The Hollow Crown

We love everything British. My husband has a medical school colleague who lives in England. We have visited three times and it was delightful to know someone who showed us around. We have BritBox and Acorn TV and love to watch all of the shows including those from Ireland and Scotland. It’s almost to the point that American shows just don’t add up to the stories and the acting. But that’s just our take on things. Neither one of us likes gothic, fantasy and special effects so that rules out a lot of shows. I’m always looking for options on all of our streaming services and otherwise and came across the Hollow Crown series. Every actor and actress we know was in it. But the problem was is that it’s Shakespeare - Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI, Edward, Richard III. I never liked Shakespeare. We had to read the merchant of Venice in high school and it was dreadful - to me. My husband doesn’t care for Shakespeare either. But we visited the Folger Museum and Theater on Capitol Hill when we lived there and saw a play ot two. We also loved the Henry V movie with Kenneth Branagh - especially the music and his famous speech. In spite of the fact that my husband hates war movies and brutality we both love this series. It’s on Amazon Prime but we had to pay $2.99 per episode. There are two seasons and seven episodes. One is better than the next and the acting is superb. We always have the subtitles running so we can understand what is being said. We are on our last episode and probably will feel bad when it’s done. Every time we think there won’t be another great English series we eventually find another one. We don’t do a lot for entertainment these days so it’s worth the time. Maybe one of these days we will figure out who all of these kings were. Whenever we visited the Chicago Art Museum there were walls of armor and war weapons. Can you imagine wearing all of that gear and love to tell the tale? 

52Frames Portrait of a Stranger Photo Challenge

The subject this week for the weekly photo challenge was “portrait of a stranger.”  It can be a bit uncomfortable going up to people and asking to take their photograph. But we have found that most people oblige - after you tell them you belong to a photo challenge and smile a lot. And I only have my iPhone so I don’t look as professional as someone with a “real” camera. So we drove in to town and started out at the US Botanic Garden. There was a lovely attendant greeting us at the front door. And just inside the conservatory was a volunteer who had a stand set up. That subject was about chocolate with a chocolate tree growing behind him. It made for a great backdrop and he also had a prop. Then we walked over to the National Gallery of Art. After walking through the galleries we met a smiling young man at the front door on our way out. He was more than happy to pose for us. Because the mall was relatively quiet it’s a great time to visit some of the museums that are usually packed. So we next went to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. We walked past the dinosaurs towards the back end where there are scientists doing their work. After tapping on the glass I managed to coax one of the scientists to look up from his microscope and share a smile. I never know which image will garner the most attention. My husband liked the coffee man most and I usually post what he prefers. He’s not so much in to the photography but more in to if it brings out some sort of emotion. Whenever I finish this challenge it feels very satisfactory. Perhaps it’s the interaction. Maybe it’s the end result. People seem to like having their photo taken. And I enjoy taking them! 

New York Review of Books Zinio Discount

My husband doesn’t ask for much - except for subscriptions to the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books. He looks forward to getting his magazines digitally downloaded on his iPad. Every once in a while there is a glitch. For whatever reason the latest edition didn’t go according to plan. That usually means an email to contact the Zinio service and find out what can be done. I thought both of the subscriptions were automatically billed annually. In fact I remember seeing that the New York review of books was due last week. Then my husband said he didn’t get the latest issue. That resulted in an email, but at the same time I got on line and checked his account. Apparently his subscription wasn’t paid - which is why he didn’t get the latest issue. So I paid for it and immediately the issue downloaded. In the meantime the support staff responded by saying that the subscription was renewed and the latest edition was available. I didn’t answer because I had figured out what the issue was. They sent a second email asking if the issue was resolved. I did answer that it was, but also commented that we just renewed, but missed out on the ten per cent discount that I thought I saw and wondered if it could be applied after the fact. He said if I could show proof of the discount he would see what he could do. So I looked at previous emails from Zinio and found one for ten percent. I sent a screenshot of that, and another coupon for “up to fifty percent on certain items” and was pleasantly surprised when Pablo said he would honor the ten percent coupon. My husband didn’t think it was worth the effort, but I like to follow up on things like this. Even though it didn’t amount to much, it’s the idea of it all. 

Smithsonian Natural History Museum

We rarely go to visit the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Neither my husband nor I are dinosaur lovers. We find ourselves in the National Gallery of Art, the Library of Congress, the Hirshhorn Gallery and gardens, US Botanic Garden, and History Museum most often. But this time of the year is the best time to visit any of them. You don’t need a timed pass (except for the Library) and the places are not busy in January. That makes a big difference for me. My husband likes the crowds and I could do without them. So when we go for our weekly walks on the National Mall we may stop in. And we did just that this week. I needed to get some photos for the weekly photo challenge and while we were there we walked about the natural history museum. We spent a bit of time in the mammal area, and also the dinosaur section. Having just been at the National Zoo visiting the live animals, it was sad to see the many stuffed versions. But it does give you the opportunity to see things up close and personal. Then we went upstairs to see the hope diamond and all of the other stones and gems. There were thousands of them in all shapes and sizes.  One of these days I really need to read about what all is in there because we are undoubtedly missing something of interest. We lived on Capitol Hill for thirteen years and these are our old stomping grounds. We enjoy the walks, the photos, and the neighborhood. Who wouldn’t? 

