State-of-the-art medical care...circa 1996

So, my manager stocked our office supplies this morning.  With everything she bought was this: 

None of our computers have floppy drives.  I didn't even know anyone still sold these.  And we have a whole cache of flash drives.  For reals, what the hell?

Of course, this is from the woman who bings google to get to the google search engine.

The best thing ever

I know I haven't posted in a while; it's not like anyone's reading anyway, so who cares?

The best thing ever just happened to me:

My manager's been giving me a hard time about certain phrases I use with our patients. This, in and of itself, is super annoying, since I go out of my way to make certain that our patients are well cared for, and are lacking nothing, and the fact that she bitches about me using phrases like "If you need anything, I'm always here" is a bit more than mildly irritating. Nevertheless, I've made a point out of saying what she wants me to say: "Anyone who answers the phone can help you." Fine. Whatever.

So, today, as I'm checking out a patient, I say to him "If you have any questions, feel free to call our office. Anyone who answers the phone can help." Coincidentally, I happen to be saying this just as we're walking by my manager. His response: "I'd rather just deal with you. I like dealing with you."

In front of my manager.

It was bliss. My toes curled inside my shoes from happiness.

I'm branching out!

Here are my two latest illustrations. I call the first one "skele-boner." The second one doesn't have a title.

See, I can draw something other than balls.

Einstein, my love

Meh, whatever. I still did better than mental_floss bloggers, and he's their mascot.

The Einstein Quiz



Score: 60% (6 out of 10)

Worst Company in America, 2009!

That's right, ladies and gentleman, it's time, once again, for Consumerist's annual Worst Company in America contest. Below you see the bracket, along with my prediction of AIG for the win.

After last year's upset of Countrywide Home Loans over the ever infernal Comcast, will AIG have what it takes to beat out the competition, which includes Comcast, The Peanut Corp of America and United Healthcare?

WHO will claim this year's Golden Poo award?



Follow along with your own set here.

What now, bitches?

I cannot get over how funny this is. Oh, the hilarity.

I love math.

From Fail.

Walmart: Friend or Foe?

Greetings, all.

I just got back from grocery shopping at the super walmart upstate. Yes, it's obscenely late, but that's how I role. The bill came out to just over $300, which should last the BF and I about a month. Now, we haul our asses upstate once a month to do our grocery shopping, and our trip itself upstate totals at around $70, so BF and I got into a debate: would we save more money by doing our shopping in the city and applying the $70 trip money to our grocery budget?

Well, to answer my question, I went on Fresh Direct, which is how I like to do my grocery shopping in the city, since I've found their prices to be pretty much on par with the grocery stores, plus I can do my shopping in my underwear. Item by item, I went down our walmart list, and added each to the shopping cart. Then I clicked "Check Out". With tax and shipping (a reasonable $5), would you believe that my Fresh Direct bill came out to $498? Yes, that's right, I saved almost $200 by going to walmart.

So yes, walmart is an evil empire running mom and pop businesses to the ground, but dude, I'm poor, let me shop with the weirdos that come out in the middle on the night on Saturdays to do their grocery shopping. Where else can you buy a pork loin, a value package of hanes her way panties and car tires all at 1 am?

RIP, Doodlebeasts

Once upon a time there was a blog called Doodlebeasts, where a doodler would doodle fabulous, whimsicle doodles to tickle the imagination. PrincessPi, being the crazyass she is, disappeared for a while, and failed to notice that Doodlebeasts has apparently moved on to greener pastures...

Doodlebeasts, I will miss you.

SWEET!!!

When I was in college, ramen noodles were a large staple of my diet. I just couldn't afford anything else. Then one day, while eating said noodles, I was watching a documentary on the discovery channel about parasites, and these two scientists were poking around at a tapeworm in a large glass beaker. I looked at the tapeworm, looked down at my ramen...




It was a long time before I could eat noodles again.

from xkcd.

The MTA strikes again

So, it’s been a while since the MTA and I have fought, and apparently, they decided I was due for a good kick in the ass.

This morning, on the way to work, I left with ample time to take the train in. We were seeing patients, so I definitely didn’t want to be late. I begin descending the stairs into the subway, and run into a harried woman who shrieks at me “No A Train!” What do you mean, no A train? I wondered. I know it had been shut down over the weekend for maintenance, but it’s always back up on work days. How the hell was I supposed to get to work? The 1 train? Hells no. Too crowded. That left me with one option: the M98 bus, which is typically my preferred method of transit, but with buses you need to worry about traffic, something I don’t need on patient days.

