary, 19 years... amazing, hardly seems a day over 18 years 11 months. (Kidding)... Today would have been Mom's 81st Birthday... And.... Today is the day after Christine Aleman (My sister Susan's little girl) gave birth to her third child, a girl this time. I received this in my in-box this morning:

We are happy to announce the arrival of 

Julia Kaitlin Aleman!

She arrived on Friday, 8/17, at 5:57 p.m.,  8 pounds 1 oz and 20" long.

Both are doing well and will be spending the weekend at Scottsdale Healthcare's Shea Campus.  Her picture will be appearing soon at http://www.smhsi.com/nursery/default.asp.

Dave

Christine looks a little tired in this picture don't you think?... wonder why...

I just updated my Family Tree... she is the 11,173^rd entry...

Christy and I got a babysitter to watch the kids and we went to the Outback for out anniversary dinner... we sat and talked like married folk for a couple hours... a novel experience. Christy and I need to spend more unencumbered time together... the logistics of our existence make it seem as though we are living separate lives... there is just no time to sit down and talk... school will start up again on the 4th of September... that should give us a little time together... we can usually find time to "Do Lunch" a couple times a week... I hope so.

Sunday August 19, 2001

...Today was just a chaotic pain in the butt... don't know why... just was. I watched "Sunday Morning" on CBS in relative peace and quiet but the day just sort of got away from me... I cleaned the house did the dished, drove to Lowes and bought a tool to fix the screen door (forgot my wallet... typical)... luckily it was only a $2 tool and I had the cash... I have bought about 2 dozen of these little tools, the kids like them for some reason and they disappear... exasperating... I went out to my shed and got very upset, all my power tools had been used and just left abandoned where ever they were when they got tired of playing with them, screw drivers, wrenches and sockets strewn everywhere, I have no idea how many are missing, I found sockets in the dirt in the back yard, wood glue ruined because they didn't but the cover back on, an electric staple gun ruined because they couldn't figure out how to open it to put in new staples, A saw blade ruined because they were trying to cut concrete with it, boxes of screws and nails dumped out, disassembled rotary power sander, I can't find the parts... I found empty containers of .... I am just getting madder and madder typing all of this... I have to stop... I tell myself it's not malicious and I know it's not... but damn!!! Damn Damn... it is so exasperating to have something you care about trashed out of boredom, ignorance and lazyness... 

We had a fire down towards Escondido Canyon and Hubbard Street... I heard about it on the radio but I didn't see it... We have been left relatively unscathed this summer... KOW... Where did that expression come from anyway... Knock On Wood...