To get started: Lahren vs. The Blaze

Disclaimer – I am a Tomi fan. I am also a Glen Beck fan. I was more of a fan of Beck a few years ago than I am now, but I still view him as a principled and conservative idealist, which deserves my respect. I would be lying if I tried to claim to know the extensive history of either of them and all the reasons why they do or do not deserve my support. I am just stating it as I see it while it unfolds on national news, the latest being Lahren's emotional reservations about how The Blaze has somehow betrayed her.

Anyway, I just sense that something more is happening behind the scenes than what Tomi would like to put forward. The narrative right now is that Beck said one thing – that he is OK with having a pro-choice employee on The Blaze – and still suspended Lahren’s contract after she went on The View and said that she is pro-choice. Here’s where I can’t help but to side eye the narrative…Lahren talked, just a few months ago, regarding Lena Dunham’s rant about wishing that she had an abortion and referred to it as that Dunham “wished she could have murdered a fetus.” In context, prior to that statement, she was saying that pro-choicers should be taking a stance for rare and safe abortions, but did not outwardly align herself with that view. To be fair, she did not come out as pro-life in that statement either.

The issue that I have with what Lahren did right now is no more than the fact that she came across as inconsistent in her views on abortion. It wasn’t until she appeared on The View, the most looney-toon liberal feminism show on network TV, that her pro-choice views were made apparent. Whereas, when sitting on her independent platform on The Blaze, she insulated her position while bashing (and rightfully so) extreme pro-choicers.

If I were her producer/editor/boss, I would see this as either being inconsistent or untruthful. I know that pro-choice has become (or maybe it always has been?) a libertarian stance for those libertarians who do not appreciate the fetus as a separate entity from the mother because of its dependence on her. The issue that I see is that while on a conservative platform she has one tone about abortion, and when on a liberal platform, she has a very different tone. As a producer/owner of a political commentary, I would imagine that consistency is important. That is not to say that a person’s mind cannot be changed. I am a huge proponent of changing one’s views as more facts are provided. That isn’t what it looks like is going on with Lahren though.

That’s why I don’t have a problem with Beck and The Blaze suspending Lahren’s show while continuing to carry out the terms of her contract. I think it would create a situation that would encourage her to come back being more forthcoming with her position on different polarizing topics when she is talking opinion politics.

A political blog...maybe?

To get started: a little about me and this blog. 

This blog has only been used a handful of times over the past several years for me to express myself and what was important to me at the time. If you look through my history here, you will see posts with some of my old photography and opinions on topics in the realm of nursing. People don't really read this blog, so if this is your first time here and are wondering what the direction of this blog is...it doesn't really have one yet. 

Over the past few years, I have found myself increasingly interested and involved in politics. I removed myself from most social platforms because of the controversy that I couldn't help but to involve myself with. The keyboard commentary was such that, had I not separated myself from it when I did, my real-life relationships could have been put in jeopardy. Now I limit myself to 140 characters on twitter and will start to put some of my bigger thoughts on this very unpopular blogging site that I have had open for 5 years or so. 

First, I am a Christian, a husband, a father, a dog-lover, and a registered nurse in full-time anesthesia school. After all of that, I would consider myself a conservative libertarian. I believe in the constitution as it was intended when it was written and I believe that America is the greatest nation in the world because it is the only place that upholds those standards, values, and God-given rights in spite of the recent push for socialism and the degradation of personal liberty. 

What you will find in this blog is my personal opinions about things that are happening in the news. I will be posting mostly about topics that I feel a certain amount of passion about or topics that I don't feel are being covered completely (the main-stream media does a GREAT job of only partially covering stories). Steven Crowder, comedian and political commentator from louderwithcrowder.com and crtv.com, recently talked about the Socratic method, which is based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to make ideas and underlying presumptions evident. This is in contrast to critical theory which aims to direct thinking by asking questions or providing information that leads to a predetermined answer. Much of the information that we are being given from the media is that from a critical theory philosophy, which will leave many questions unanswered. My goal is to use the socratic method to help myself (and y'all?) answer those questions and figure out how I feel about these issues for myself, rather than being told how to feel about them. That being said, you will probably not find many answers here...because I don't have them all...yet!! Bwahaha! Kidding...