Rest In Peace Janet

It doesn’t happen very often. To have someone around you that is always looking out for your best interest and always putting in a good word is a gift. I was a lucky enough to have two mentors. One was a biology professor in college - who I am still in contact with almost fifty years later-  and the other was my graduate school mentor - Janet -  and eventual boss at a major hospital in the Midwest. We recently had VHS tapes from 1990 transferred to digital format and they contained two interviews about the nursing automated documentation system that we implemented. Janet assigned this project to me right after she selected me as the Director of Nursing for Critical Care. At the time I didn’t think much about the significant impact this project would have on nursing care. It was one of the first - if not the first - cutting edge systems of its kind. And I have to thank her for having the confidence in me to pull it off. This made me think of her and when I googled her name yesterday I found out that she had passed away in October - just three months ago - at the age of 90! When she retired I had encouraged her to get a dog. And she did. And she was so happy to have Sammy. I got a handwritten note from Janet about ten years ago after I self published some children’s book congratulating me on the endeavor. Now I’m so sorry that I didn’t keep up with our correspondence. If I don’t have email addresses I’m less inclined to hand write notes. That was a mistake. It was another reminder that we need to share our feelings with the people who had such major impacts on our lives. So thank you Janet for your support and confidence. It made a huge difference in my life. 

A Significant Nursing Accomplishment

I really didn’t know it at the time. But now it’s thirty years after the fact and I am reminded of a significant nursing accomplishment that I am extremely proud of. This week we had a 1990 VHS tape transferred to digital format. On it were two interviews I gave about the bedside nursing documentation system we implemented at St. Joseph Hospital in Wisconsin. It was one of the first - if not the first - cutting edge technology of its kind at the time. I was the Director of Critical Care and was assigned to this project by my boss - who had been my mentor while in graduate school. If I had known then what I know now I’m not sure I would have felt prepared for this gigantic project. It does explain my love for iPads because the technology we used was touch screens developed by a company in Boulder, Colorado. We did productivity studies and cost justifications and extensive development and testing. There were several articles written and several press releases. I kept all of them. I posted the interviews on Facebook and am overwhelmed by the kind words of people that I worked with at the time, before and long afterwards. It’s such a compliment to be called an innovator or pioneer. I really never thought about it until I saw the interviews again. I can’t imagine how life would be like without this fabulous technology. I’m so thankful to have been a part of it. 

Iron On Jean Patches

Since the pandemic began over three years ago neither my husband nor I have bought any new clothes. Maybe a pair of walking shoes - but no clothes. My husband has a very old pair of jeans that he wears around the house. They are so old that there is a hole in the left knee area. Before we moved to northern Virginia almost four years ago we bought iron on jean patches for the same reason. Before we went out and got more patches we looked around in the closet and found them there. My husband didn’t want to buy a new pair of jeans if we could repair these. So we got out our little portable ironing board and the iron and set it up on the kitchen island. We read the instructions and followed along. He wanted to do both knees and to put the patch on the top of the fabric rather than underneath. It really didn’t take long to do the first one. Then we did the second one. It’s probably not the most stylish thing to do, but the only place he might be seen wearing the jeans would be to remove the trash which is just across the hall. I have a feeling this remedy may not last very long. In that case we may need to find a replacement. 

Apple IOS Updates

It’s so nice having digital devices. They do make life a lot easier most of the time. Since I am the technical person in our house, it can sometimes get overwhelming. I’m not really a technical person. I just happened to use a lot of technical equipment both as a nurse in the rudimentary stages of ICU sand cardiac cat lab gadgets, but later on as a nursing administrator, finance support person, and an infrastructure support person at the Library of Congress. We were one of the first - if not the first - hospitals to implement an automated documentation system and I was responsible for the project way back in 1988! It really helped to stay up to date on the latest technologies both in a clinical and an office setting. But there was always an IT support number you could call for help. Now that I’m retired and have no IT support number to call I need to update all of our gadgets when there is an IOS update, set up a new device, or trouble shoot whenever there is a problem. Plus I’ve learned to do digital art on my iPad - all on my own without help from anyone or training session. We no longer have a laptop which I used for some things I couldn’t do on an iPad. Unfortunately I can no longer update my Amazon Merch site without it. Amazon is not mobile device friendly. So yesterday when the newest apple IOS update was released, I had to update all of our Apple devices - my IPad, my husband’s iPad and phone, my phone and my last phone that my husband should be using but isn’t, and now my Apple Watch. It usually goes without a hitch but it can just be annoying. I’m just glad I can usually figure out what to do - with a lot of luck. 

52Frames Your Hobby Photo Challenge

The subject for this week’s photo challenge was “your hobby.” So I had the idea that I would try a flat lay of some of the objects related to my digitalart hobby. Those items included a portrait of my borzoi Tatiana, a business card, and the website page of LITDigitalart, along with a photo of my New Yorker Eustice Tilley win. All of these were shown on digital devices. There was also a small stuffed animal of the breed with a braid made from her white tail. It seemed more like a memorial than a hobby. I spent a while configuring the items but ended up not liking any of them - even turning the orientation sideways for interest. So I tried a few more options using my iPad with completed custom pet portraits. One of them was a golden retriever aside the photo that was used to paint the subject. Another one was of two papillons with me sketching with my stylus. Then there were two more of our Borzoi and the retriever. Finally there was a composite of the steps showing the initial sketch to the completed painting. In the end we chose me - or my hand - painting the papillons showing the stylus. Some week the challenges are more fun than others. This one is always difficult to get right.