The bus stop next to the subway station was getting mighty full, so I decided to hoof it to the bus stop one block up to beat the crowd. So I went, and stood, and stood, and stood some more, until a bus finally showed, naturally completely full. I elbowed my way on, and the bus driver closes the door, looks around and says (I kid you not) “do you guys ride this bus regularly, ‘cause I ain’t never done this route before and no one gave me directions.” Are you shitting me? He then goes on to get us stuck behind a Short Line bus for ten minutes, gets on the FDR which is CLEAR OF TRAFFIC BUT STILL HE GOES 25 MPH! WTF?!?! I’m usually a pretty quiet person, but even I yelled out, “Homey, you can keep up with traffic or we’ll never get where we’re going.”

Needless to say, I got to work almost a half hour late.

Shit. MTA:527, Vanessa :0

You MUST watch this

I don't care if you're not a physics geek, I don't care if you care nothing for math. Watch this lecture by Clifford Stoll. Yes, he's frickin' crazy, but he's also frickin' brilliant. Even if you don't learn anything (you will), he's immensely entertaining.



Thanks, Neatorama.

I think my stuffed animals have feelings

from Neatorama

Reese's YES. Selmonella NO.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are my favorite candy, but I was worried they might be tainted due to the massive peanut butter product recall. But alas, I fear no more! The fda has a widget to help you search your favorite foods to see if they've been recalled.

FDA Product Recall List

This gave me some pause...

So, it seemed like, in preparation for the upcoming Friday the 13th, all the crazies in NYC were out in full force yesterday. My therapist switched my medication from Remeron to Zoloft, and I went to the pharmacy to fill it, right? Well, my doctor had said I should take the medication in the morning, but the bottle it came in said may cause drowsiness, so I asked the pharmacist about it, because I can't take sleepy medicine in the morning, you know? So the pharmacist comes over, unshaven, ill-fitting lab coat, and says, "Yeah, I'm on it and it makes me really sleepy," and I'm thinking holy crap, this man dispenses my medication? And then I got on the bus to go to the subway, and this older woman gets on and she's wearing a knit hat and has a fur boa tied around her head like a birthday hat (under the chin) and she tried to pay her $2 fare with a $10 bill (bus only takes change or metrocards). And THEN, at the train station, this older gentleman, very dapper looking, in a navy, tailored, pin-stripe suit, was wearing a fluorescent blue bow tie and a cow boy hat.

It was an odd day. I'm glad today's Friday. I'm especially glad I don't have to work on monday.

How would a normal parent respond to this?

I mean, good lord. Do ALL kids act like this? Maybe I should reexamine my desire to become a mother.

Hee hee

I especially love how the hosts just sit down at their desks while the set collapses on the girl and pretend that everything is all right...



from Fail Blog.

Oh, to own a camera phone

This morning, walking from the bus to work, I passed by Sotheby's. Outside was parked a large white Escalade. Its license plate said "GTAIV". Inside the car, and I kid you not, were two different types of clubs on the steering wheel.

A challenge to gamers, mayhaps?

This has been stuck in my head for DAYS

"She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing."
— Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17-28)

Yay me, sticking to something for once

Why is February 8 an important date?

1725: Catherine the Great becomes the Empress of Russia
1924: Gas chamber used for the first time in an American state prison
1926: Walt Disney Studios is formed
1942: Congress advises FDR that Americans of Japanese descent should be locked up en masse so they wouldn't oppose the US war effort
1969: Last edition of Saturday Evening Post, which used to carry Norman Rockwell covers.
1969: First test flight of the Boeing 747 Jumbo jet
1973: Senate names seven members to investigate Watergate scandal
1974: The US spacestation, Skylab, crashes back to Earth, breaking up in the atmosphere

Mmm. important, right? Well, there's one more thing to add to the list:

2008: PrincessPi started her blog, http://misadventuresincrazytown.blogspot.com

And yes, while this may not be a big dead to most people, to me, someone who RARELY, if eve,r, sticks to something like this for more than a week, actually getting to the point where I get to have a blogaversary is a big freaking deal. So stop rolling your eyes and let me feel proud of myself.