If you want to see Steven Crowder's video where he talk about Critical Theory vs. Socratic Method, click here:

Louder with Crowder: #148

Because of my schedule and the fact that this will not be a source of revenue for me, I can not promise a regular timeline for my posts, although I can say that I will try to post at least once or twice a week. I guess you can comment below, or you can just catch up with me on twitter

@seaneric_ace

Let me know what you think I should talk about. If I feel like I have enough information about it, I'll probably have an opinion about it.

Rants of a Nurse - Employee Independence from a Leadership Standpoint

Because the last time that I have posted to this Blogger account was over 2 years ago, I assume very few people are following this blog. I am going to continue to call this my "Photo Blog" and don't intend on sharing these posts on social media any time soon. I also don't plan on naming my place of work or the names of my coworkers. That being said, I also know that whoever does read this will probably know who I am, what I do, and where I work. I can't really avoid that. The point of this blog is actually just to vent. I also hope that this will serve as a source of information, maybe even inspiration, for nurses who plan on working in the acute care setting.

At the time that this blog is being written, I will have been serving (working) at this particular hospital as a Clinical Coordinator for about 6 months. The Clinical Coordinator position has a few job descriptions, one being the charge nurse of their particular unit, in my case the ICU and CVICU - two separate critical care units with different staff and different cultures.

Right now I actually want to just talk about employee independence. It is interesting watching how employees work from a leadership/middle management standpoint. When I was a staff nurse, I was often just focused on my patient assignment (usually 2 patients) and took little heed to the work of my peers other than when they were in obvious need of help, in which case I would try to make a point to provide assistance wherever I could. In the end, I took pride in my ability to independently take care of my patients. That being said, I do not want to claim that I would have been able to do my job without the support of my peers, but I will say that the care of my patients was under my direction and control. If I felt that I needed help or that I was getting behind, I would assign specific tasks to other nurses who had the time and were willing to help out. Eventually, in recurring situations, such as an admission or an open heart recovery, certain coworkers learned my routine and the specific tasks that they would perform were no longer "assigned" but rather they were understood. This relationship grew over time working with a specific nurse whom we performed at the same level and were able to react to each other's needs without verbalizing them. The relationship that I describe is similar to that of a basketball team who has been playing together for a long time. With experience, you learn the next move of your teammate and are able to react to it in order to improve the functionality of the team as a whole.

What I described should be contrasted with a situation in which an individual expects for tasks to be performed without any context other than that they appear "busy." They often have a difficult time functioning without someone checking on their work and picking up the loose ends. These situations require for the other members of the team to perform the expectations of another and often begin to overcompensate the amount of assistance they provide. This happens in large part because the struggling team member does not effectively communicate how they can be helped, but rather just start flailing their arms in distress and hope that someone can come to save them. The reaction from the team members is usually to assume that to "take over" miscellaneous tasks would help their struggling teammate. To bring it back to the basketball team, it would be like a power forward taking the role of the point guard because it looks like the point guard is dealing with a strong defense. The power forward is leaving his role to perform the duties of another teammate because the point guard is unable to perform it himself, rather than waiting for the ball to be passed to him while remaining in the power forward position as expected.

In a critical care unit, teamwork is important. I would venture to say that the teamwork in the critical care units and emergency room sets those departments apart from many other healthcare areas. As a clinical coordinator, I depend on good teamwork for my unit to perform well. What that means is that each member of the team is able to perform all of their tasks without requiring another teammate to take over and do things for them. It also means that when another teammate is in a position to be helped, that person is ready to be delegated when asked. It is the same concept that describes how the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If the whole is equal to the sum of its parts, it means a couple of things: synergy is not present in the system and certain individuals are required to fill the void left behind by others.

In the realm of critical care nursing, a lot of this boils down to how we educate and foster growth of new critical care nurses. When we are orienting/precepting new nurses to the critical care areas, it should always be the goal of the orientee to be able to perform all of the tasks of their role independently, not requiring the assistance of anybody, but understanding how and when to delegate. It should also be a goal to perform on a team by appropriately being delegated. As a nurse, you are expected to know many things about your patient, especially in the critical care units, such as what meds they took this morning, how well they tolerated lunch, how much urine they made each hour, what their vital signs are and how they have trended, etc. You also have to be able to defend this in court, should you ever be put into that situation. Therefore, your documentation should be your own. Documentation is one task that I believe (and have been instructed by legal nurse consultants) should never be delegated. As a nurse in a leadership position, the unspoken expectation that I have for my team is for everyone to be able to perform their duties independently. If you are not able to perform all of your tasks as a nurse independently within a timely manner by the end of your orientation, you may not have received proper instruction, your goals may need to be reviewed and adjusted, or you might be better suited for  a lower acuity unit/assigment until time management and clinical skills are dialed in.

I can already hear it..."But Sean, don't forget how much help you needed in the beginning." "Remember how much I helped you?" "How do people learn? You have to help them while giving them more challenging patients and situations."

I know. As the acuity of your patients increases, you will probably need more help. However, it is expected that within a reasonable time period you should be able to learn and adapt to those acuities so as not to become dependent on the assistance provided by your peers, but rather perform to the level of those around you. You can expect to one day not have all of the help that you are used to receiving and are still expected to perform at the same level regardless. You should always be prepared for that situation. If you find that you consistently cannot perform all of the tasks of the day, including patient care and personal breaks, without another nurse doing part of your work, it may be wise to request for changes to be made in the better interest of the team and the patients being served.

Back to the motherland

Texas.
I love that state. I don't know if it's the hot and humid weather. Maybe it's the vast, dry terrain. Possibly the fact that you can drive for 16 hours and never leave the state, and never even have a change of scenery. I know all of that might not sound like that ideal place for someone to be, but that's where my roots are dug.

"You can take a boy out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the boy."

We say that all of the time back at home. It's kind of a reminder that we are just as much Texan as we are hungry at dinner time. There's no way to change what it is until you feed us a little bit of Texas.

Anyway, when I realized that Ia and I were going to be flying home just a week and a half after we had gotten to Humboldt county, I was happier than a cat on the couch with the dogs tied up!

So for the first week of October, the Young Adults had planned a weekend retreat. This was going to be an interesting retreat and unique in that this was going to be a YA men's and YA women's retreat happening simultaneously. The idea was that this weekend was going to give everybody an opportunity to come closer with other members of the same sex and form those closer bonds. We all know that even though our closest relationships are those with our spouses or significant others, guys relate differently with other guys as do the gals with other gals. So we figured that we would build these relationships by getting the guys out on a weekend pseudo-backpacking/survivalist campout and the getting the ladies out doing whatever it is that ladies do (it actually sounds like they had a lot of fun…but you should ask them about it).

So Ia and I flew in to San Antonio on a Thursday afternoon and were picked up by our good friends Gabe and Rachella. After checking in to the hotel and galavanting around town for a bit, we finally caught up with the rest of the YA crew that night. Then us guys left for Government Canyon the next morning.

The theme of this weekend (I'm only talking about the guys' now) was "3 days and 3 nights" a spin on the 40 days and 40 nights that Jesus spent in the wilderness. So what we focused on was how Jesus communicated with His Father and how we could become more like Him when it comes to our relationship and faithfulness with God. It was awesome seeing how God used the heat, aching feet, and long hikes to show us what He has done for us and how much we need Him.

Talking about aching feet and long hikes…that was no joke. On Friday we hiked about 3 miles (correct me if I'm wrong, guys) and about halfway through we were hungrier than Pathfinders at potluck. So once we reached one of our checkpoints, we sat down, took some time to thank God for the blessings we had, and started to cook from our camping stoves.

Believe it or not, we ate well that weekend! We used those freeze-dried meals that they sell, and they were awesome!! I didn't know that dried food could be so good. All we had to do was boil some water, mix, eat, and repeat.

As we continued our hike, it became apparent to us that we were not on a simple afternoon hike. In fact, we could start to feel our feet going numb. But that didn't change our countenance. We got to a few areas where photo-ops were taken advantage of.

Well, that night, we finally made it back to camp. We were preparing our dinner when we heard Gabe coming up the trail and he yelled, "Dude, I saw a snake!" So since we're all men, we ran to his aide in battling the serpent. We all saw it. It was a 3-foot - probably adolescent - diamond back rattlesnake. So being the peaceful human men we are, we decided to let him continue on his way across the trail into the grass. He wasn't rattling his tail or coiling up or anything, so he probably wasn't that much of a threat anyway. So we all went back to camp continuously looking over our shoulders. We got our campfire going and started dinner.

Now I'm going to tell you about how five of the manliest men you may know turned into tabletop kittens. We were all more scared than a fish in a fish tank at a chinese restaurant. As were were chowing on our carribean jerk rice and pasta alfredo, one of us (no names will be used in order to protect the innocent) belted out "AHH SSNNNAAAKKE!" in a high G-sharp. Simultaneously, five grown men - some even more grown than others - were on top of the picnic table holding rocks, blow guns, silverware, and flashlights. What happened to the food? That didn't matter! We were surrounded by snakes!!

Not the greatest pictures, I know…but we needed to capture some proof!

That night, these brave men fought off the serpents one rock at a time. They even utilized their only blowgun to send the rattlers on their way. Afterward, there were some semi-serious talks about ditching the tents and sleeping in the vehicles. Then one manly man, possibly the manliest man in the man group, said, "No. I'm sleeping in my tent! I ain't afraid of no deadly snakes!" (Ok, so I paraphrased a little.) So we gained our man points back when we had worship and kept the snakes away for good. Really! It was pretty amazing. We focused on God and turned off the lights to pray, once the flashlights were turned back on, we did not have any snake problems for the rest of the weekend.

Sabbath morning four of the five took off to the trails. One was left at camp for a peaceful day of reading and resting his feet from the treacherous hike of the the day before. It was something like 7 or 8 miles that we hiked that day. Truly an awesome experience. We were able to challenge ourselves as we took in all of the beauty that nature had to offer us in the Texan foothills.

 Look! Dinosaur tracks!!

This weekend was truly an awesome time for me. I don't think I will ever forget the times had here, and especially the relationships that were developed. I thank God for good friends and good times. He has proven time and time again that He is in control - even when it feels like life is just full of snakes. I will always know that I have these friends to be with me to fight them off and brave the darkness.

And he said: "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies."

II Samuel 22:3-4 (NKJV)

Trinidad, Ca (Population: 364)

For those of you who know me well, you know that my ideal living situation is in a small ranch home in a small town just outside of the city. I don't want to see my neighbors, but when I do, I want to be able to ask them for a cup of sugar. I don't want to have to leash my dogs, but when I do, it has to be because they are going with me on a hike or to the beach. I would like to have the ability to go into my backyard in my skivvies, even though I probably wouldn't. If I go to the market or local restaurant, I would like to be greeted with, "Hey! You're back! How're ya doing?"

Well, Trinidad, California is the closest thing to all of that in northern California. You kind of have to be careful when driving by, because if you miss the exit over the hill, you will be driving to the next state park before you can turn around to come back! But let me tell you something, if you do happen to take the Trinidad exit, you're not gonna find much if you're looking for fine dining, shopping malls, and boutiques. However, if you take that Trinidad exit looking for beautiful scenery, great hiking trails, and beautiful sunset beaches…you've made it!!

The first week that we made it into Humboldt County (that's where all of the locals live…not "Eureka" or "Arcata" or "Trinidad"…"Humboldt County") we did everything but lit a fire underneath my nursing agent to get out of Eureka. They came through and placed us in this beautiful and quaint little town. They kept apologizing for housing me 30 minutes away from work, but believe me…it's totally ok. We feel safe and comfortable here. The community is not big enough or rich enough for all of the vagrants to come panhandling for drugs or money. Not to mention, these people here seem to be of a different culture. It almost seems like we're staying in a small town in northern Colorado rather than the other hippie towns in the bigger cities of this county.

Here's an example of the local "Humboldt hippie" style
(Not my photo…I Googled it)

This is a totally new culture to me. Not that I am unaccepting (I know that's not a word, but I can't think of a better one to use yet) of it, but it does take an adjustment of mindset and a practice of humility on my part. Meeting and greeting new and different cultures is part of what we have set out to do when we decided that we were going to be traveling. In fact, many of these people are peaceful and kind folks!

However, the people in Trinidad are not of the typical local style. Rather, I can imagine these folk tending to small shops and diners in a small town out side of Galveston. It really helps Ia and I ease in to the culture shock element.

Anyway, on my first day off from work in the hospital, Ia and I set out to explore the highlight of Trinidad. Trinidad State Beach is what keeps this little town on the map. This ocean access starts at the bottom of the hill where all of the vacation beach houses sit. Sitting between the Trinidad and Elk Heads (two small mountains sandwiching the beach between them) and spotted with numerous boulder-like islands, this picturesque flat is a great place to take a loved one, a couple of dogs, and a camera!

The other beautiful thing about this beach is that it's less than ten minutes from our front door!!

This is the view from atop Trinidad Head. You can see Elk Head across the way.

Another thing that a few may know about me, is that I have acquired my mother's fascination with lighthouses…and Trinidad has one!! 

(That's Trinidad Head on the right side of the picture, so Trinidad State Beach is outside of the frame to the right of the Head.)

The view from the lighthouse.

Ground level at the beach.

I'm thinking I can get used to this :)

The Lord is my strength and song, And he has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him.

Exodous 15:2 (NKJV)

Eureka (and Humboldt County) in a nutshell

This is going to be a quick little post with very few pictures. That way I can get all of the information about our current location out there and then we can move on with the more photogenic blogs.

Once Ia and I rolled into Eureka, one of the first things we noticed was that there was a Wal-Mart…in the mall. Yep, if there is any way to accurately describe what the local community is like in one statement, tell them that the only Wal-Mart in the whole county is in the only mall in the whole county.

When we told people that we were going to Eureka, California, the most common response that we got was a blank stare and a small reassuring smile followed by a slow nod. Then once we mentioned that it was in a section of California called Humboldt County, a few more people lit up and said, "Oh! I've heard about Humboldt County. You know what Humboldt County is known for, don't you?" Quite frankly, I had no idea. After some shallow research, I got a glimpse of what they were talking about. But once we actually arrived to our hotel in Eureka and showed up for my first day of work at St. Joseph hospital (one of the only acute care hospitals in the county) we very quickly realized where we were.

Humboldt County houses one of the most beautiful national forests in America - The Redwood National Forest. The foggy, moist weather and proper soil and sunshine provides all of the essential elements for the worlds largest trees to grow. It ALSO provides all of the essential elements (including seclusion and concealment) for the growing of marijuana and other illegal drugs.

The homeless rate in Eureka is astounding as well. I was told that the census states that there are just about 27,000 people living in Eureka, but that does not take into account for the estimated 1,200 homeless people living there. Quite an amazing number when you actually see it with your own eyes.

Anyway, Ia and I were finally able to get out of that scary little hotel in downtown Eureka and into a nice little vacation home tucked away into the redwoods, in a town about 30 minutes north of Eureka, called Trinidad.

Here's the view everyday I wake up on a day off…

Now stay tuned for my rundown of my personal favorite town in Humboldt County, Trinidad!

Travel Mode: Activated

So ever since we got married, Ia and I have been talking about taking a nursing assignment and starting to travel. Although, we had a really hard time figuring out how we would do it. With all of the bills and stuff, we even considered that she stay at home and continue to work at the gym while I travel and make better wages as a contract nurse. I really thank God that He has put people in our lives who snapped us out of those ideas!

On August 20, we were celebrating our anniversary. Right before we went to dinner, I got a phone call from a hospital in a town in California called Eureka. They basically did a little telephone interview and told me that they like me and were going to forward the job offer to my agency. All of a sudden we went through a roller coaster of paperwork, drug tests, job resignations, and packing.

We originally were planning on keeping our beautiful home in downtown McAllen. We really did fall in love with that town home and we knew we had a really good deal and a great landlord. However, I literally woke up one day (for reals, it happened when I woke up) and decided that the best decision would be for us to rent a storage unit for $140/mo and move out rather than continue to pay $700/mo for an unoccupied home. With a whole bunch of help from our friends, we got packed up and ready to roll out of the valley in exactly two weeks!

We were scheduled to begin our drive to California on the morning of September 17, a weekday. Our friends pretty much threw a going away party for us almost every night until that day. We totally have the coolest friends on earth. Just to prove that they're totally cool, they even took time out of their mornings, woke up early and everything, to come over and read a devotional and see us off. 

They even brought some breakfast and threw Ia a little early birthday party!

We really miss our friends. No joke, they are irreplaceable. God placed them in our lives right when we needed them. We have grown closer as a married couple and closer to God much in part because of the roles that they play in our lives. 

Sep. 17, 2013, 0930: The driving begins...

Ia has way more info about the drive... sunbee-sunbee.blogspot.com

But two days later we finally made it to California, Los Angeles to be exact, and were able to connect with Monica and LA. We haven't been able to hang out with them in a while so it was really nice being able to run around town and eat a whole bunch of food with them.

We spent a total of about 15 hours in Pasadena, CA (LA County). WAY to short. But we left with good memories and engorged bellies.

We quickly made it to Sacramento where my cousin and his family live. We got to spend the weekend with them and hang with the kids. 

These kids are cool.

Next stop, EUREKA!!

God bless,

Sean